Accra, May 3, GNA - The U.S. Embassy's Non-Immigrant Visa operations resumed on Tuesday, according to a statement by the US Embassy in Accra.

The statement from the Public Affairs Section of U.S. Embassy said all apparently fraudulent appointments had been purged from the system and these bookings would not be honoured.

The Embassy asked applicants to review the new procedures for visa applications at the U.S. Visa Services website: http://usembassy.state.gov/accra/wwwhghan.html

The statement said legitimate applicants who were scheduled for visa interviews between April 25 and 29 should come to the Consulate for their interviews exactly two weeks after their originally scheduled appointment.

"For example, if your interview was originally scheduled for April 25, you should come to the Consulate on May 9. If you were scheduled for April 26, you should come to the Consulate on May 10, and so on. Please come at your originally scheduled time."

The statement said changes had been made to the online system to ensure that fraud would not again be allowed to hinder the applications of genuine travellers.

"Do not pay anyone for an early visa appointment - they have no authority to grant it, and the appointment may be cancelled at any time without your knowledge.

"The online system is the only way to make or change an appointment. If someone tries to sell you an appointment time, they are committing fraud and you will not be admitted to the consular section. "When you book your online appointment please review all instructions carefully. Failure to follow all instructions may result in your appointment being deleted by the system without notification."

The Embassy apologized for the inconvenience that its recent suspension of Non-Immigrant Visa operations caused to legitimate visa applicants.