DNA Lady
The U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana has provided some valuable contact information and answers to over 25 Frequently Asked Questions. To begin with, depending on where you are in your application to immigrate to the United States here are email contacts:
If your inquiry is regarding American Citizen Services, please send an email to acsaccra@state.gov. If your inquiry is regarding non-immigrant visas, please send an email to NIVAccra@state.gov. If your inquiry is regarding an adoption , please send an email to accraadoption@state.gov and finally, if your inquiry is about U.S. citizenship and immigration services, please send an email to uscisaccra@dhs.gov. Always use your Case Number and Beneficiary's name in the subject of the email.
Before sending an email to any of the above addresses, please send an email directly to ivdvaccra@state.gov to receive an automated response with a list of the questions easily answered. Below I have outlined just a few of the simple questions and answers.
What is the status of my case?
Look at the email address information above and send an email to the appropriate office with the beneficiary's name and case number beginning with ACC. The Embassy advises they will respond within 5 - 7 business days. It is always a solid suggestion to put a "received and read" receipt on any emails you send. While their system may not support receipts - you will still receive an email notification that the message was delivered.
How Can My Family Join Me in the United States?
If you are a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident and want to obtain Immigrant Visas for your family to join you in the United States, you must first file a petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Have all your original documents readily available, ie, birth certificates, marriage and death certificates, police certificates and take photocopies for your own records. Those applying for family based visas should also bring along any evidence such as family photographs marking milestone events such as birthdays, religious holidays, school events and graduations etc., correspondence between family members, phone call records, school report cards, healthcare records, etc anything that demonstrates the relationship exists between you(sponsor) and the petitioner or beneficiaries. If the relationship and/or documentation is questionable you may be asked to undergo a DNA test to confirm the biological relationship. Your local AABB accredited DNA collector can assist you in this process. Based on current experience, biological relationship confirmation via DNA testing can take up to 6 or 7 months to complete. We've collected a Sponsor in the USA in January 2010 and his beneficiaries were not collected until August 2010. So act fast and if you know your documents are questionable, old, unclear, filed in an untimely manner, not in English - volunteer for the DNA test option and put the process in motion as quickly as you can.
How Can I Schedule an Appointment for my Adoptive Child?
Our only information is that you send an email to accraadoption@state.gov. One suggestion might also be to have the child undergo a DNA test in Accra, Ghana and then upon arrival to the United States, have the same child submit to another DNA Test - this avoids any possibility of children leaving the country illegally and entering other countries for human trafficking. Make sure to use the same lab to test in Accra and test in the United States. Additionally, if available, have the child's birth mother/father undergo DNA Paternity and/or Maternity testing in Accra, to insure the right people are surrending or terminating their rights to parenting. A predictive genetic test on the parents may help an adoptive child in the future with their own health initiaves.
For answers to these and many other questions related to DNA Testing and the process of immigration, please check the various websites. DNA collections are performed at the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana by appointment only. U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana is open Monday to Thursday 7:30 am to 5pm and Friday from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm. The U.S. Embassy is closed on U.S. and Ghanaian holidays.
What do I need to Do to Prepare for my DNA appointment?
In this United States, the sponsor needs to contact an AABB accredited DNA collector or laboratory to set up the process. The sponsor's DNA, identification and Immigration Casework number will be collected in the United States. The AABB accredited facility in the United States will then contact the Embassy in Accra, Ghana to have your beneficiary come in for an appointment. The U.S. sponsor needs to provide accurate and clear phone and contact information for the beneficiary - home address etc., Your beneficiary will need to bring in his/her passport and two photos. The U.S. laboratory will provide a FEDEX waybill so that the beneficiary's sample can be returned to the US laboratory for testing. Your beneficiary is only charged a local collection fee, all charges for the DNA analysis are paid by the sponsor in the United States. Please inform your beneficiary and anyone attending a DNA collection that they may not bring with them weapons of any kind or size, sharp metal or glass objects, razor blades, liquids, bottles powdery substances, umbrellas and electronic or battery-operated equipment (including cell phones, radios, tape recorders, cameras, personal digital assistants) food, drinks or pre-mixed baby formula. There are no lockers available in which to store these items - you will not be allowed into the building.
How Do I check My Priority Date?
The Department of State publishes the list of current priority dates every month known as the Visa Bulletin. You can find the current one, as well as archived bulletins at http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html.
The Diversity Visa Season ends September 30 of each year. No further visas are issued from the previous Diversity Visa program year after this date.
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