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Ghana · Refusal documents

A Ghanaian refusal is answered with the ORC certificate, not a higher cedi balance

Written and Edited by Peter AkarakiriLast updated on September 28, 2026
Ghanaian certificate of incorporation on a desk beside cedi bank statements and a pen
Summary: A higher cedi balance does not answer a Ghanaian refusal. The certificate of incorporation from the Office of the Registrar of Companies shows the business exists in your name. Invoices still have to match the credits. The incorporation certificate used to come from the Registrar-General. It now comes from the Office of the Registrar of Companies.

The certificate is the ORC record

Ghana’s companies register is the Office of the Registrar of Companies. People still say RGD, because the Registrar-General’s Department used to issue the certificate. Upload the certificate of incorporation, or the current profile extract, in the name that owns the account.

The certificate shows the company exists. It does not show that a deposit on 12 March was a customer payment. Put the invoice next to that credit: payer, amount, and date.

The papers, in Ghanaian English

  • RGD — the old name for the company paper. People still say RGD. The certificate now comes from the Office of the Registrar of Companies.
  • ORC — Registrar of Companies certificate. Incorporation certificate or the current extract, in the name that owns the account.
  • Lands search — Lands Commission search. The property tie. Your name or your spouse’s. A family house with no search in your name is not the exhibit.

Visitor visa (from outside Canada) — Ghana: 78 days

On September 22, 2026, IRCC's processing-time tool showed 78 days for Visitor visa (from outside Canada) when the country is Ghana. The tool updates weekly. 78 days is an estimate, not a date IRCC owes you. Add the biometrics appointment and the time for the passport to come back.

IRCC processing-time tool showing 78 days for a visitor visa from outside Canada, country Ghana, last updated September 22, 2026
IRCC tool on September 22, 2026. Pull it again the day you file.

What Canada charges — Ghanaian cedi on September 28, 2026

IRCC charges Canadian dollars. The GHS column is the ExchangeRate-API mid-market rate on September 28, 2026: GH₵8.24 per CAD. A card issuer or a money changer will not use this rate. Confirm the CAD figure on the IRCC fee list.

Canada visitor visa fees in CAD and GHS on September 28, 2026
FeeCADGHSNote
Visitor visa, per person$100GH₵824.26Single or multiple entry. IRCC does not refund it if the visa is refused.
Visitor visa, family of 5 or more$500GH₵4,121.30One fee when you apply together, at the same time and place, and the children qualify as dependants.
Biometrics, per person$85GH₵700.62Pay it with the application when biometrics are required. Often valid up to 10 years.
Biometrics, family of 2 or more$170GH₵1,401.24The maximum for a family applying at the same time.

A first-time applicant who must give biometrics pays CAD $185, about GH₵1,524.88, before any visa-application-centre service charge. Trip funds are a different test. The fee is not the funds.

The test does not change by country

Whether you will leave Canada is IRPR section 179. That rule is the same for every passport. Read the letter, change the file before you pay again, and treat a lump and weak ties as their own pages. This page is only the local paper.

Ghana only. Do not send another country’s registration.

Canada Visitor Visa Refusal Ghana FAQ

Is an older Registrar-General certificate obsolete, or can it still be the incorporation paper if I also include a current ORC extract?

An older Registrar-General certificate can still be the incorporation paper. If the company is active, also include the current ORC extract so the officer can see it was not struck off.

If I am employed in Ghana and not a director, do I send the ORC certificate, or the employer letter and payslips?

No. Send the employer letter and payslips. The ORC certificate is for a business you own.

Watch the questions, the analysis, and the evidence

Check out this video to learn about answering a number of questions, get free analysis and personalized evidences for your application.

8 major factors Canada visa officer checks

Eight factors a Canada visa officer may check, and what they may look at for each
Officer checks

Why Canada? Tourism, family visit, event, business, etc.; itinerary; duration; whether the activities make sense

Employment, business, property, spouse, children, family responsibilities, studies, other obligations

Job stability, position, salary, length of employment, approved leave, business ownership and activity

Bank balances, transaction history, income, savings, source of funds, ability to pay for the trip and return

Family remaining in the home country versus relatives/family in Canada; overall circumstances

Previous international travel, visas, compliance with previous visits, previous Canadian/US/UK/Schengen travel, etc.

Previous refusals, overstays, unauthorized work/study, removals, previous applications and information provided

Criminality, security, medical/financial inadmissibility, misrepresentation, and whether the information/documents are consistent and credible

What is ImmigrationDM?

ImmigrationDM makes it easy to respond to a Canada visitor visa refusal.

You can use the Refusal Analysis to read the officer's reasons and see the missing paper. It asks about country, purpose, funds, and home ties, then you paste the letter. You get the concerns in order and the documents that prove each claim.

The free checkers test the money side of the file before you submit. The Source of Funds Checker shows whether the file explains where the money came from. The Trip Cost Checker compares the trip you typed with the balance you typed.

No matter where you are after a Canada visitor visa refusal, ImmigrationDM is here to help you prepare the next file.

Tools to help with a stronger application

Same checkers as the tool pages. They run on what you type.

Source of Funds Checker

Who is paying?
What did you send for the money?
Was any deposit larger than one month of income?
Was the balance low before that deposit?
Is there a document for that deposit?
Is the money in the payer’s name, and can they withdraw it?
Does income continue after the trip?

Want the full analysis?

This check only looks at the money. Officers also look at ties at home and whether the trip looks temporary.

Get the full analysis →

Trip Cost Checker

How long is the stay?

Want the full analysis?

This only compares the trip with the balance. Officers also look at ties at home, whether the trip looks temporary, and the many other pieces of evidence.

Get the full analysis →

Canada immigration laws

The consolidated Act and Regulations on Justice Laws. IRPA 34 to 42 is the on-site grounds page.

GCMS notes versus officer decision notes

The decision note comes with the refusal letter. GCMS notes are the rest of the file.

GCMS notes vs officer decision notesWhich applications get the note with the letter, from which date, and when you still request the file.Read the guide

Inadmissible grounds

IRPA sections 34 to 42 are the grounds. A letter that cites IRPR 179(b) is a different test.

Canada inadmissibility groundsSecurity through an inadmissible family member, and why a standard visitor refusal is not that finding.Read the guide

Other Canada visitor visa immigration resources

These pages cover the refusal letter, the money, the ties, and the papers that change by country.

These are the country’s papers. Your letter is the list.

Paste the refusal. The preview names the line. The ranked analysis maps exhibits to that file.

Get the full analysis →

Sources

General information from the regulation and IRCC’s public pages. Not legal advice. Not a prediction of a visa decision.