Additional Requirements Imposed for Oil and Gas Sector Work Permits

Ghana

Employers of work permit applicants in the oil and gas sector must now pay a USD 100 administrative fee for work permit applications.  Additionally, employees' application materials must now also be emailed to the Petroleum Commission, according to a new policy implemented by the Commission.

Administrative Fee Details

The fee implemented by the Petroleum Commission — a statutory body involved in the work permit approval process for foreign nationals in the oil and gas sector — is meant to recover the costs of processing initial, renewal and appeals applications.  Employers of foreign workers in the oil and gas sector should submit their payment following the below requirements to comply with the new policy:

• Submit a bank check at one of the Petroleum Commission’s offices with each work permit application; and
• Submit a cover letter on the host company’s letterhead referring to the payment and listing the assignee’s details, such as full name, passport number, nationality and birth date of each applicant.

New Emailing Process

Foreign workers in the oil and gas sector filing initial work permit applications must also email their applications to the Commission, and must include a new information sheet with their applications.

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals

Employers of work permit applicants in the oil and gas sector should pay the new administrative fee. Work permit applicants in the oil and gas sector should consult their immigration professional regarding emailing their application documents to the Petroleum Commission and completing the new information sheet.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected]. 

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