About 200 foreigners were deported last year by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), for committing various offences. Their offences included i1ligal entry possession of fake travelling documents, overstaying and working without permit. The acting Director of GIS, Dr. Alex Peter Wiredu, who disclosed this at an annual get together in Accra last Friday, said a number of cases were pending before the courts. He stated that even though the country was renowned for its hospitality, the GIS would continue to ensure that foreigners who entered the country did not take its hospitality for granted. He said the GIS also had a monitoring system that kept surveillance on hotels and guest houses to ensure that foreigners did not engage in any nefarious activities. Dr. Wiredu said “to monitor visa and documentation fraud; the GIS has established a designated center to thoroughly check and authenticate travelling and other valuable documents of immigrants”. The center, he said, was the first to be established in Africa, adding that South Africa was the only other African nation that had followed the footsteps of Ghana. On revenue mobilisation, he said it exceeded its annual revenue target of GH¢10,999,000 by 20 per cent, recording GH¢12,393,079.50 at the close of November last year. He attributed the success of GIS to the fact that “Ghana has become a destination point for many foreigners, with a great number of them applying for resident and work permits because of the peaceful and conducive working environment”. On the operations of the GIS, Dr. Wiredu noted that despite its inadequate staff, personnel were working very hard particularly at the entry points. He, however, expressed concern about the GIS' insufficient number of vehicles, indicating that it made monitoring difficult along unapproved entry routes across the country. The Board Chairman of GIS, Dr. Seth Otuteye, who chaired the function, commended management and staff for their hard work despite the challenges and urged them to do more in the subsequent years. Six retired officers who had distinguished themselves in the course of duty were honoured for their meritorious service.