The Ghana Immigration Office - Hell on Earth?

This morning, I finally received my passport complete with stamp allowing me to legally reside in Ghana for one year.

The residency saga began over a month ago. When we realized that our 6 month entry visas were actually only valid for 60 days after entering the country (you really have to read the fine print with these things), we tried to find out the process of applying for residency.

Unlike our pampered American friends, we don't have a program director in Ghana, so we were not spared the bureaucratic nightmare that is the Ghana Immigration Office. One would think that the process entails a) sending in the application and b) receiving the visa. Fools! We're in Ghana... how could it be so simple?

No. The average applicant has to make 4.5 trips over the span of a month to the immigration office before receiving their passport back. For me, it took no less than six visits. Here's a general breakdown of how it happened:

Visit the 1st: After a long time trying to find the building, was informed that there was a flag-raising ceremony, so the office was closed for the day.
Visit the 2nd: Angry clerk claimed that they could not accept applications from students until the university sent its official records. (Oops! So now we're offically illegal aliens thanks to the IPO's incompetence)
Visit the 3rd: Angry clerk would not accept application due to lack of required photocopy of letter of acceptance to the University of Ghana, despite bringing proof of registration and letter from university explicitly asking to extend my residency.
Visit the 4th: Angry clerk reluctantly accepted application. Thankfully overlooked incomplete proof of fee payment.
Visit the 5th: Arrived on Monday to claim passport. Despite the fact that it should have been done the previous Friday, angry clerk told me to come back next week.
Visit the 6th: Unceremoniously received passport from angry clerk.

And these are the lucky ones... Mel from Brock University had to go at least seven times. SEVEN TIMES. Every time, the angry life-hating clerk asks for yet another inconsequential piece of identification. Every time we tried to reason with the lady or ask to speak to a superior, we got a form response, as if we were talking to a customer service phoneline. Why does it have to be this way?

Kids, the moral of the story is that the Ghanaian bureaucracy is crap. I can't imagine how one would get a driver's license or apply for a building permit in this country. The immigration office is literally Hell on Earth.

PS - don't forget to bring every piece of identification you own (i.e. completed application forms, letter of acceptance, official request by university, 4 passport photos, photocopies of passport, visa, and student ID) or else the angry imps behind the glass window will deny you with a resounding "NEIN!"