Updates to the South African immigration sphere, including the new visa concession, continued backlog worries, and the extension of the validity of Zimbabwean Exemption permits have left many businesses and foreign nationals uncertain about how best to navigate the visa application process.
The delays for foreign nationals getting their visas are well-known due to the Department of Home Affairs backlog. But what are your options when you sit with a poor Home Affairs decision and where your visa was rejected for no good reason?
On 8 June 2023, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, announced the extension of the validity of Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEP) to 31 December 2023. This welcomed decision provides some relief for nearly 180,000 ZEP holders whose futures remained unclear but a few days ago.
Standard Bank held a virtual conversation for its clients with Marisa Jacobs (Managing Director of Xpatweb) and Michelle Munemo (Head of International Diaspora Clients at Standard Bank of South Africa) earlier in May on the topic of “Navigating South Africa’s Immigration Landscape”.
Living in Portugal is the dream for many South Africans, and those wishing to make this dream a reality often opted to apply for a golden visa. According to Henley & Partners, a leading global investment migration firm, a golden visa grants approved applicants’ full residence rights in exchange for a defined economic contribution to […]
The national Critical Skills List is a gazetted publication listing all skills that the South African government deems necessary to stimulate economic growth, but which cannot be sourced within the country. The list was previously updated in 2014 and again, only recently, in February and August 2022.
On April 11, 2023, the Department of Home Affairs issued a new directive that waives the requirements for a medical and radiological report, as well as certain requirements to obtain police clearance certificates.
The Budget 2023/24 last week contained one very frank, but also deeply worrying, acknowledgement on how frustrated government and foreign investors have become with the South African Home Affairs.
Will President Ramaphosa’s SONA announcement on reforms to attract foreign talent really benefit South African critical skills employers? “We certainly welcome these initiatives as a win for organisations that are desperate to acquire scarce skills that are not available locally,” says Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb.
In the midst of growing international restrictions on foreign property investors, South Africa remains a welcoming haven to these buyers.