The rollout of South Africa’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is gaining momentum. As the digital system is steadily being extended to travellers from more countries, it holds promise for the future digital processing of all visa categories through a single, integrated system.
Preliminary results from a benchmark survey of South Africa’s most critical skills suggest that engineers remain the most difficult professionals to recruit, closely followed by ICT experts and skilled artisans.
For the first time in almost a decade, two new occupational categories feature among South Africa’s 10 hardest-to-fill skills. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technology, along with senior project management roles, are now proving particularly difficult areas for employers to find local talent.
Not too long ago, when visiting a Department of Home Affairs (DHA) office you could find a room stacked to the roof with files and paperwork relating to waiver and appeal applications, all waiting to be adjudicated.
A renewed backlog of overdue visa applications which has built up over the past few months, prompted the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to step up processing efforts by implementing practical interventions, including daily monitoring of progress and approved overtime for officials to meet additional targets.
