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Cape Town - Current office infrastructure at the department of Home Affairs (DHA) in the Western Cape does not make provision for people queuing outside and exposure to severe weather conditions.
This despite protected client queueing areas being included in norms and standards for the department`s facility specifications.
This emerged during a briefing by the department of Home Affairs to the legislature’s standing committee on the premier and constitutional matters.... Read more... -
Applying for your Section 11(2) Visitors Visa with Work Conditions
This visa must be applied for abroad in your country of residence. Applications must be logged and processed by the responsible South African Embassy or consulate.
The Section 11 (2) Permits requires an approval letter which is a once off non-renewable permit allowing one to work in South Africa and cannot be changed into another type of permit in South Africa.... Read more...
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Under new rules, workers in the UK who hold a student, youth mobility scheme or intra-company transfer visa are now allowed to switch to a Skilled Worker visa without having to leave the UK, says Darren Faife, managing director, business immigration at Sable International.
Faife takes a closer look at the conditions needed to make this switch.
Switching visas
The Youth Mobility Scheme visa, previously known as the T5 Youth Mobility Scheme visa, is often referred to as the UK working holiday visa and is a great way to gain international work experience as well as travel throughout the EU. This visa allows young people (aged 18-30) from certain countries to live, work and travel in the UK for up to two years.... Read more...
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The Curious Case of the 1997 Exemption Permits
2021 has started on a busy note in terms of the South African immigration landscape. The Border Management Agency began its work having been signed into law by the president in December, a draft critical skills list has been published and now the Minister has vowed to take steps to review and investigate visas and permits irregularly issued over the years and its only February.... Read more...
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Government is in the process of developing the new National Identity System (NIS), which will replace the current National Population Register and become the backbone of all Home Affairs functions in South Africa.
The system, which is expected to be operational by March 2024, will enable the security and reliability of civic and immigration status linked to identity and biometric data. In this way, the NIS will effectively act as a single source of information on all South Africans.... Read more...
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Right of reply: Society doesn`t give repeat offenders a free pass simply because they frequently break the law in any other sphere of life. Immigration is no different, writes Siya Qoza.
Your story that appeared in print and online on January 12 this year, titled, “Beitbridge anti-immigration efforts hit by bribery claims”, bears reference. As the Department of Home Affairs, we wish to make a few points, for the benefit of your readers.... Read more...
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Pretoria - The alleged conduct of a Home Affairs official believed to have changed the version of a Nigerian citizen in his application for refugee status has been referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for investigation and possible prosecution.
The Johannesburg High Court last month ordered that the NPA must establish whether the official lied about the facts which were given to him by the Nigerian citizen, only identified as EL to safeguard him from possible persecution.... Read more...
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Court ruled that a delay in applying for refugee status does not
affect a person’s right to apply for recognition as a refugee
The Constitutional Court has ordered the South African government not
deport an Ethiopian national until the finalisation of his application
for recognition as a refugee.
The judgment, delivered in December, is important for undocumented
immigrants who have not timeously applied for refugee status.
In 2020 Desta Abore, an Ethiopian national, was arrested for entering
and living in South Africa without the relevant documents in violation
of the Immigration Act. He pleaded guilty at the time and the Eshowe
Magistrates Court sentenced him to 50 days in prison or to pay a
R1,500 fine. He paid the fine, but was not released.
Abore then approached the Durban High Court for an order declaring his
detention unlawful. He also wanted to prohibit the government from
deporting him until he had been allowed to apply for refugee status
under the Refugee Act.... Read more...
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Not worth the paper they were printed on
Review follows high-profile people investigated by dept’s corruption unit.
That Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi is moving to review a raft of dodgy permits allegedly issued by corrupt officials is a welcome intervention but may be “too little, too late” to salvage the credibility of the immigration system, says a political analyst.... Read more...
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Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi is leaving no stones unturned in his quest for rooting out corruption.
Vukani Kusile Foundation’s Solly Masilela said: “It will take time for the clean-up to be a success because corruption and maladministration of the immigration laws and regulations is too entrenched and linked to other departments, such as the department of international relations and cooperation. It is a step in the right direction though.”
Masilela added that the SA immigration system had taken such a knock that SA-issued documents were not worth the paper they were printed on.... Read more...
