South African Business Visa

Source: Sa Migration, 08/11/2021

South African Business Visa
we can add more rotation text Department of Home Affairs to a foreigner intending to establish or invest in a business in South Africa in which he or she may be employed, and to members of such foreigners’ immediate family providing that certain requirements have been met.
The Act calls for investment of R5,0 million in a business and you need to make sure you employ 60% South African citizens or permanent residents to get both a temporary and permanent business visa, you can get these visas with less capital investment - sometimes for as low as R600,000 investment using our expert team at SA Migration.

Many businesses do not require a capital investment as large as R5 million and in certain cases, you are allowed to reduce this amount and commit to a smaller investment if your business falls within the certain industries.
The following businesses to be in the national interest, and therefore qualifying for reduction or waiver of the capitalisation requirements as determined to be in the national interest in relation to a Business Visa: Many of these business owners do not have the required investment amounts. If this is the case and the business falls in line with one of the following industries, a capital waiver can be requested. This would mean a reduction in the required investment amount.
The industries are:
(a) Agro-processing
• Fisheries and aquaculture i.e. freshwater aquaculture and marine culture
• Food processing in the milling and baking industries
• Beverages viz. fruit juices and the local beneficiation, packaging and export of indigenous teas
• High value natural fibres viz., organic cotton and downstream mohair production
• High value organic food for the local and export market
• Biofuels production viz. bioethanol and biogas
• oils: tea extracts, including buchu, honeybush: and other oil derivatives (avocado, amarula etc.)
• Diversification / beneficiation of biomass sources i.e. sugar, maize
(b) Business Process Outsourcing and IT Enabled Services
• Call centers
• Back Office Processing
• Shared Corporate Services
• Enterprise solutions e.g. fleet management and asset management
• Legal process outsourcing
(c) Capital / Transport equipment, metals and electrical machinery and apparatus
• Basic iron and steel
• Basic precious and non-ferrous metals
• Casting of metals
• Other fabricated metal products: metalwork service activities
• General purpose machinery
• Tooling manufacturing
• Tooling manufacturing
• Foundries
• White goods and associated components
• Electric motors, generators and transformers
• Electricity distribution and control apparatus
• Insulated wire and cable
• Accumulators, primary cells and primary batteries
(d) Electro Technical
• Advanced telecommunications
• Software development
• Software and mobile applications
• Smart metering
• Embedded software
• Radio frequency identifications
• Digital TV and Set Top Boxes due to migration to full digital television
• Process control, measurement and instrumentation
• Security and monitoring solutions
• Financial software
• Manufacturing sensors
(e) Textile, Clothing and Leather
• Spinning, weaving and finishing of textiles
• Knitted and crocheted fabrics and articles
• Wearing apparel except fur apparel
• Dressing and dying of fur
• Leather skins and hides beneficiation
(f) Consumer goods
• White goods and associated components
(g) Boatbuilding
• Boatbuilding and associated services industry
• Engines and engine systems
• Marine equipment and accessories
(h) Pulp, paper and Furniture
• Manufacture of paper products: publishing, printing and reproduction
• Manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials
• Paper and paper products and furniture
• Manufacture of wood and products of wood and cork
(i) Automotives and Components
• engines, radiators, filters and components thereof
• air conditioners / climate control systems
• alarms and Tracking devices
• axles, transmission shafts
• body parts and panels
• catalytic converters, silencers and exhaust systems and components
• wiring harnesses, instrument panels vehicle interiors, electronic drive train components,
• lighting equipment
• seats and parts thereof, seatbelts, leather covers
• suspension and shock absorbers, springs and parts thereof
• steering wheels, columns and boxes
• ignition, starting equipment, gauges and instrument parts
(J) Green Economy Industries
(jj) Power generation:
• Nuclear Build Programmer i.e. joint ventures, consortiums and the establishment of new companies to grow South Africa`s nuclear manufacturing capability and nuclear supply industry to supply into the nuclear build programme
• Independent power generation, energy infrastructure and alternative energy
(jjj) Renewable Energy:
• Onshore wind power - manufacture of turbines/blades
• Solar PV and Concentrated Solar Power manufacture/assembly
• Biomass
• Small hydro
• Lowering greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites
• Energy efficiency and energy saving industries
• Solar water heaters
• Waste Management and Recycling
• Reducing landfill
(k) Advanced Manufacturing
• Nano-materials
• High performance materials based on natural resources (advanced bio-composites
• Advanced materials, polymers and composites
• Medical devices, diagnostics and composites
• Space e.g. satellite manufacturers etc. and astronomy e.g. SKA, telescopes, dishes etc.
• Composites (intelligent textiles used in medical, building and construction industries)
• Continuous fibre reinforced thermoform composites
• Biochemical and biologics for applications in agriculture, industry and health/medical sectors
• Electricity demand Site Management Solutions to improve electricity efficiency usage
• Lasers and laser-based additive manufacturing various applications
• Advanced Robotics Mobile Intelligent Autonomous Systems
• Applications in the mining industry, data collection and analysis
• Bio - manufacturing - Biochemical and biologics for applications in agriculture, industry and health/medical.
• Fuel cells and Technology
(l) Tourism infrastructure
• Accommodation - hotels, boutique hotels, lodges and resorts
• urban integrated tourism/ entertainment precincts
• adventure, - eco-, sport-, conference- and cultural tourism
• infrastructure developments
• leisure complexes and world class golf courses
• harbour and waterfront developments
• trans frontier conservations areas
• Tourism transport - aviation, rail, cruise liners etc
• green building and green technologies for tourism
• attractions and activity - based tourism.
• museums and heritage
(m) Chemicals, plastic fabrication and pharmaceuticals
• basic chemicals
• water treatment chemical products
• man-made fibres
• plastic products: polypropylene and polyvinculchloride
• medical (drips and syringes), manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredient
• (APIs) for key anti-retrovirals (ARVs)
• Manufacture of reagents for AIDS/HIV diagnostics
• Production of vaccines and biological medicines
(n) Creative and Design Industry
• Film studios, treaty film co-production ventures, distribution infrastructure
• Servicing of foreign productions
• Production of film and documentaries, commercials, stills photography and
• Multi-media
• Post-production
• Design
• Jewellery manufacturing and design
• Fashion design
(o) Oil and Gas
• Maintenance ship and rig repair
• Fabrication - equipment and specialised components
• Specialised services - training and accreditation
• Specialised services - non-descriptive testing, inspection services, SHEQ services
• Exploration - technical services: seismic surveys, logging, environmental impact assessments, etc
• Exploration - offshore
• Exploration - onshore shale gas
• Exploration - onshore coal bed methane and underground coal gasification
• Infrastructure - refineries (Oil and GTL)
• Infrastructure - terminals LPG/LNG import, storage and distribution
• Infrastructure - ports and associated infrastructure
• Infrastructure - storage
• Logistics - pipeline
(p) Mineral beneficiation
• Downstream processing and value addition
(q) Infrastructure Development
(r) ICT
• Geoamatics and Digital media
• Wireless and Telecom
• Electronics
• IT
• Software Development
• Advanced programming
List of undesirable Business in South Africa;
 Businesses that import second hand motor vehicles into the Republic of South Africa for the purpose of exporting to other markets outside the Republic of South Africa
 The exotic entertainment industry
 Security Industry
Our team of professionals at SA Migration International will assist you and help you to obtain your business visa for you.
Click Here if you require more information on this visa type and we will revert to you
South Africa is going through a very exciting stage at the moment and there is lots of opportunity to be involved in this emerging economy and the government welcomes anyone wishing to invest and create employment. Especially for small business owners, the markets are extremely lucrative and the government welcomes anyone who wants to invest.
www.samigration.com

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U.S. to relax travel restrictions for vaccinated foreign air travelers in November

Source: Reuters, 08/11/2021

WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - The United States will reopen in November to air travelers from 33 countries including China, India, Brazil and most of Europe who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House said on Monday, easing tough pandemic-related restrictions that started early last year.
The decision, announced by White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients, marked an abrupt shift for President Joe Biden`s administration, which said last week it was not the right time to lift any restrictions amid rising COVID-19 cases.
The United States had lagged many other countries in lifting such restrictions, and allies welcomed the move. The U.S. restrictions have barred travelers from most of the world including tens of thousands of foreign nationals with relatives or business links in the United States.
The United States will admit fully vaccinated air travelers from the 26 so-called Schengen countries in Europe including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Greece, as well as Britain, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil. The unprecedented U.S. restrictions have barred non-U.S. citizens who were in those countries within the past 14 days.
Restrictions on non-U.S. citizens were first imposed on air travelers from China in January 2020 by then-President Donald Trump and then extended to dozens of other countries, without any clear metrics for how and when to lift them.
Zients did not give a precise start date for the new rules beyond saying `early November,` and many details of the new policy are still being decided.
Separately on Monday, the United States extended its pandemic-related restrictions at land borders with Canada and Mexico that bar nonessential travel such as tourism through Oct. 21. It gave no indication if it would apply the new vaccine rules to those land border crossings.
The United States has allowed foreign air travelers from more than 150 countries throughout the pandemic, a policy that critics said made little sense because some countries with high COVID-19 rates were not on the restricted list, while some on the list had the pandemic more under control.
Monday`s action means COVID-19 vaccine requirements will now apply to nearly all foreign nationals flying to the United States - including those not subject to the prior restrictions.
Americans traveling from abroad who are not vaccinated will face tougher rules than vaccinated citizens, including needing to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within a day of travel and proof of purchasing a viral test to be taken after arrival.
`BASING IT ON SCIENCE`
Airlines for America, an industry trade group, said that through late August, international air travel was down 43% from pre-pandemic levels.
The announcement comes as President Joe Biden makes his first U.N. General Assembly speech on Tuesday, and hosts leaders from Britain, India, Japan and Australia this week.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday the policy was not timed for diplomacy. `If we were going to make things much easier for ourselves, we would have done it prior to June, when the president had his first foreign trip, or earlier this summer. This is when the process concluded,` she said. `We`re basing it on science.`
Passengers depart Hartsfield�`Jackson Atlanta International Airport ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., November 23, 2020. REUTERS/Chris Aluka Berry
U.S. COVID-19 infections and deaths have skyrocketed since June as the Delta variant spreads, particularly among the unvaccinated. Nearly 29,000 new U.S. cases were reported on Sunday.
British Airways Chief Executive Sean Doyle said the U.S. announcement `marks a historic moment and one which will provide a huge boost to Global Britain as it emerges from this pandemic.`
Shares in U.S. airlines were little changed, while some European carriers gained. British Airways parent IAG SA (ICAG.L) rose 11.2%, while Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) and Deutsche Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) AG closed up more than 5%.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the announcement `a fantastic boost for business and trade, and great that family and friends on both sides of the pond can be reunited once again.` Germany`s U.S. ambassador, Emily Haber, said on Twitter it was `hugely important to promote people-to-people contacts and transatlantic business.`
It will have less impact travel from China, which requires its residents to quarantine for at least two weeks on return home. International flights from China are capped and running at around 2% of 2019 levels, a situation expected to last until the second half of next year. read more
CDC HAS FINAL WORD ON VACCINES ACCEPTED
Foreign nationals will need to present proof of vaccination before travel and will not be required to quarantine on arrival.The White House said the final decision on what vaccines would be accepted is up to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC on Monday pointed to its prior guidance when asked what vaccines it will accept.
`The CDC considers someone fully vaccinated with any FDA-authorized or approved vaccines and any vaccines that (the World Health Organization) has authorized,` said spokesperson Kristen Nordlund. That list could change pending additions by either agency, she said.
Exceptions include children not yet eligible for shots. Airlines heavily lobbied the White House to lift the restrictions, and it has been working since August on the new plan.
The U.S. Travel Association trade group previously estimated that the U.S. restrictions, if they ran to the end of the year, would cost the American economy $325 billion.
Zients said last Wednesday that given the rise of the Delta variant, it was not the right time to lift travel restrictions. Asked on Monday what had changed since then, Zients cited rising global vaccinations, adding: `The new system allows us to implement strict protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.`
Zients said the new system would include collecting contact tracing data from passengers traveling into the United States to enable the CDC to contact travelers exposed to COVID-19.
The administration has been considering imposing vaccine requirements for foreign nationals since May, officials said, but the White House only decided on Friday to move forward.
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Appeals - rejected applications, Undesirable Declaration Waivers, V-listing and Legal Immigration Services

Source: Sa Migration, 10/11/2021

Appeals - rejected applications, Undesirable Declaration Waivers, V-listing and Legal Immigration Services
Our dynamic team of immigration consultants provide specialist advice on temporary residence visas, permanent residence permits, appeals on rejected applications, undesirable declaration waivers, V-listing and legal immigration services. Get in touch with us if you’d like a professional yet personal experience provided by our experienced consultants.
How can we help you , please email us to info@samigration.com whatsapp me on:
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These are the most in-demand jobs in SA`s tech sector �` here`s what you`ll need to bag them

Source: Business Insider SA, 21/11/2021

• The Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on most businesses, but those in the tech sector are booming.
• Information and Communications Technology (ICT), financial services, and FinTech companies are scaling up operations while other businesses transition to digital.
• This has created a surge in demand for IT workers.
• Some of the positions in most-demand are in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analysis, and cybersecurity.
South Africa`s technology sector is booming as more businesses move to digital in a trend which has been hastened by the Covid-19 pandemic. This promises high-paying job opportunities, but only for those with the right skills and experience.
While few industries have been left unscathed by the pandemic, tech companies, from e-commerce companies to cybersecurity firms, have rocketed. The Covid-19 pandemic, with its lockdowns and work-from-home instructions, has catapulted digital systems to the fore and forced brick and mortar businesses to revaluate.
These businesses have rushed to set-up digital systems, whether for online sales or to accommodate remote work, while others already in the tech space scale their operations. This has created great demand for IT workers, especially among Information and Communications Technology (ICT), financial services, and FinTech companies, according to leading recruitment company, Michael Page.
`MNCs [multinational corporations] in ICT and FinTech, and some companies like TakeALot.com and Jumia in the retail sector look at technology as an enabler of their business, and it is such companies that will remain desirable employers to top IT talent,` says Robyn Stainbank, a senior consultant for technology for Michael Page in Africa.
A career in the technology sector, as well as being in demand, is lucrative, according to Michael Page`s latest Market Overview and Hiring Insights Guide for 2022.
According to the report published earlier in November, yearly average salaries range from R350,000 (around R29,000 a month) for a network engineer in a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) up to R3 million (R250,000 a month) for a Chief Information Officer (CIO) of an MNC.
Cloud computing, which allows the remote delivery and hosting of data storage, servers, databases, networking, and software, is in especially high demand, according to Michael Page.
Employees best equipped to capitalise on this demand and find a job in cloud computing field should have skills and experience in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, DevOps, Docker, and Kubernetes.
`DevOps is a hybrid role that combines software development, operations, and quality assurance. Similar IT roles that can combine IT with other crucial skills for the business are in demand,` says Stainbank.
Positions in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, software development, data science, and cybersecurity are also in high demand.
`Companies are moving beyond just reporting on data and management information to also using data for insights, which is essentially the commercialisation of that data,` notes Michael Page`s latest Market Overview and Hiring Insights Guide.
`Companies are developing their capabilities to make more data-driven decisions, and hence the demand for talent with data-related expertise.`
Cybersecurity, ensuring that internet-connected systems are safe and secure, is also near the top of the agenda for companies that have needed to cater to remote work. And while employees begin trickling back into offices, hybrid work models are likely to become part of the new normal, coinciding with cyber criminals upping the ante.
`With more and more people working from home, cloud networks are becoming security targets. Cybersecurity is an issue of critical importance and companies are prioritising hiring talent with the expertise of putting safeguarding measures in place,` explains Michael Page.
Stainbank adds that to fully meet the current and future demand in this sector, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education needs to be prioritised in South Africa.
`Increased effort needs to be undertaken to modernise and develop sustainable education programmes with an emphasis on innovation, science, and technology,` says Stainbank.
www.vsoftsystems.co.za

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These are the most in-demand jobs in SA`s tech sector �` here`s what you`ll need to bag them

Source: Business Insider SA, 21/11/2021

• The Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on most businesses, but those in the tech sector are booming.
• Information and Communications Technology (ICT), financial services, and FinTech companies are scaling up operations while other businesses transition to digital.
• This has created a surge in demand for IT workers.
• Some of the positions in most-demand are in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analysis, and cybersecurity.
South Africa`s technology sector is booming as more businesses move to digital in a trend which has been hastened by the Covid-19 pandemic. This promises high-paying job opportunities, but only for those with the right skills and experience.
While few industries have been left unscathed by the pandemic, tech companies, from e-commerce companies to cybersecurity firms, have rocketed. The Covid-19 pandemic, with its lockdowns and work-from-home instructions, has catapulted digital systems to the fore and forced brick and mortar businesses to revaluate.
These businesses have rushed to set-up digital systems, whether for online sales or to accommodate remote work, while others already in the tech space scale their operations. This has created great demand for IT workers, especially among Information and Communications Technology (ICT), financial services, and FinTech companies, according to leading recruitment company, Michael Page.
`MNCs [multinational corporations] in ICT and FinTech, and some companies like TakeALot.com and Jumia in the retail sector look at technology as an enabler of their business, and it is such companies that will remain desirable employers to top IT talent,` says Robyn Stainbank, a senior consultant for technology for Michael Page in Africa.
A career in the technology sector, as well as being in demand, is lucrative, according to Michael Page`s latest Market Overview and Hiring Insights Guide for 2022.
According to the report published earlier in November, yearly average salaries range from R350,000 (around R29,000 a month) for a network engineer in a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) up to R3 million (R250,000 a month) for a Chief Information Officer (CIO) of an MNC.
Cloud computing, which allows the remote delivery and hosting of data storage, servers, databases, networking, and software, is in especially high demand, according to Michael Page.
Employees best equipped to capitalise on this demand and find a job in cloud computing field should have skills and experience in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, DevOps, Docker, and Kubernetes.
`DevOps is a hybrid role that combines software development, operations, and quality assurance. Similar IT roles that can combine IT with other crucial skills for the business are in demand,` says Stainbank.
Positions in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, software development, data science, and cybersecurity are also in high demand.
`Companies are moving beyond just reporting on data and management information to also using data for insights, which is essentially the commercialisation of that data,` notes Michael Page`s latest Market Overview and Hiring Insights Guide.
`Companies are developing their capabilities to make more data-driven decisions, and hence the demand for talent with data-related expertise.`
Cybersecurity, ensuring that internet-connected systems are safe and secure, is also near the top of the agenda for companies that have needed to cater to remote work. And while employees begin trickling back into offices, hybrid work models are likely to become part of the new normal, coinciding with cyber criminals upping the ante.
`With more and more people working from home, cloud networks are becoming security targets. Cybersecurity is an issue of critical importance and companies are prioritising hiring talent with the expertise of putting safeguarding measures in place,` explains Michael Page.
Stainbank adds that to fully meet the current and future demand in this sector, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education needs to be prioritised in South Africa.
`Increased effort needs to be undertaken to modernise and develop sustainable education programmes with an emphasis on innovation, science, and technology,` says Stainbank.
www.vsoftsystems.co.za

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By the time Home Affairs reopens its Cape Town refugee office it will have taken ten years

Source: Groundup, 21/11/2021

Epping office expected to open in September 2022
Asylum seekers protest back in 2012 outside the original Cape Town Home Affairs’ refugee reception office in Maitland. Archive photo: Veronica Washaya
• In its latest report to the High Court, Home Affairs says it now expects to reopen a refugee reception office in Cape Town in September 2022.
• In a decision that the court found irrational and unreasonable, Home Affairs closed its office in 2012.
• It has taken a protracted legal battle to get Home Affairs this far.
• Currently refugees can only apply for asylum in Durban, Musina or Pretoria.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) says it will be almost another year before Cape Town gets a Refugee Reception Office once again.
As required by an order made in May by the Western Cape High Court, Home Affairs was reporting to the court on its progress for reopening a fully functional Cape Town Refugee Reception Office. It said it plans to open the new office at 16 Grenville Avenue, Epping Industrial, in September 2022.
By then it will have been ten years since Home Affairs closed the Cape Town refugee office in 2012. At the time, the High Court said the closure was unreasonable and irrational. Despite court orders to reopen an office, Home Affairs has never done so.
Home Affairs persisted with a long legal battle, until the Supreme Court of Appeal ordered the department to reopen the Cape Town office at the latest by 31 March 2018, and to provide monthly status reports on its progress.
Home Affairs sought leave to appeal from the Constitutional Court but this was refused.
Frustrated by Home Affairs’ continued lack of progress, the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) then applied to the Western Cape High Court for the appointment of a Special Master to oversee the reopening and to ensure Home Affairs complies with court orders.
The LRC, representing the Scalabrini Centre and the Somali Association of South Africa, had also wanted refugees and new applicants for asylum to be assisted by the department in Cape Town in the interim. This relief was not given.
The closure of the Refugee Reception Office meant refugees could only apply for asylum in Durban, Musina or Pretoria, and if they had originally applied at one of those offices they had to regularly travel and renew in person at the same office, even if they were living in Cape Town. The courts found the closure was unfairly penalising refugees.
But the High Court did not in the end appoint a Special Master, instead it ordered a case management process with Home Affairs required to file progress reports for discussion at monthly meetings with the judge, as well as the lawyers of Home Affairs and the LRC.
In the October progress report, Home Affairs confirmed that funding for the purchase price and installation of the office was in place. But additional funding is unavailable for filling managerial posts.
“The department’s budget committee must now consider whether currently available funds can be reallocated or whether officials may be seconded to the Refugee Reception Office from other posts,” Home Affairs reported.
“The existing project plan indicates that the landlord’s renovations will be completed on 3 May 2022. It will take approximately three to four months thereafter … to fit the offices out to its requirements,” the department said in the report.
www.samigration.com

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What can I do if my application for refugee status has been rejected and I have been given a ‘must leave’ letter?

Source: Sa Migration, 23/11/2021

What can I do if my application for refugee status has been rejected and I have been given a ‘must leave’ letter?

If your asylum application is rejected, this means that the DHA does not recognise you as a refugee. You will receive a letter stating that you must leave the country or file an appeal usually within 30 days of being told of the rejection. Depending on the reasons for the rejection of your application, you will need to appeal to the Refugee Appeal Board or the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs. If you think that you do qualify for refugee status it would be a good idea to seek legal advice from an organisation such as ours
How can we help you , please email us to info@samigration.com whatsapp me on:
+27 82 373 8415, where are you now? check our website : www.samigration.com

Please rate us by clinking on this links :
Sa Migration International
https://g.page/SAMigration?gm

Alternatively, please contact us on :
Sa Migration International

Whatsapp Tel No : +27 (0) 82 373 8415

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Cabinet announces Zimbabwe Exemption Permits will not be extended

Source: Groundup, 25/11/2021

Holders of the ZEPs given a year to migrate to other permits
The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit is coming to an end.
• The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit which expires on 31 December
will not be renewed Cabinet announced on Thursday.
• About 182,000 Zimbabweans who hold the permit have been given
a year’s grace to migrate to other permits to allow them to stay in
South Africa.
• The Cabinet decision is disappointing for many who now face an
uncertain future.
On Thursday, Cabinet announced that the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit
(ZEP), which ends 31 December, will not be extended.
However, Cabinet decided on a 12-month grace period during which time
ZEP holders “should apply for other permits appropriate to their
particular status or situation”. Those who are not successful will
have to leave South Africa or face deportation, said Cabinet.
This ends months of rising anxiety for about 180,000 Zimbabweans in
South Africa as the ZEP expiry date loomed and there had been no
indication of what government intended to do.
Permit holders were debating whether to return home for Christmas.
Many said banks had been refusing to grant them loans and cancelling
their pre-approved bond applications, while employers were not
renewing contracts because of their uncertain status. Cabinet’s grace
period will not necessarly help in this regard, and many ZEP holders
are unlikely to qualify for other permits.
Leaving the announcement to the eleventh-hour had also allowed for
misinformation that the South African government had extended the
permits by five years to circulate on social media, rumours which the
Cabinet statement referred to as fake news.
Back in October 2019, Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi told
GroundUp that the three special permits which were issued to legalise
the status of nationals from Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Angola already
living in South Africa, would be renewed. At the time the minister
said they can’t stop renewing special permits if the problems that led
to those special permits are not yet resolved. But he also said that
permits can’t automatically be renewed by the department; it needed
Cabinet.
Cabinet has now spoken.
“I’m very disappointed with the decision by the Cabinet,” said
Advocate Simba Chitando, who filed papers in the Gauteng High Court in
October requesting the South African government to grant ZEP holders
permanent residency.
“I knew that the cancellation of the permit was being called for by
many political parties, many of whom did well in the elections. The
unfortunate decision has left litigation as the only viable solution
for ZEP holders, permanently resident in the country, and who have
given over a decade of their lives to this country,” Chitando told
GroundUp shortly after the Cabinet announcement.
The ZEP community was divided on Chitando’s legal challenge, who
feared it would ruin the chance of getting the permit extended. That
has now been put to bed.
Chitando said the ZEP exploited Zimbabwean labour and made them second
class citizens in a constitutional democracy, “renewable after every
four years, operating like a dompas from the apartheid era, in a
manner that Zimbabwean migrants to Europe, the US, and Australia, have
not experienced”.
“It is a slave permit, and an abomination to the Pan African principle
of ubuntu,” he said.
He is proceeding with his litigation.
Union of Zimbabwean Educators Western (UZEWC) said as much as they are
happy for the 12 month reprieve they still maintain that granting
permanent residency to deserving Zimbabweans should have been
considered.
“Zimbabweans have been on special work permits for more than ten
years, hence their stay in South Africa has been legal. They have been
paying taxes. Some have started families here, and have children,”
said Jack Mutsvairo, chairperson of the union.
“We also expect the DHA to expeditiously inform employers, creditors
and the banking sector … so that none of our members are prejudiced.”
“We also hope that the application for other suitable permits by
Zimbabweans will not be subjected to avoidable bureaucratic
shenanigans. Let this be a user-friendly application process with
predetermined timeframes.”
There are also other special exemption permits that will need
decisions:
On 16 August 2021, Home Affairs opened the application for an Angolan
Exemption Permit. The Angolan Special Permit (ASP) was first issued in
2018 and expires at the end of this year.
The Lesotho Exemption Permit (LEP) of 2019 expires on 31 December
2023.
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• Holders of the ZEPs given a year to migrate to other permits The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit is coming to an end. • The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit which expires on 31 December will not be renewed Cabinet announced on Thursday. • About 182,000 Zimbabweans who hold the permit have been given a year’s grace to migrate to other permits to allow them to stay in South Africa. • The Cabinet decision is disappointing for many who now face an uncertain future.... Read more...

• What can I do if my application for refugee status has been rejected and I have been given a ‘must leave’ letter? If your asylum application is rejected, this means that the DHA does not recognise you as a refugee. You will receive a letter stating that you must leave the country or file an appeal usually within 30 days of being told of the rejection. Depending on the reasons for the rejection of your application, you will need to appeal to the Refugee Appeal Board or the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs. If you think that you do qualify for refugee status it would be a good idea to seek legal advice from an organisation such as ours... Read more...

• Epping office expected to open in September 2022 Asylum seekers protest back in 2012 outside the original Cape Town Home Affairs’ refugee reception office in Maitland. Archive photo: Veronica Washaya • In its latest report to the High Court, Home Affairs says it now expects to reopen a refugee reception office in Cape Town in September 2022. • In a decision that the court found irrational and unreasonable, Home Affairs closed its office in 2012. • It has taken a protracted legal battle to get Home Affairs this far.... Read more...

• • The Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on most businesses, but those in the tech sector are booming. • Information and Communications Technology (ICT), financial services, and FinTech companies are scaling up operations while other businesses transition to digital. • This has created a surge in demand for IT workers. • Some of the positions in most-demand are in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analysis, and cybersecurity. South Africa`s technology sector is booming as more businesses move to digital in a trend which has been hastened by the Covid-19 pandemic. This promises high-paying job opportunities, but only for those with the right skills and experience... Read more...

• • The Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on most businesses, but those in the tech sector are booming. • Information and Communications Technology (ICT), financial services, and FinTech companies are scaling up operations while other businesses transition to digital. • This has created a surge in demand for IT workers. • Some of the positions in most-demand are in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analysis, and cybersecurity. South Africa`s technology sector is booming as more businesses move to digital in a trend which has been hastened by the Covid-19 pandemic. This promises high-paying job opportunities, but only for those with the right skills and experience... Read more...

• Our dynamic team of immigration consultants provide specialist advice on temporary residence visas, permanent residence permits, appeals on rejected applications, undesirable declaration waivers, V-listing and legal immigration services. Get in touch with us if you’d like a professional yet... Read more...

• WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - The United States will reopen in November to air travelers from 33 countries including China, India, Brazil and most of Europe who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House said on Monday, easing tough pandemic-related restrictions that started early last year. The decision, announced by White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients, marked an abrupt shift for President Joe Biden`s administration, which said last week it was not the right time to lift any restrictions amid rising COVID-19 cases. The United States had lagged many other countries in lifting such restrictions, and allies welcomed the move. The U.S. restrictions have barred travelers from most of the world including tens of thousands of foreign nationals with relatives or business links in the United States.... Read more...

• South African Business Visa we can add more rotation text Department of Home Affairs to a foreigner intending to establish or invest in a business in South Africa in which he or she may be employed, and to members of such foreigners’ immediate family providing that certain requirements have been met. The Act calls for investment of R5,0 million in a business and you need to make sure you employ 60% South African citizens or permanent residents to get both a temporary and permanent business visa, you can get these visas with less capital investment - sometimes for as low as R600,000 investment using our expert team at SA Migration.... Read more...

• South African Retirement Visa A retirement visa can be granted for 4 years to someone with a monthly pension, irrevocable annuity or retirement account of R37 000 from a net worth/combination of assets realizing R37 000 per month and wishes to retire temporarily or permanently in South Africa. A South African Retired Person`s permit is ideal for people want to retire in South Africa temporarily or permanently subject to the financial criteria or parameters being satisfied. This South African visa category is designed for those intending to retire in the country or wishing to have a long stay in South Africa with the need to renew the visa or permit. This retirement visa is not based on age but rather on assets, rental income and / or bank accounts generating income.... Read more...

• Local authority accuses Home Office and Serco of trying to beat court hearing and frustrate justice system Blackpool council has accused the Home Office and Serco of deliberately acting to frustrate the justice system after placing asylum seekers in a hotel, despite objections that the accommodation was wholly unsuitable.... Read more...

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