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SA Migration Newsletter
04 / 2024 |
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 SA Migration
International was created out of the need for a
specialist organization to assist people wishing to immigrate,
volunteer, work, bring family, study or open businesses in South
Africa.
Legal grievances against the South African Department of Home Affairs, including contempt of court cases, are depressingly common.
Too frequently the minister has to apologise to a court, or to ask for more time on behalf of the department. Most of the court cases involve the operations of the department regarding visas and permits for foreign visitors, immigrants and prospective refugees.
Just a few months ago, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said in legal papers: “I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere apology to the Chief Justice, all judges of the high court and Constitutional Court, the President of South Africa, Minister of Finance, Lawyers for Human Rights and its legal representatives and the people of South Africa for the mess created by officials of the Department of Home Affairs
The Department of Home Affairs has published the draft second amendment of the Immigration Regulations, which deals with two key categories of visas â€` the remote working and critical skills visa â€` and ancillary matters for public comment.
The new regulations come after extensive lobbying by the Western Cape Government since 2021 for the introduction of a digital nomad visa and reforms to the visa regime to enable South Africa to attract skilled individuals to South Africa, to help develop and grow the economy.
“To boost tourism, facilitate foreign investment, and allow digital nomads to work in South Africa, while spending their earnings here, we need to make it as easy as possible for them to access South Africa,†said WC MEC Mireille Wenger.
Tourist arrivals in South Africa have increased in recent years, but they are still far off pre-pandemic levels.
According to Stats SA, in December 2023, 3.5 million travellers were recorded at South African ports of entry/exit, beating the 2.9 million seen in December 2022.
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) said that there were an estimated 1.3 billion international tourist arrivals in 2023, which is 88% of pre-pandemic levels. With worldwide tourism rebounding, South Africa is experiencing a similar trend.
In 2021, the number of international tourist arrivals was 77.9% lower than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, dropping from 10.23 million tourists in 2019 to 2.26 million in 2021.
In 2022, this figure improved to approximately 5.70 million â€` 44.3% lower than pre-pandemic levels.
In 2023, tourist numbers stood at 8.48 million tourists in 2023 â€` 17.1% below the pre-pandemic levels.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• The Immigration Minister Marc Miller has introduced restrictive measures to reduce the increasing number of international students, which include capping the number of study permits issued annually.
• The government aims to bring down the number of study permits approved to 360,000, marking a significant 35% decrease from 2023.
• The new caps on approved study permits will be effective for two years, starting January 2024, with an assessment being scheduled for 2025.
In response to concerns about the surge in international student numbers, the Canadian government, led by Minister Marc Miller, has announced caps on the number of approved study permits, which will be effective for two years, entering force as of January 2024.
According to a press release by the authority, the new measure is expected to bring the number of study permits approved to 360,000 �` 35 per cent less than in 2023. Provinces will have caps based on their populations, excluding r
Forget the ‘green mamba’ and say ‘howzit’ to expediting your South African smart ID card application online.
A South African smart ID card application in 2024 has never been easier since the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) embraced digital technologies. If you need to expedite a smart ID card application, here’s what you need to do before wandering into a DHA branch and wasting everyone’s time.
There are plenty of reasons you’ll want to speed up a smart ID card application. You may just be moeg of the ‘green mamba’ or perhaps your ID has been stolen or cloned and you need a new one. Whatever the case may be, you can speed up the smart ID card application process by going online first. Here’s what to do and how much it costs
Researcher Sébastien Lechevalier reports on how the causes of declining fertility among Korean women vary from generation to generation.
Falling birth rates affect most of the developed countries of East Asia and Europe, resulting in accelerated aging of the population. However, the scale of the phenomenon is greatest in South Korea. In 2021, the country`s total fertility rate (total amount of children per woman of childbearing age) was 0.81, compared with 1.16 in China, 1.19 in Spain, 1.25 in Italy, 1.3 in Japan, 1.58 in Germany and 1.8 in France. Most importantly, it`s a long-term situation: The fertility rate has been below 1.3 for two decades
Due to the backlog and long turnaround time for visas processed by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), some tourists have been advised to leave the country by the end of February.
The DHA issued a directive on 21 December 2023 that will require tourists who wish to extend their stay in South Africa to leave the country by 29 February 2024.
According the Democratic Alliance, this will do incredible damage to the country’s tourism industry, as any visitors who wished to extend their stay over a busy holiday season would now be denied â€` all because of the department’s backlog.
“Tourists, when entering South Africa, can be issued with a 90-day visa and subsequently apply for a 90-day extension if they wish to stay longer.
“South Africa stands to lose millions in lost revenue by not allowing them to extend their visas during the busiest season,†said DA MP Angel Khanyile.
A law that strips South Africans of their citizenship is expected to be removed by the South African government.
As per section 6(1) of the Citizenship Act, South Africans automatically lose their citizenship if they voluntarily obtain citizenship with another country. This is a continuation of an apartheid-era law.
This law exists despite the Constitution stating that no South African may be stripped of their South African citizenship.
Removing the right to citizenship also violates other rights enshrined in the Constitution, including the right to vote, the right to reside in South Africa, the right to stand for public office and the right to choose any occupation.
Those who would like to retain their South African citizenship under the standing laws would need to apply to the Minster of Home Affairs to do so. SA
Migration International
Tel.: +27 (0)71 632 9555 Fax: +27 (0)21 461 2611 Email: info@sami.co.za |
SA
Migration
Tel.: +27 (0)71 632 9555 Fax: +27 (0)21 461 2611 Email: info@sami.co.za
Table of Contents
1. About SA Migration
2. Home Affairs is in need of a major clean-up 3. New laws for remote worker and critical skill visas in South Africa 4. Foreigners are flooding to South Africa â€` but we’re still playing catch-up 5. Canada Reduces Foreign Student Permits by 35% in Effort to Reduce Soaring Numbers 6. How to expedite a South African smart ID card application in 2024 7. South Korea, the world`s lowest fertility rate sinks lower and lower 8. Home Affairs is showing tourists in South Africa the door 9. Big win for thousands of South Africans who lost their citizenship â€` including those who didn’t even know
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(click on pic for your study info)  Knysna Lagoon 
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Retired in South Africa (click on pic for your retirement info)  Knysna Elephants |
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