In his first official act as the new Minister of Home Affairs within the government of National Unity (GNU), Dr Leon Schreiber extended the temporary concession for foreign nationals who are currently awaiting the outcome of visa, waiver, and appeal applications.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, this extension safeguards applicants – including those who are contributing to South Africa through their scarce skills – from suffering adverse consequences or being erroneously declared undesirable while they await the outcome of applications submitted to the Department.
The processing of some of these applications has been delayed as they work on reducing backlogs. While much progress in this regard has been made since its previous communication on the matter, there is still a backlog in various visa and permit categories, Minister Schreiber has now moved to protect applicants while the backlog is reduced.
The decision to avert adverse consequences for applicants who seek to obtain lawful visas in order to contribute to South Africa, either through their skills or as tourists, signals the government’s commitment to improving the visa system to make South Africa a more attractive destination for international investment, tourism, and job creation. While it will take time to achieve this vision in full, the decision to extend the temporary concession serves as a signal of intent to revitalise the Department of Home Affairs and position it as a vital economic enabler.
In July 2024, South Africa’s Ministry of Home Affairs extended the temporary concession for certain visa and waiver applications to Dec 31, 2024.
In order to build confidence in this new approach, Minister Schreiber further committed to avoiding a repeat of the current situation that has seen the previous concession expire prior to the extension being announced. While the Department is committed to eradicating the backlog as soon as possible, the Minister undertakes that any further extension, modification, or amendment to the terms of these concessions will be communicated in writing prior to the new expiry date of 31 December 2024.
The temporary concession allows foreign nationals who had pending long-term visas, waivers, and appeal applications to continue to reside and work in South Africa where applicable and in terms of the conditions of their most recent expired visas pending the decision of their applications.
South African immigration authorities are still experiencing continued visa application backlog challenges, and the government has granted the automatic visa and waiver extensions to help those who have been negatively impacted by current processing delays.
In his recent presidential visit to China, President Ramaphosa vowed to deal with crime. “Visas SA and China are joined at the hip and should work together to create value chains that are mutually beneficial”, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.
He vowed to deal with crime and ease visa regulations, highlighting that the deep reforms the country has in the pipeline would make it more welcoming to foreign business.
Chinese businesspeople and investors were also invited to enter the South African market in various sectors, assuring them that existing problems, particularly the visa regulations and rampant crime, are being addressed.
South Africa remains a popular study destination within the African continent; visa controversies have also been highlighted in the higher education circles, and, often, the immediate assumption is that Home Affairs is at fault. However, delays and other difficulties may be the result of several factors. International students in South Africa whose study visa applications are still pending were recently granted a blanket extension of their current visa status.
In 2023, the government introduced the new Border Management Authority (BMA) to boost the country’s security and development. “Maintaining the integrity of our country’s borders is key if we are to realise the aspiration of every South African to live in peace and harmony with ourselves and our neighbours. It is a daunting undertaking. Our land border is over 4,800 km long and is shared with six countries. We have 53 land ports of entry, 11 international airports, and 8 seaports.” said President Cyril Ramaphosa.
With expanding terror networks across the African continent, South Africa cannot afford to be lax in allowing undocumented individuals to roam freely across the country without trace. The spiralling crime rates linked to foreign crime syndicates operating with near impunity, and the widespread exploitation of cheap foreign labour in an already constrained labour market that has left millions of South Africans without job opportunities, are consequences of a flawed immigration system.
It has been noted in many news reports that the increased illegal immigrants entering the country have contributed to the proliferation of drugs and illicit goods in South Africa, necessitating urgent strengthening of its borders and immigration controls. The intention is to put the interests of South Africans first, prioritise the crisis of illegal immigration with the same urgency as he highlights the issue of work visas.
There is a shared necessity within the African continent in accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, through public-private collaboration. The agreement can be used as a tool to boost intra-African trade and encourage the formalisation of informal trade between African countries, then it can significantly contribute to Africa’s structural sustainable economic transformation.
South Africa introduced laws that exempt certain passport holders from visas for South Africa, which include; foreign commercial heavy-duty vehicle drivers, military force members, holders of United Nations Laissez-passers, and staff members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), etc. Progress has been made by the government, which continues to negotiate Visa-free access with certain countries, some of those countries include our neighbouring countries such as Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia. Other visa-free countries include the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Kenya, Mauritius, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and the recently announced visa-waiver scheme between South Africa and Ghana.
It should be noted that as the economic powerhouse of the region, South Africa continues to attract economic migrants who are undocumented, especially from the SADC region. The government continues to work hard to uphold the rights of citizens to freedom of movement and residence, as well as the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers under international conventions. It also sought to deepen trade and investment between South Africa and other Southern African countries and contribute to the political and economic integration of the African continent.
