According to a notice issued by the Department of Home Affairs on 17 March 2017, there is a total of 4 616 Permanent Residency application received by the Department prior to 2 June 2014 that remain pending.
Remedies are available to these candidates, should you require intervention on your long pending Permanent Residency application please get in touch with us.
contact@workpermitsouthafrica.co.za
The Department of Home Affairs will push ahead with plans to establish border processing centres for refugees‚ as part of sweeping legislative changes to SA’s immigration regime that will also redefine processes leading to citizenship.
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Friday that SA must begin strategically managing migration rather than focusing on compliance‚ Gigaba said.
The Department of Home Affairs will host a two-day National International Migration Conference on 17-18 March 2017 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg.
Minister Malusi Gigaba has identified the development of a new international migration policy as one of his top priorities during his term of office. This policy review seeks to lay a solid policy foundation for South Africa to manage international migration securely and effectively, in line with the National Development Plan. In the 2014/15 financial year, the Department of Home Affairs submitted a Discussion Paper on international migration to the Minister for approval. The Discussion Paper served as a basis for drafting the Green Paper, which was submitted in the 2015/16 financial year and approved by the Minister on 29 March 2016. The Green Paper has been used as a basis for drafting the White Paper on international migration to be submitted to Cabinet for approval by 31 March 2017.
Following the notice of the South African Police Clearance background checks to be done by the VFS on 01 October 2016, the Department of Home Affairs has announced that the new system has been put on hold until further notice.
The Department of Home Affairs, in its endeavour to streamline processes and as part of the continuous service delivery improvement and efficiency, had planned to replace the South African Police Clearance requirement with the online biometric background checks linked to the South African Police Service database in the application process for temporary residence visas and permanent residence permits at VFS Global Visa application Centres within South Africa.
After several months of debating, The Department of Home Affairs and The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, have finally come to the conclusion of allowing South African- and Russian citizens to be visa-exempt when entering the respective country(ies).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation stated that –
“Under the Protocol’s provisions, citizens of Russia and South Africa travelling without the intention of working, studying or living in the other country’s territory, are free from visa requirements.”
In September 2016, The Department of Home Affairs’ Minister, Malusi Gigaba proposed visa-free travel for South Africans to the European Union (EU).
The measures that were proposed, include the feasibility of multiple-entry visas for South African business travellers to the EU and full exemptions for South African leisure travellers.
The Spar retail group has responded to allegations by the Department of Home Affairs, saying that it does not wittingly employ undocumented migrants
Retailer Spar has denied wittingly hiring undocumented migrants as alleged by the Department of Home Affairs, which is driving a crackdown.
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba vowed last week that the department would take action against businesses employing undocumented migrants, saying this opened the way to xenophobic tension especially in communities where residents were competing for scarce resources.
The minister said the practice also left migrants vulnerable to exploitation.
The authorities had arrested 63 migrants working at three Spar branches, said Gigaba. Spar store managers at the retailer’s Montana, Doornpoort and Zambezi outlets would be charged.
Action by national joint operations sees 147 undocumented migrants arrested after inspections at businesses in Tshwane and Johannesburg
Business managers who illegally employ foreign migrants without authorisation to live and work in SA are being targeted for prosecution under the Immigration Act, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Sunday.
The crackdown by national joint operations has already seen seven employers charged for employing undocumented migrants and 147 undocumented migrants being arrested following inspections of 56 businesses including hotels, retail shops, garages and panelbeaters in Tshwane and Johannesburg. One business employed 46 undocumented migrants, a blatant violation of the law, Gigaba said at a media briefing of the justice, crime prevention and security cluster of ministers.
If convicted, the managers could be fined or be imprisoned for two years. None have been convicted so far with the seven employers charged recently being the first.
On 30th December 2016, the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulation 2012 was revised. The amendment included a new directive namely, regulation 10(2A).
The regulation 10(2A) makes provision for the cabinet secretary to waive the following requirements for stateless persons, migrants as well as their dependents –
The above-mentioned has been introduced as a solution whereby stateless persons, migrants and/or their dependents may be eligible to apply for citizenship due to previous applications being unsuccessful as supporting documents and application fees were frequently not submitted.
As a result of this regulation The Makonde community based in Kenya, have been recently granted their citizenship after being stateless for over 50 years.
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