Archive for category: Visa Category

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.” 

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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.

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On 30^th 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 –

• Application fees
• Required documents to support their application for citizenship

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.

A recent media briefing, after a meeting between Malusi Gigaba, South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, and industry stakeholders including the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (FEDHASA) has raised some concerns in the hospitality and tourism industry.

There has been reference to a requirement for all businesses in the South Africa to employ a minimum of 60% South African citizens. However, this requirement, a provision in the Immigration Act and Regulations, only applies when a foreigner makes application to the Department of Home Affairs for a business visa with the intention of starting or investing in a business in the country.

One of the conditions attached to the business visa is that the applicant undertakes to employ not less than 60% South Africans including permanent residents within a period of 12 months from the date of issue of the visa. There is currently no provision in South African labour legislation that makes reference to the employment of a minimum of 60% South Africans.

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Effective immediately, the Department of Home Affairs has announced that Temporary Residence visas will no longer be transferred to a new passport if the validity of the visa exceeds the validity of the passport in which the visa was originally endorsed.

Up to date, the Department had been issuing visas for the full validity and not taking the expiry of the passports into consideration. This practice has now been suspended and visas not be issued for periods past the expiry date of the visa.

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