Will President Ramaphosa’s SONA announcement on reforms to attract foreign talent really benefit South African critical skills employers? “We certainly welcome these initiatives as a win for organisations that are desperate to acquire scarce skills that are not available locally,” says Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb.
Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders should take advantage of the 6-month extension granted by the South African government to apply for a mainstream visa or exemption.
A +33% global net employment outlook is being tempered by the highest levels of worldwide talent shortages in 16 years. This is according to the ManpowerGroup’s Employment Outlook Survey for Q3, 2022.
The Department of Home Affairs (“DHA”) granted a final extension to 30 June 2023 for all individuals holding a Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (“ZEP”). The minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, reiterated the point that the exemption will not be extended again, and this provides an opportunity for employers to retain their Zimbabwean employees legally.
It’s Never Been Easier to Submit a Visa Application!
Anyone who acquires citizenship in another country will automatically lose their South African citizenship. This includes all rights and privileges associated with being a South African citizen, including losing your right to a South African passport, one’s right to vote, etc.
The government’s official Critical Skills List was fully released in February this year and, already, an adjusted list was published earlier this month. However, employers cannot afford to become complacent.
On 11 August 2022, the Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi announced a massive change for passports in South Africa.
A recent article by News24 reported on the arrest of two farmers with 39 undocumented Mozambican nationals on their premises. Both farmers are currently being held in custody on 18 charges, including human trafficking, and have again been denied bail at their hearing earlier this week. The decision is currently under appeal.
The Department of Home Affairs has gazetted a revised Critical Skills List on the 2nd of August, which sees the addition of 39 new occupations subsequent to the publication of the Critical Skills List in February 2022.
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