Russian President Vladimir Putin supported the call for the relaxation
of strict visa travel requirements.
Johannesburg - Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the Brics
Business Council a major boost when he supported their call for the
relaxation of strict visa travel requirements between the member
countries.
The Brics Business Council through its chairperson Dr Iqbal Survé made
the call this week in which he urged all heads of state including
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to open door for businesses
in these different countries to travel and do business in their bids
to enhance trade and investment among the Brics countries.
Business Council also made calls for easy access for short-term
tourism and other non-business purposes as well as study and work permits.
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Putin was quick to endorse the call in which he urged the Brics
national ministers responsible for the different portfolios’ in their
governments to seriously consider the proposals. The Russian President
also gave weight to the regional establishment of the New Development
Banks in all the Brics countries and said his own country had already
created favourable environment for the bank to operate without any hinges.
All heads of the states were in agreement about the challenges of the
4th industrial revolution and for all member states to share ideas on
how to deal with the “unknown challenges”.
Ramaphosa said the surge innovation has the potential to dramatically
improve productivity and to place the entire countries on a new
trajectory of prosperity.
He also said that the industrial revolution had the potential to solve
many of the social problems the countries face, by better equipping
them to combat diseases, hunger and environmental degradation.
“However, unless it is approached in a

collaborative manner,
underpinned by a developmental agenda, rapid technological change
could merely serve to entrench existing disparities and between the
countries,” Ramaphosa said.
He further said “through our collective effort, by working together, I
am certain that we will be able to confront the challenges and seize
the opportunities that this new age of development presents.
“We proceed from the understanding that this is not simply a digital
revolution, but a fundamental shift in the way people live, work and
relate. It is a phenomenon that cuts across all industries and
technologies,” he said.
This was endorsed by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi who warned
that the fourth industrial revolution would have an impact on the
lives of all the people in the world.
“We must have the people and human value at the heart of our economic
development as the industrial revolution will have far reaching impact
on small economies like that of us,” Modi warned.
He appeared not dampened by the prospect of the industrial revolution
but said that there was a greater need for Brics countries to change
their curriculum’s in schools and universities to meet the challenges
of the revolution by introducing new technologies.
Modi also urged the Brics leaders to share ideas to fight cyber crime.
Ahead of the signing of trade and investment agreements, President
Ramaphosa consolidated a call by Putin for the Brics countries to
adopt a people’s to people component which would be inclusive of
sporting and cultural exchanges between each other.
Ramaphosa said all five of them had agreed on different types of
working relationship in the field of film, cinema and museums. V.2355

The increasing rejection rate for Schengen visa applications from Turkish citizens has brought the operations of tour companies to a grinding halt, according to a prominent industry representative. `As of 2024, even being able to apply for a visa is a success... We don`t know exactly what percentage of those who requested a visa were able to make an appointment,` said Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) head Firuz Bağlıkaya. V.5370
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• In June 2017, a refugee went to a Department of Home Affairs office to apply for the re-issue of his refugee papers that had been stolen during a robbery. • Instead of getting help, Ntahompagaze Abdul was arrested by Home Affairs officials on a charge of being an illegal immigrant and detained for 13 days. • The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has ordered that the minister of Home Affairs pay R300 000 to the refugee for the unlawful arrest and detainment. The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has ordered the minister of Home Affairs to pay R300 000 to a refugee who was unlawfully arrested at one of the department`s offices after he tried to apply for a re-issue of his refugee papers that had been stolen. V.5371
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• The Special Investigating Unit raided home affairs refugee centres around the country. • The search and seizure operation forms part of a probe into allegations of corruption linked to the issuing of asylum and refugee papers to foreign nationals entering South Africa. • Head of the unit, advocate Andy Mothibi, said information from whistleblowers played a key role in getting the probe off the ground. It was thanks to information from whistleblowers that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) obtained warrants for Friday morning`s nationwide search and seizure operation at home affairs refugee centres. The SIU simultaneously raided all five home affairs refugee centres on Friday morning as part of a corruption probe linked to the issuing of asylum and refugee papers to foreign nationals entering South Africa. News24 was present at the large refugee centre in Marabastad, Pretoria, where more than 60 home affairs officials were understood to have been identified as suspects in the investigation. V.5372
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Legitimate asylum seekers are being sidelined in favour of these people who are able to pay massive bribes.` A crackdown on corruption in refugee centers countrywide is underway, as the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigations (Hawks), conducted raids on several home affairs offices. It was a crackdown not only on illegal immigrants, but also on those facilitating them being illegally, Ayesha Kajee, political analyst and research fellow at Afrasid, said. This was specifically pointing a finger at home affairs, which itself had commissioned this investigation after the proclamation issued by the president, she said. “We have a responsibility to admit refugees and to protect and give them the appropriate status, but because of a large degree of corruption, many people who do apply for that status do not qualify. There is a level of criminality both within home affairs and among syndicates operating in collusion with the department,” Kajee said. V.5373
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The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is investigating corruption between home affairs officals and foreign nationals The Hawks and Special Investigating Unit (SIU) raided several home affairs offices across the country on Friday as part of investigations into alleged maladministration and corruption. Minister Aaron Motsoaledi was part of an operation at an office in Pretoria and told eNCA that similar raids were taking place in other locations after information received by a whistleblower. “The corruption is done by officials here and foreign nationals who don’t deserve to be in South Africa but have lots of money to bribe,” he said. V.5363
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Home Affairs Refugee Centres are being raided by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and the Hawks. (Alex Mitchley/News24) • The Special Investigating Unit has raided home affairs refugee centres around the country. • Home affairs officials` cellphones have been seized. • SIU boss, advocate Andy Mothibi, and Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi were present at the Pretoria raid. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) simultaneously raided all five of South Africa`s refugee centres on Friday morning as part of a corruption probe. It is understood that the unit is investigating corruption linked to the issuing of asylum and refugee papers to foreign nationals entering South Africa. V.5364
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Applying for critical skills work visa in South Africa as an artisan has been a challenge for the longest time. In 2014 when the current amendments to the Immigration Act were gazetted several gaps were identified in the Act which included the absence of a SAQA accredited professional body to register artisans. ECSA was not an option due to their minimum NQF criteria of 5 which was a notch above the rating being given by SAQA for artisans. There was a time letters issued by the National Artisan Moderation Body, (NAMB), were sufficient and then they were not. There was a time when registration with the South African Institute of Draughting was good enough and then it wasn’t. V.5365
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You might have obtained your work permit recently and second-guessing whether your visa is valid or not, this is a tricky situation to be in. There are many people out there who pretend to be immigration consultants or immigration lawyers only to scam you and issue you with a fake visa. The worst is being arrested or being detained in South Africa for something that you are not responsible and the Department of Home Affairs is coming down hard on these individuals. Many who don’t qualify for the critical skills are always looking at applying for the general work visa for South Africa and thus one of the most popular options to forge it because of how difficult it is to obtain it. While this could be true many temporary residence permits are forged throughout South Africa. V.5366
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Legal permission to work in South Africa is accessed by getting a visa. In you case it can be a relatives visa, spousal visa or life partner visa The whole question How I, a Zimbabwean man, can get a visa to be able to stay in South Africa and care for my seven-month-old child and her mother, when my critical skills visa expires in March and I cannot renew it as the skills list was changed this year. The long answer There are three possible visas: • Relatives visa; • Spousal visa; • Life partner visa. V.5367
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What is Permanent Residence? • What is Permanent Residence? • Can you buy permanent residency in South Africa? • What is Independent financial permit in South Africa? o But what does it mean to be financially independent? o There are many benefits with this visa when obtaining permanent residency such as: • How much do I need to invest in South Africa to get permanent residence? o What are examples of assets that could be counted as net-worth assets? • Can I add my family to the visa? o What do I need to add them to the visa? • What are the government fees for the visa? • • What happens if I dont qualify for the visa? V.5368
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