Foreign nationals intending to establish a business in South Africa may
apply for a business visa subject to meeting the prescribed
requirements including a minimum capital investment (5 million rand)
and proof or undertaking that 60 per cent of the employees directly
employed in the business will be South African citizens or permanent
residents.
Further, the Act prescribes that a business visa may not be issued or
renewed in respect of any business undertaking that has been listed as
undesirable in the Government Gazette after consultation between the
Minister of the Department of Home Affairs and the Minister of Trade
and Industry.
Is there a special route (including fast track) for high net worth
individuals for a residence permission route into your jurisdiction?
South Africa Sa Migration International
See question 16.
Highly skilled individuals
Is there a special route for highly skilled individuals?
South Africa Sa Migration International
Yes, there are options available under temporary and permanent
residence.
Temporary residence
Critical skills work visa
A critical skills work visa may be issued to a foreign national
provided that such foreign national falls within a specific
professional category or occupational class as determined by
publication by the DHA. The critical skills visa list, published in the
Government Gazette (on 3 June 2014), includes several new categories,
including information communication and technology (expanded list),
business process outsourcing and retains engineers, life and earth
science professionals and health professionals, among others.
A critical

skills work visa may be applied for and issued upon receipt
of an offer of employment or in the absence thereof; however, the
holder of a critical skills work visa must confirm securing employment
within a period of 12 months of obtaining the critical skills work
visa.
In late 2018, a draft critical skills list was to be released for
consultation with stakeholders. The revised list would essentially
reduce certain categories, while expanding others, on the critical
skills list. The final revised critical skills list has yet to be
published and released for use.
The impact on applicants would be that those who previously qualified
for critical skills may not qualify once the amended critical skills
list is published and they would need to revert to the general work
visa category where applicable. The inability to qualify for critical
skills would also remove their eligibility to immediately apply for
permanent residence as would have been possible under a critical skills
visa.
Permanent residence
Permanent residence may be granted to a foreign national, subject to
any prescribed requirements, who demonstrates that he or she possesses
extraordinary skills or qualifications under the circumstances or as
may be prescribed. Accordingly, holders of critical skills work visas
are able to apply for permanent residence in South Africa in the
absence of any prescribed waiting period (subject to confirmation in
practice owing to the recent implementation of the Amendment Act).
www.samigration.com V.2992

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
Click here for full article

One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
Click here for full article

The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
Click here for full article

The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
Click here for full article

A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
Click here for full article

On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
Click here for full article

The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
Click here for full article

The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
Click here for full article

1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
Click here for full article

Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
Click here for full article