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Home Affairs slams visa law critics

Source: iafrica, 19/11/2015


The Department of Home Affairs has denied that thousands of jobs have
been lost due to South Africa's visa regulations.


"The claims made by DA MP James Vos about job losses and billions of
Rand lost due to visa regulations join the unsubstantiated claims that
have defined the debate around this issue," the department said in a
statement last week.


"These claims have never been substantiated and our media has never
asked those who make them to provide the evidence of thereof."


In October, Vos released a statement saying that 9 300 jobs had been
lost as a result of the visa regulations.


"It has been just over a year since the ill-advised VISA regulations
were promulgated and already over 9 300 jobs and R9-billion in revenue
has been lost," Vos said.


Home Affairs slammed its critics' stance on the visa laws.


"So much so that debate is based on the false premise that weighs
child safety against business interests. The debate, at its most
rudimentary level, declares that children travelling with the
permission of parents will somehow destroy our tourism sector," the
department said.


"Would the detractors of child safety go further to say that children
travelling without passports would boost our tourism economy
further?"


The department said that while the debated was based on "careless
assumptions", the department's motivation behind the laws was good
intent.


Home Affairs also said that officials had simply been obeying the law
and Constitution.


"We must [now] find legal remedies in contradiction to our
constitution that allows us to make distinctions between children from
Europe and those from China," the department said, referring to the
future visa law changes which will require people from certain
countries to produce Unabridged Birth Certificates, while others will
be strongly advised to do so.


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