Beware the new migrant legislation

Source: Mail & Guardian, 05/10/2018

IMMIGRATION
Changes to new immigrant legislation could mean that many long-term
residents are no longer eligible to remain in South Africa.
All indications are that the new law may be implemented in the next
few months, but many provisions are vague and potentially ill-considered.
The new white paper on international migration, which appears to be
close to adoption, could significantly change the landscape.
The department of home affairs has a history of making significant
legislative changes with little or no notice. The existing legislation
was implemented in 2014 with only one working day’s notice, with the
result that even officials at home affairs did not fully understand
the changes. Inconsistent interpretation of the law resulted in the
wrongful rejection of many applications for residency or citizenship
in South Africa.
The new white paper could enact legislation with little notice in a
matter of months, and even greater inconsistency in enforcing its
provisions is likely because of a lack of clarity in several areas.
The white paper states that the aim of the new policies is to
“increase South Africa’s international competitiveness for critical
skills and investment in such a manner that it contributes to the
achievement of national development goals”.
The white paper proposes that the granting of citizenship to
foreigners be considered as exceptional and require an executive
decision of the minister and calls for a points-based system for
permanent residence and citizenship.
But the white paper is dangerously vague about who will qualify for
permanent residence and citizenship. For example, there are no
indications of exactly how such a points system will work. And if the
aim is to grant permanent residence and citizenship only on the basis
of economic contribution to the country, what will this mean for
children, pensioners and working-class citizens?
The white paper says that residence will no longer lead to citizenship
and the number of years spent in the country will not qualify a person
to apply for naturalisation. Indeed, it proposes replacing a permanent
residence permit with a long-term residence visa, which should be
renewed at intervals. It also proposes a review of refugee residence
visas.
Clearly, the white paper aims to protect the border and the citizens
of the country, but you can’t simply lock down a border. Foreign
investment and skills are important for economic development, so
policy has to achieve a balance between national security and economic
development.
No one knows how the government intends to assess criteria such as an
applicant’s contribution to the economy, so ideally the minister
should hold discussions with stakeholders to elaborate on these issues.
The white paper does not appear to recognise how much of a deterrent
it is to skilled foreigners to know that, no matter how long they have
lived in South Africa, and no matter how much they have contributed,
they cannot become permanent residents or citizens.
In addition to affecting economic development, these ill-defined
changes could cause significant personal upheaval and chaos for
families living in South Africa. What will happen to refugees who have
lived and worked in South Africa for years, have their families here
and have nothing to return to? What will happen to those who have
retained foreign citizenship for decades?
My father, born in Portugal, has lived in South Africa for more than
40 years as a permanent resident. He worked for years as a specialist
underwater welder, ran a mechanical engineering business employing
South Africans, paid his taxes and raised his South African-born
children here. Kicking foreigners like him out of South Africa hurts
both South Africa and the foreigners. South Africa loses skilled,
hard-working, law-abiding individuals it desperately needs; the
foreigners lose the homes that they have built over many years or decades.
The minister should, instead, be opening the doors to citizenship to
foreigners. Why aren’t we offering wealthy foreigners the opportunity
to acquire citizenship in exchange for an investment or donation as is
common in many other countries?
It is only by productive and dignified engagement that litigation will
dissipate, and through proper partnerships with all stakeholders and
the upskilling of home affairs officials, especially on the law, that
foreigners and South Africans will be better served, without fear or
favour or conflict.
I have no doubt that the president has spent countless hours putting
together his “package of reforms” to kickstart our economy, but I urge
him and our minister of home affairs to talk to the stakeholders on
the ground, such as me, to discover the real barriers in the way of
much-needed foreign investment and skills streaming into our country
to catalyse economic growth and job creation.
With possible implementation looming and little word on how the white
paper’s aims will be enforced, I believe that anyone intending to
apply for permanent residence or citizenship should do so now. It’s
best to err on the side of caution because it is not clear what the
new legislation will mean for applicants in future.