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Western Cape concerned about high rejection rate of e-visas

Source: BL Prenium, 04/05/2023

Over half of e-visa applications are rejected, because they were not processed in time
The poor performance of the department of home affairs in the issuance of e-visas is of great concern to Western Cape finance & economic opportunities minister Mireille Wenger, who says this hampers tourism recovery in the country.
She noted on Wednesday that according to a presentation made by the department in the National Council of Provinces, 58% (3,697) of failed e-visa applications totalling 6,329 were rejected because the date of travel had already passed.
“They simply weren’t got to in time,” Wenger said.
“This follows an earlier revelation by the same department that, at that time, only 48.7% of all e-visa applications received had been processed. It was further revealed that of those that had been processed, only 3.2% of the total received had been granted.”
Wenger said e-visas were intended to provide a convenient option for visitors to make their applications online, instead of having to visit an SA mission abroad. Fourteen countries are eligible for e-visa applications: Cameroon, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Uganda.
‘Deeply concerning’
“It is deeply concerning that inefficiencies in our e-visa regime continue to add a barrier to our tourism recovery, and our drive to increase connectivity within the African continent and attract more African tourists to our destination. This should be fully enabled by our visa regime, and not restricted, as is currently the case,” Wenger said.
“While the recent commitments from President Cyril Ramaphosa to address the serious issues with the visa system are welcomed, words no longer count. Decisive action is required along with timelines to address the well-known challenges,” she said.
According to another statement, the department said in a presentation to the provincial standing committee on finance, economic opportunities & tourism on Wednesday that it would finalise implementation of the remote working visa next month, and that the state law adviser approval process was under way.
Decisive action is required along with timelines to address the well-known challenges.
Mireille Wenger, Western Cape finance and economic opportunities minister
A remote working visa was a no-brainer, DA Western Cape MPP and tourism spokesperson Cayla Murray said. “The Vulindlela report on visa reform ... [received only this week], despite already writing to the president in February, confirms as much, and recommends the implementation of a remote working visa with suitable requirements such as proof of employment, a minimum level of income, and health insurance.
“I am hopeful that home affairs will stick to its commitment, as this will help to boost job creation in our province. It must be noted, however, that such commitments from ANC-led national government departments often aren’t worth all that much,” Murray said.
The DA says it will make sure that this shortcut to economic growth is implemented as soon as possible, and will use every mechanism available to hold DHA to account should they not live up to their commitment.
In March the department granted relief to applicants for long-term visas or waivers who were awaiting the outcomes of their applications by extending the blanket concession to December 31. This was due to a backlog in processing waiver and visa applications by foreign nationals. The backlog, which runs into the tens of thousands and extends back to 2016, is due to a lack of personnel in the department and the lengthy procedures involved in processing an application.
The department said in March it only expected to clear the backlog in 15 months’ time.
The total backlog for permanent residence permits in the system amounted to 49,529, with 40,340 of those at end-May 2022 outstanding for more than eight months. Of these, 3,524 date back to 2016; 5,187 to 2017; 7,303 to 2018; 10,621 to 2019; 2,968 to 2020; three to 2021 (when the world was in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic) and 10,759 to 2022.
With regard to temporary residence permits, the backlog of applications totals 75,814, with 23,988 having been received within eight weeks by March 1.

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