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SA Migration Newsletter
01 / 2022 |
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 SA Migration
International was created out of the need for a
specialist organization to assist people wishing to immigrate,
volunteer, work, bring family, study or open businesses in South
Africa.
Under new rules, workers in the UK who hold a student, youth mobility scheme or intra-company transfer visa are now allowed to switch to a Skilled Worker visa without having to leave the UK, says Darren Faife, managing director, business immigration at Sable International.
Faife takes a closer look at the conditions needed to make this switch.
Switching visas
The Youth Mobility Scheme visa, previously known as the T5 Youth Mobility Scheme visa, is often referred to as the UK working holiday visa and is a great way to gain international work experience as well as travel throughout the EU. This visa allows young people (aged 18-30) from certain countries to live, work and travel in the UK for up to two years.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi is committed to working on the illegal immigration issue in South Africa
He said borders are the biggest cause of concern as there is less focus on them and criminals often seek asylum in the country
The Home Affairs Minister added that foreign nationals who are in South Africa legally have nothing to fear
The Curious Case of the 1997 Exemption Permits
2021 has started on a busy note in terms of the South African immigration landscape. The Border Management Agency began its work having been signed into law by the president in December, a draft critical skills list has been published and now the Minister has vowed to take steps to review and investigate visas and permits irregularly issued over the years and its only February.
The Department of Home Affairs plans to expand its e-booking system which it says will drastically reduce long queues and wait times at its offices.
Responding in a recent parliamentary Q&A, Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the Branch Appointment Booking System will be piloted at some live capture offices for Smart ID Card and Passports applications, as well as for the collections of both documents during the 2021/22 financial year.
Applying for your Section 11(2) Visitors Visa with Work Conditions
This visa must be applied for abroad in your country of residence. Applications must be logged and processed by the responsible South African Embassy or consulate.
The Section 11 (2) Permits requires an approval letter which is a once off non-renewable permit allowing one to work in South Africa and cannot be changed into another type of permit in South Africa.
Not worth the paper they were printed on
Review follows high-profile people investigated by dept’s corruption unit.
That Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi is moving to review a raft of dodgy permits allegedly issued by corrupt officials is a welcome intervention but may be “too little, too late†to salvage the credibility of the immigration system, says a political analyst.
Right of reply: Society doesn`t give repeat offenders a free pass simply because they frequently break the law in any other sphere of life. Immigration is no different, writes Siya Qoza.
Your story that appeared in print and online on January 12 this year, titled, “Beitbridge anti-immigration efforts hit by bribery claimsâ€, bears reference. As the Department of Home Affairs, we wish to make a few points, for the benefit of your readers.
Court ruled that a delay in applying for refugee status does not
affect a person’s right to apply for recognition as a refugee
The Constitutional Court has ordered the South African government not
deport an Ethiopian national until the finalisation of his application
for recognition as a refugee.
The judgment, delivered in December, is important for undocumented
immigrants who have not timeously applied for refugee status.
In 2020 Desta Abore, an Ethiopian national, was arrested for entering
and living in South Africa without the relevant documents in violation
of the Immigration Act. He pleaded guilty at the time and the Eshowe
Magistrates Court sentenced him to 50 days in prison or to pay a
R1,500 fine. He paid the fine, but was not released.
Abore then approached the Durban High Court for an order declaring his
detention unlawful. He also wanted to prohibit the government from
deporting him until he had been allowed to apply for refugee status
under the Refugee Act.
An explosive report prepared by the Department of Home Affairs’ top brass has lifted the lid on the extent to which the recently uncovered fake passport syndicate has penetrated the department, which is a “serious†security breach for the republic.
On Thursday, members of the Home Affairs Counter Corruption Branch and Hawks arrested a Pakistani man at the Cape Town International Airport for suspected fraudulent activities that include the production of bogus passports.
Pretoria - The alleged conduct of a Home Affairs official believed to have changed the version of a Nigerian citizen in his application for refugee status has been referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for investigation and possible prosecution.
The Johannesburg High Court last month ordered that the NPA must establish whether the official lied about the facts which were given to him by the Nigerian citizen, only identified as EL to safeguard him from possible persecution.
Since the lockdown began asylum seekers and refugees have been denied crucial services by government.
Terrence is a Zimbabwean refugee in South Africa. He has tried seven times to renew his status through the Home Affairs online portal, but he has never received a response, he says.
His papers expired in October 2020, but Home Affairs announced that asylum seeker and refugee permits that expired after 15 March 2020 have been extended up to and including 30 April 2022
Government is in the process of developing the new National Identity System (NIS), which will replace the current National Population Register and become the backbone of all Home Affairs functions in South Africa.
The system, which is expected to be operational by March 2024, will enable the security and reliability of civic and immigration status linked to identity and biometric data. In this way, the NIS will effectively act as a single source of information on all South Africans. SA
Migration International
Tel.: +27 (0)71 632 9555 Fax: +27 (0)21 461 2611 Email: info@sami.co.za |
SA
Migration
Tel.: +27 (0)71 632 9555 Fax: +27 (0)21 461 2611 Email: info@sami.co.za
Table of Contents
1. About SA Migration
2. How to switch to a Skilled Worker visa in the UK under new rules 3. Minister of Home Affairs Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to Hold UN Meeting on SA Illegal Immigration Challenges 4. Fraudulent and Fraudulently obtained South African Permits 5. New Home Affairs system to be expanded in South Africa 6. Applying for your Section 11(2) Visitors Visa with Work Conditions 7. Dodgy permits probed 8. We will arrest and deport those who cross SA’s borders illegally, says Home Affairs 9. Undocumented man applying for refugee status can remain in SA, Concourt rules 10. Fake passport syndicate worms its way deep into Home Affairs 11. Home Affairs official allegedly changed details of Nigerian man seeking refugee status 12. Chaotic Home Affairs system leaving immigrants living legally in SA undocumented 13. South Africa is getting a new ID system â€` how it will work
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