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SA Migration Newsletter
10 / 2024 |
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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.
The Henley Passport Power Index recently showed the significant limitations African citizens face for international travel and economic mobility because of their passports.
These limitiations include lengthy visa applications, possible rejections, and long passport control queues.
Only Mauritius and Seychelles passports allow holders to access over 50% of global GDP without needing to obtain a visa.
This is despite Africa being home to some of the most visa-open nations when welcoming visitors from abroad
Henley & Partners’ latest Africa Wealth Report has highlighted how this ‘exclusion’ is denying Africans from international business opportunities.
The Home Affairs official was accused of selling passports at R3,000 to foreigners
A 34-year-old former Department of Home Affairs employee will spend the weekend behind bars after being arrested on fraud and corruption charges.
Malusi Mlondo appeared briefly in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody.
I recently renewed my passport at Home Affairs in a bank branch and was very impressed with the service and quick turnaround time.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and major banks first launched the option to do Smart ID card and passport applications via select bank branches in 2016.
It has slowly grown to around 30 locations, including branches from Absa, Discovery Bank, FNB, Investec, Nedbank, and Standard Bank.
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has spent over R412.95 million in legal fees since the start of the 2018/19 financial year - with over R117.69 million of this spent between 1 April 2023 and 29 February 2024.
This was revealed by the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, in a recent written response in parliament.
DHA has seen an exponential increase in the amount that it spends on litigation, with the current amount for 2023/24 (note these figures are until the end of February, several months short of the full financial year) nearly 16 times that of the amount spent in 2018/19.
A United Kingdom (UK) citizen - who laid a criminal charge of corruption against a Home Affairs official who wanted R60 000 to renew the retirement visas of him and his wife - is still waiting for the police probe to show results. He is also still waiting for the visas he applied for in 2022.
A United Kingdom (UK) citizen - who laid a criminal charge of corruption against a Home Affairs official who wanted R60 000 to renew the retirement visas of him and his wife - is still waiting for the police probe to show results. He is also still waiting for the visas he applied for in 2022.
DA MP says this is up 20 000 from the 74 000 six months previously
Department of Home Affairs visa backlog is up by 20 000 in 6 months
The Democratic Alliance (DA) can reveal that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Visa backlog has increased from 74 000 in August 2023 to 92 000 as of 16 February 2024. This is an increase of just under 20 000 in about 6 months. Download the Parliamentary question and answer here.
The increase goes against what the Minister told the Home Affairs Parliamentary Committee in March 2023.
Short on time? Here are the highlights:
• Following recent announcements from British Columbia and Ontario, Nova Scotia becomes the latest Canadian province to declare how its quota of study permit applications for 2024 will be distributed across sectors and institutions
• As in Ontario, private institutions and language schools stand to be the most negatively affected by the distribution arrangement, but some public universities will also see significant reductions in study permit applications
• All Canadian provinces have now distributed their allocation of study permit applications for 2024, and all are now also issuing provincial attestation letters (PALs)
We asked the major contestants of the 29 May elections about immigration. Illustration: Lisa Nelson
Today’s questions and answers to the major political parties deal with immigration.
We emailed our questions to the ANC, DA, EFF, IFP, FF Plus, ActionSA, PA, MK Party, and RISE Mzansi on 13 March and sent follow-up queries to those who did not respond. Some have still not responded.
Answers are very lightly edited for grammar and typos.
Does your party support continued extensions of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP)? 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. Visa rejections ‘show bias towards Africa’ 3. R3 000 to get a fake passport: Former Home Affairs employee nabbed 4. Goodbye Home Affairs hell - Bank branch passport renewal tested. 5. Home Affairs blowing millions on legal battles - and it’s getting worse . 6. UK man’s Home Affairs “extortion” nightmare 7. DHA visa backlog at 92 000 8. Canada: More provincial cap numbers announced; IRCC moves up end date for post-graduate work for partnership programmes 9. Elections 2024: What the major political parties say about immigration We sent questions to the ANC, DA, EFF, IFP, FF Plus, ActionSA, PA, MK Party and RISE Mzansi
Contact us: 
SA Migration Business Pack for free download.   
(click on pic for your study info)  Knysna Lagoon 
Zulu Village (click on pic for full size) 
Retired in South Africa (click on pic for your retirement info)  Knysna Elephants |
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