South Africa to Introduce New Visa Rules for Skilled Workers

Every so often the SA Home Affairs asks the various ministries to identify skills where foreign experts need to be invited to assist, and the ministries in turn ask the trade associations, like EFSA. We make our recommendations, and never hear another word. Recently, the President has announced a new scheme will be put in place.  The Trusted Employer Scheme (TES) will be designed to assist SA attract skilled workers and manage immigration, particularly in cases where high volumes of applications need to be processed. To qualify for this programme, an employer or business must demonstrate its financial capacity to employ a foreign national, its commitment to training programmes for SA citizens, and its status as a responsible corporate citizen (including its BBBEE status). Employers who participate in the programme will be able to benefit from priority processing of their visa applications thanks to reduced requirements and supporting documents.

The primary objective of the TES is to recognise and reward trustworthy users of the programme by requiring fewer document requirements and faster processing times for visa applications. For corporate employers, the most significant incentive is the ability to process visa applications quickly and mobilise foreign employees, enabling them to begin generating revenue sooner.