Big changes for visas in South Africa
Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber has gazetted far-reaching reforms for South Africa’s visa regime.
The gazetting of the Remote Work Visitor Visa and the new Points-Based System for Work Visas on 9 October is said to remove bureaucratic hurdles which have hampered South Africa’s visa regime.
Schreiber said that the “fit-for-purpose and market-friendly” reforms would reposition South Africa as a world-class destination for investment and tourism to create thousands of new jobs.
Back in May 2024, former Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi re-gazetted amendments to South Africa’s immigration laws, which included the new points-based system for critical skills and a remote work visa.
However, various elements have been amended since.
The minister said that this includes that “the new points-based system also introduces a transparent framework to adjudicate visas to tackle corruption.”
Looking at the gazettes, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) said that:
The Remote Work Visa allows high-earning individuals employed overseas to spend their foreign currency in South Africa, contributing to the economy by paying Value-Added Tax, dining at local restaurants, and purchasing goods and services from South African producers.
The new Points-Based System for Work Visas addresses corruption and inefficiency by reducing bureaucracy and implementing a clear points system to objectively assess eligibility for Critical Skills or General Work Visas.
For General Work Visa applications outside the Trusted Employer Scheme, a new threshold of R650,796 in gross annual income—double the median income in the formal sector—is said to help safeguard lower-end jobs while attracting skilled workers at the top.
The immigration regulations under the Immigration Act have been amended to determine how points for critical skills and general work visas will be awarded.
The system is:
An applicant must meet all other prescribed requirements for a critical skills work visa or general work visa, and must earn 100 points to obtain a visa.
If the 100-point threshold is reached through an occupation contained on the critical skills list, and provided all other prescribed requirements are met, the applicant may be issued with a critical skills work visa.
If the 100-point threshold is reached through a combination of points other than through an occupation contained on the critical skills list, and provided all other prescribed requirements are met, the applicant may be issued with a general work visa.
Reaction
Broadly, the DHA said these are designed to make it easier for South African companies and multinationals to hire skilled workers, as well as making the country a realistic prospect for remote workers seeking an opportunity to combine work with tourism.
“The gazetting of all required elements for the Remote Work Visitor Visa and the new Points-Based System for Work Visas amounts to the single most progressive and pro-jobs regulatory reform South Africa has seen in decades,” said Schreiber.
Schreiber said that this is in line with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call in July for the coalition government to “overhaul the visa regime to attract skills and investment and grow the tourism sector”.
According to independent research commissioned by the Reserve Bank and the International Food Policy Research Institute, increasing the proportion of high-end skills in South Africa’s population by just 0.02% could enhance annual economic growth by as much as 1.2%.
Additionally, the study predicts that an improved visa regime could generate seven new jobs for every skilled worker drawn into the economy.
“By harnessing the power of market-based regulatory reform to cut red tape and enhance transparency, Home Affairs is fighting corruption in our immigration system while delivering on the GNU’s apex priority to grow the economy and create thousands of new jobs for the people of South Africa,” said Schreiber.
The gazettes can be found below:
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