{"id":754259,"date":"2024-02-24T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-24T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=754259"},"modified":"2024-02-24T17:07:51","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T15:07:51","slug":"big-shift-for-emigration-in-south-africa-why-expats-want-back-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/754259\/big-shift-for-emigration-in-south-africa-why-expats-want-back-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Big shift for emigration in South Africa &#8211; why expats want back in"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Expats are flocking back to sunny South Africa in numbers despite the various challenges that the country is facing and the promise of greener pastures elsewhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are largely seen from expatriates from European countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany, as well as the Middle East and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This diverse demographic underscores the widespread appeal of South Africa as a desirable destination for repatriation,&#8221; said tax attorney at Tax Consulting SA, Richan Schwellnus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This trend has caught the attention of various experts &#8211; particularly real estate and tax professionals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CEO of Chas Everitt International Property Group, Rory O&#8217;Hagan, told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rOsR5DPRq34&amp;t=22s\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rOsR5DPRq34&amp;t=22s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Newzroom Afrika<\/a> that &#8220;the trends that we were feeling [in] 2023 was an uplift in [South African expats] asking us,&#8221; to either rent or buy South African properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tax expert Schwellnus said that over the last 6 months or so, Tax Consulting SA has noticed &#8220;a significant uptick in South Africans enquiring about returning home.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>People are coming back<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite South Africa&#8217;s challenges, the grass is proving to not always be greener on the other side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Schwellnus explained that some of the \u2018push\u2019 factors cited by many expatriates for leaving the countries that they went to are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The steadily increasing cost of living especially in European nations; <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>High inflation;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unpleasant weather;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strict regulations that affect all aspects of daily life;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cultural differences;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The ongoing energy crises triggered by the Russia \/ Ukraine war<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lack of familial as well as friendship structures;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some expatriates have reached mandatory retirement ages in Middle East countries, which prevents them from renewing their residency permits therein.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Despite its well-publicised challenges, South Africa still has many \u2018pull\u2019 factors,&#8221; said Schwellnus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the reasons that expatriates cite for being drawn back are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sense of nostalgia and longing for home;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Favorable climate conditions;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Relatively high quality of life;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Familial ties;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An especially affordable cost of living are available to those expatriates who have been working abroad and earning in dollars or pounds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Other reasons mentioned are that many South Africans with young families want their children to experience the country\u2019s natural beauty, diverse cultures, and a welcoming atmosphere that is not necessarily always available elsewhere,&#8221; said Schwellnus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Schwellnus additionally said that South Africa offers opportunities for both personal and professional growth due to its strategic location as the gateway to Africa, advanced banking initiatives, and a &#8220;business-friendly regulatory environment&#8221;. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said that the country is a relatively cost-effective and attractive destination for entrepreneurial ventures and foreign investors looking to capitalize on the continent&#8217;s potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/743361\/emigration-is-shifting-in-south-africa\/\">Emigration is shifting in South Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While many talk about green pastures elsewhere, experts are witnessing a surge in expatriates wanting to return home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":708392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[10090,8149,853],"class_list":["post-754259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-emigration","tag-expats","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754259"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":754833,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754259\/revisions\/754833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/708392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=754259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=754259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}