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BL Premium reports that SA’s embassies and consulates abroad will go back to processing long-term visa applications on-site after the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) backtracked on a centralised system, which had forced all applications to go to Pretoria.
The centralised system caused lengthy delays. But it is not clear whether the applications already in the pipeline will be dealt with under the new system or the old, adding to the uncertainty that has undermined SA’s ability to attract crucial foreign skills and investment. While Business Unity SA (Busa) welcomed the move as a step in the right direction, it urged that the new decentralised system be used to clear the backlog of applications as well as to process new visas. Busa raised the skilled work visa issue at its meeting last week with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who promised to intervene. In a directive dated 31 August, DHA director-general Tommy Makhode said the original directive would be withdrawn effective 1 September. Many of these visas are for crucial foreign skills. Previously, the applications were processed and finalised by consular officials in the diplomatic missions. The change of system earlier in 2022 was intended to create consistency among application processes, but it created delays, leaving many employers frustrated. Officials at diplomatic missions have now been advised to adopt a “risk-based approach during the processing of visa applications”. Busa’s Cas Coovadia commented: “This appears to be a move in the right direction regarding the addressing of substantial delays in the processing of visa applications from senior business leaders of global companies employing thousands of people in our country … We look forward to more detail on this and expect the directive to be implemented immediately, resulting in the long backlog of visa applications being reduced.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Linda Ensor & Bekezela Phakathi at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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