BL Premium reports that the way is finally open for skilled foreigners to apply for work visas under SA’s new points system, after the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) gazetted a revised version of its new visa regulations on Monday.

The regulations, which also provide for new remote work visas, had to be withdrawn in March after the DHA gazetted them a day before the deadline for public comment. They have now been reissued with tweaks that remove problematic clauses in the March regulations, including the requirement for visa applicants under the points system to be able to “adapt within the republic” as well as the tax requirements imposed on remote visa applicants. The new points system for work visas will enable many more skilled foreigners to qualify, providing an alternative to the critical skills list and enabling those earning more than R1m to apply based on their age, qualifications, language skills, work experience and an offer of employment. The new rules also make it easier to get work visas for skilled people such as foreign film crew, academics and journalists who need to work in SA. And they remove or ease cumbersome aspects of the old rules. The DHA has also introduced a new “trusted employer” system to enable large employers to fast-track work visa applications. In April it said it had confirmed 72 employers as part of a pilot scheme and planned to open it to a further cohort of employers.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hilary Joffe at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
• Read too, SA's nomad visa - aimed at foreigners who earn more than R1m - takes effect, at Fin24

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