South Africa to ease visa rules to boost tourism; details inside

Travel to South Africa is all set to become a bit easier. As per the latest news reports, South Africa will be reforming its stringent visa policies to facilitate travel of skilled workers and boost tourism. This was updated by South African Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber.

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This move is a considerable departure from previous immigration practices, which have been heavily criticised. According to sources, important changes include the implementation of a points-based system for work visas, with automatic eligibility for persons with particular skills. Furthermore, a new remote work visa will most likely be approved within days.

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Schreiber informed that the said visa reforms are aimed at drawing more tourists, and skilled workers which could significantly contribute to the nation’s economic growth.

Currently, foreigners with job offers in South Africa face prolonged waiting periods for visa approvals, with many denied visas for unclear reasons. While Western tourists often acquire visas on arrival with ease, potential visitors from key markets like China and India face lengthy bureaucracy, deterring travel. South Africa has also been accused of being particularly unfriendly to immigrants from other African countries, who are frequently blamed for taking jobs in a country with a 30% unemployment rate.

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Schreiber elaborated that bringing skilled workers into the country can help create jobs. Schreiber, a member of the Democratic Alliance party, which just formed a coalition government with the African National Congress, noted that both parties had received criticism for using anti-immigrant language in election campaigns.

Schreiber described the present immigration system as a ‘catastrophic failure,’ revealing that when he took office in July, there was a backlog of 306,000 visa applications that had been built over the previous decade. His team has since resolved 62% of these issues by enlisting additional resources and spending extra hours. According to Schreiber, a lack of trained labour is the second-largest impediment to economic progress, after only the country’s protracted power issue.

Schreiber intends to digitise the current paper-based visa process within five years in order to streamline it even further. This initiative is expected to reduce potential for fraud and bias in visa approvals while also shortening processing times, while funding limits may provide obstacles.