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An immigration expert has warned South Africans looking to take US President Donald Trump's offer that it could be a decision that will impact their ability to visit other countries for the rest of their lives. On 7 February 2025, Trump signed an executive order freezing aid to South Africa and prioritising the resettlement of Afrikaners in the United States as refugees. The White House cited South Africa's recently enacted Expropriation Act, arguing that it discriminates against the white minority population by allowing the state to seize land without compensation. The administration further accused the South African government of fostering policies that undermine equal opportunities and contribute to racially targeted violence against landowners. According to the order, the US Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security will take steps to admit and resettle Afrikaners under the United States Refugee Admissions Program. The directive from the White House noted that it aims to provide humanitarian relief to those allegedly facing systemic discrimination. Neil Diamond, president of the South African Chamber of Commerce in the USA, warned of a potential mass exodus of skilled agricultural professionals. He noted that within just 48 hours of the executive order's announcement, over 17,000 inquiries had been received from South Africans seeking information on refugee status and relocation to the US. He emphasised that the departure of experienced farmers could have severe consequences for South Africa's food security, agricultural value chain, and economic stability. The South African Trade Union Solidarity Movement acknowledged that some Afrikaners might consider emigration but rejected mass resettlement as a viable solution. Solidarity chairperson Flip Buys emphasised that Afrikaners are deeply rooted in South Africa's history and culture and should focus on building a future within the country rather than seeking asylum abroad. "The repatriation of Afrikaners as refugees is not a solution. We want to build a future in South Africa," he said. The South African government has strongly condemned the executive order, describing it as misleading and based on misinformation. A warning to South Africans considering the move Canadian immigration consultant Nicholas Avramis has warned the Afrikaans community to be cautious with the recent policy announcement from the United States encouraging South Africans to make asylum claims based on alleged human rights violations. "I would caution any individual from making a refugee claim to the United States or any other country as it will impact any future visa application to other countries," he said. According to Avramis, making an asylum claim comes with consequences. "It is essentially a mark on your record and will have to be explained every time one applies for a visitor visa to another country," he added. When applying to visit another country, immigration officials need to be satisfied that you will return to your home country. However, asylum is a clear indication that you want to leave your home country without the intention of returning. Avramis advises South Africans to focus on immigration programs that were created with a genuine intent to attract skilled workers as opposed to ones created in politics. Canada is climbing the ladder of countries attracting skilled South Africans to fill shortages faced by most third world countries. Since 2020, close to 18,000 work permit and permanent residency applications have been approved for South Africans. According to Avramis, about 8,000 work permit applications and a further 6,500 permanent residency applications were approved for skilled workers from South Africa. Avramis added that the top three occupations held by South Africans in Canada are agricultural workers, healthcare workers and various trade groups. "A big driver in the last two years for South Africans immigrating to Canada has been more healthcare professionals entering the Express Entry pool hoping to be selected for permanent residency." Canada now has occupation-specific draws for various occupations that are deemed a national priority. There are 37 medical jobs posted in the healthcare category. On 28 February 2025, Canada announced a new education field to attract early educators as permanent residents. This is expected to draw many South African teachers who struggle with under resourced schools, low pay, and crowed classrooms. |
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Indonesia's unexpected move lends credence to the claim by BRICS that it speaks for the Global South. Indonesia quietly and unexpectedly joined the BRICS bloc last week, bringing the number of full members to 10 and substantially boosting the group's combined economy by over 5% to more than $28-trillion, just beyond that of America, a symbolic achievement. Adding Indonesia also arguably boosted the credibility of BRICS' claim to be a representative body of the non-aligned Global South, rather than a Russia-China support group, as its critics suspect Moscow and Beijing are trying to turn it into. Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, becomes the first nation in that region to join the original five members - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – as well as Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, which were admitted as members at the 2023 BRICS summit in Johannesburg in 2023. Warm welcome Jakarta's decision to join has been warmly welcomed by the other BRICS members. It offsets the embarrassment caused by Argentina declining the invitation to join in 2023, and Saudi Arabia neither accepting nor declining The accession of Indonesia, announced only last week by the current Brazil chair, surprised outsiders. It is not clear why it took so long. Brazilian officials said that the five founding BRICS members had offered Indonesia membership as far back as the Johannesburg summit But Indonesia had then asked for more time to formally respond because national elections had been looming, they said. These elections were held in February 2024, and Prabowo Subianto replaced Joko Widodo as president. But that was almost a year ago. Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, national director of the SA Institute of International Affairs, said Indonesia's joining reflected a shift in Indonesia's foreign policy under new president Subianto. She said under Widodo, Indonesia had sought to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a grouping of developed countries. But Sidiropoulos said she thought that option was still on the table and it could be that Indonesia was pursuing a multi-alignment strategy, like India. She saw Indonesia joining BRICS as a positive development, noting that during its G20 presidency in 2022, "Indonesia was quite adept at navigating between global powers, and I don't think it's a country that will seek polarisation over mutual benefit. "It brings into the grouping an important Southeast Asian economy." 'Asset to bloc' Sanusha Naidoo, senior research fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD), agreed that adding Indonesia was an asset to BRICS. She thought the delay in announcing the accession might have been because Indonesia had decided to join only after the election of Donald Trump as US president. US President-elect Donald Trump. This had added to the uncertainties of the global environment, particularly because of Trump's threats to resort widely to increased trade tariffs. This might have prompted Indonesia to seek greater security in the BRICS alliance. She said Indonesia joining had significant strategic implications both for itself and for BRICS. It provided impetus to BRICS as a body representing the interests of the Global South. As Indonesia was a member of the G20, it increased the leverage of BRICS in that global forum. She also noted that Indonesia added weight to the BRICS non-aligned posture because of its historical role in hosting the 1955 Bandung Conference, which laid the foundation for the Non-Aligned Movement in the Cold War. Arina Muresan, a senior researcher at IGD, said she believed BRICS might also have chosen Indonesia from all the contenders for strategic reasons. She noted that in a time of rising geopolitical uncertainty, Indonesia commanded the Strait of Malacca, the shortest sea route between China and India, which is extremely busy, especially with oil tankers from the Middle East. After the Johannesburg summit when BRICS announced its first new members, Jim O'Neill, the British economist who coined the BRICs concept in 2001, told Daily Maverick that the new members had not "dramatically boosted" the total economic clout of the bloc. He said he was puzzled that Indonesia had been left out despite its large economy and its success in navigating internal and global challenges, arguably better than any other major commodity producer. Added clout Now that omission has been corrected. Indonesia has added clout. Its $1.371-trillion GDP in 2023 boosts the combined BRICS GDP by 5%, from $27.416-trillion to $28.787-trillion. That, incidentally, pushes it above the $27.720-trillion of the US economy. The BRICS share then reaches just over 27% of the $106.171-trillion global economy. This is all in nominal dollar terms. In purchasing power parity (PPP) terms – which measures what a country's currency can buy domestically, Indonesia's GDP of $4.334-trillion boosts the total BRICS GDP of $66.862-trillion by even more, by about 6%, to $71.197-trillion. That increases the share of the combined BRICS economy to about 36% of the global GDP of some $ 185.696 trillion in PPP terms. The addition of Indonesia's population of 282.47 million also boosts the total BRICS population by nearly 8% from 3.546 billion to 3.828 billion – which then constitutes more than 47% of the world's population. Indonesia also boosts the land mass (excluding territorial waters) of BRICS by about 5.4%, from 33,597,435km2 to 35,409,006km2. Further expansion of BRICS seems likely. At the last summit in Kazan, Russia last October, Moscow announced that BRICS had offered "partnership" in BRICS to 13 countries. This included Indonesia which even then had not decided to become a full member. The other 12 were Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Algeria and Belarus. Russia has since announced that Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan have accepted the invitations while the other four countries have not yet replied. Partnership offers some, but not all the benefits of full membership, and is seen as being a stepping stone to full membership. |
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Why People Come to South Africa - To seek better life - To join family members - To escape poverty or danger - To find work to support families back home What is an Illegal Worker? - Someone who didn't enter through official ports - Someone doing different work than what their visa allows - Someone working without a proper work permit Rules for Employers - It's illegal to hire foreigners without work permits - Employers (not workers) get punished for breaking this law - Fines range from R7,000 to R50,000 per illegal worker - Employers can go to jail for up to 12 months - Home Affairs does surprise workplace inspections Legal Facts to Know - Foreign workers still have labor rights even if illegal - Employers cannot fire workers just because their visa expired - Spouses of visa holders must get their own work visas - Accepting a job offer or signing a contract without a visa is not illegal Types of Work Visas Available 1. General work visa 2. Intra-company transfer visa 3. Critical Skills visa 4. Corporate Workers visa Special Note for Zimbabwean Workers - ZEP visas are not being renewed - 12-month grace period to get proper visas - Must get valid work permits or leave South Africa What Happens When Caught - Department of Home Affairs investigates companies - Higher fines if employer helped with fake documents or housing - Punishment depends on if employer knew worker was illegal Rights of Illegal Workers - Can still report problems to CCMA - Can get compensation if mistreated, but not job reinstatement Recommended Actions - Visit on tourist visa first to explore job options - Verify all work permits before hiring - Get help from immigration consultants - Don't try to hide illegal workers How can we help you , please email us to info@samigration.com whatsapp message me on: +27 82 373 8415, where are you now? check our website : www.samigration.com Please rate us by clinking on this links : Sa Migration Visas https://g.page/SAMigration?gm |
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Despite a 2019 court ruling on "family joining", spouses and children of asylum seekers are struggling to get documented Spouses and children of asylum seekers are struggling to get recognition from Home Affairs. A 2019 landmark ruling allows the families of refugees to get documents in South Africa. - But legal experts say Home Affairs has created additional barriers like DNA testing requirements, and refuses to recognise customary marriages from other African countries. - A Congolese refugee has waited 23 years to be joined to her husband’s refugee status, despite submitting their marriage certificate several times. - A Kenyan couple have been unable to get their family documented, leaving their 13-year-old daughter unable to attend school. When rebels invaded his home in South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002, killing many people, Kabamba Mukinayi fled to South Africa rather than be forced into the army. He applied for asylum at the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office and was granted refugee status within a few months. His wife, Tshilobo Tshiamakanda, followed him and applied for asylum in Musina before joining her husband. When her permit was due to expire, they went to the Cape Town refugee office and applied for her to be joined to her husband’s status. She thought she’d automatically receive the same status as her husband. But 23 years later, she is still in limbo. In June 2019, the Western Cape High Court handed down a landmark ruling granting access for spouses, children and other dependents of asylum seekers and refugees to be able to document themselves in South Africa under "family joining". Family joining means granting refugee status (or a similar secure status) to family members "accompanying a recognised refugee", according to the Refugee Rights Unit at the University of Cape Town’s Law Clinic. The ruling followed an application brought by the Scalabrini Centre on behalf of families of refugees who were facing arrests and detention because of documentation issues. Tshiamakanda has submitted her Congolese marriage certificate several times but to no effect. She has had to endure decades of short-term and inconsistent renewals at the refugee office. She has had numerous interviews, yet her case remains unresolved. Without clarity on her status, she struggles to open a bank account or access other services. She freelances as a child carer. "We are a legally married couple. All I want is for my wife to join my status so that her life can be easier," says Mukinayi. Several couples GroundUp spoke to at the refugee office are in similar situations. Some said their files were lost during the closure of the Cape Town refugee office in 2012. The new office opened in 2023. Those who had applied at the Pretoria and Durban refugee offices tried to continue their applications in Cape Town, but they say the system couldn’t pick up their family joining files. A Kenyan couple, who wished to be anonymous, say they have struggled for years to have their papers joined. The husband belonged to an ethnic minority that faced targeted attacks during post-election violence in 2008. His family’s home in Naivasha, about 90km from Nairobi, was burned down during clashes when the police did not intervene. After receiving threats, he left Kenya and applied for asylum at the Musina Refugee Centre before moving to Cape Town. In 2011, his wife joined him and also applied for asylum and to be documented with her husband. But before her case progressed, Home Affairs closed its Cape Town office in 2012. The Western Cape High Court ruled that the closure was unreasonable and irrational in 2012. Home Affairs was ordered to re-open the office by the High Court in 2016, and again by the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2017. The department then sought leave to appeal from the Constitutional Court, but the application was denied. Since the office reopened, the couple have made countless trips to Home Affairs, submitting applications at the office and online, attending interviews and waiting in long queues, only to be met with rejection, delays and silence. To date, she has no papers and his permit has since expired. Because of the hostility he faced, he is now afraid to go and renew his permit again. "They told me to wait for my family to be recognised, and before I knew it, I had overstayed," he said. "Every time we go to Home Affairs, it’s the same thing: missing documents, system errors, come back next week, next month, next year. But nothing changes," said his wife. The couple was told that their Kenyan marriage is not recognised in South Africa. Their daughter, now 13, has no birth certificate, is currently out of school, and is facing an uncertain future. Attorney James Chapman, head of advocacy and legal advisor at Scalabrini, said the 2017 court order and 2018 ruling were meant to make it easier for dependents of asylum seekers and refugees to be joined, but families are still struggling. "There is nothing that should prevent an individual recognised as an asylum seeker or refugee and has supporting documents from, by appointment at Home Affairs, joining their family. What happens in theory is that you approach the refugee reception office on the appointment date given by Home Affairs, and you bring all documents. If you don’t have supporting documents to prove your relationship, Home Affairs won’t proceed," said Chapman. He said the Scalabrini Centre had handled cases where the files of children who turned 18 were routinely separated from their families’ files, had to file for asylum again, and were then rejected. He said Home Affairs had now confirmed that file separation would only happen upon termination of dependency or upon request, not upon reaching 18. Those separated would still continue to benefit from the claim of the previous file holder. "There is also a problem that... customary marriages are not being recognised. If you got married by customary law, say in DRC, they [Home Affairs] are not accepting those marital relationships. Only civil marriages concluded are accepted." He said in some cases, to join children, Home Affairs demanded DNA, "which is prohibitively costly". "DNA is even asked for in cases where parents have birth certificates from their country confirming the family relationship. Where the child is old enough the child should also be able to confirm the relationship without the need for DNA testing." Chapman said the Scalabrini Centre can be contacted for help. GroundUp has waited for two weeks for comment from Home Affairs. |
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The ZAR 120,000 fee is a once-off processing fee for a Financially Independent Permanent Residence Permit under Section 27(f) of the South African Immigration Act. This fee is payable upon approval of the application. 1. Payment Recipient The payment must be made to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in South Africa. This applies whether you are submitting your application locally or from abroad. 2. When to Pay? • The fee is only payable once the application is approved. • The Department of Home Affairs will issue an approval letter instructing the applicant to make the payment. • You should not pay this fee at the time of application submission. 3. Where to Pay? Once you receive the approval letter, payment can be made through the following methods: ✅ Bank Deposit / EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer): • The approval letter will contain the official banking details of the Department of Home Affairs. • The reference number provided in the letter must be used for tracking the payment. ✅ Direct Payment at Home Affairs Offices: • In some cases, applicants may be instructed to pay directly at a designated Home Affairs office. • Always confirm with Home Affairs before making any payment. ✅ Payments from Abroad: • If you are outside South Africa, you may need to make an international bank transfer to the Department of Home Affairs' official account. • Ensure the reference number from the approval letter is included to avoid delays. 4. Proof of Payment Submission After payment is made: • Submit the proof of payment (bank confirmation or receipt) to the designated Home Affairs office handling your application. • Only after this step will you receive your permanent residence certificate. 5. Important Notes ❗ Non-Refundable Fee: The ZAR 120,000 is a non-refundable administrative fee. ❗ Do not make payments to individual officials or consultants ❗ Always request and retain receipts ❗ Verify Banking Details: Always confirm the bank details directly with Home to avoid scams. ❗ Timely Payment: Delays in payment submission may lead to delays in receiving your permanent residence certificate. ❗ The financially independent permanent residence category (Section 27(f) of the Immigration Act) requires proof of this payment along with evidence that you possess the required net worth to qualify under this category. Would you like assistance in finding the latest DHA banking details or confirming payment procedures? 😊 How can we help you , please email us to info@samigration.com whatsapp message me on: +27 82 373 8415, where are you now? check our website : www.samigration.com Please rate us by clinking on this links : Sa Migration Visas https://g.page/SAMigration?gm |
