Newly appointed Home Affairs minister has unveiled plans to retain scarce skills.
Just a day after being sworn in, the new Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, has extended the temporary concession for foreign nationals who are currently awaiting the outcome of visa, waiver and appeal applications.
The extension safeguards applicants, including those who are contributing to South Africa through their scarce skills, from suffering adverse consequences or being erroneously declared undesirable while they await the outcome of applications submitted to the department.
The processing of some of these applications has been delayed as the department works on reducing backlogs.
Backlog in various visa and permit categories
The department has made progress in this regard since its previous communication on the matter. However, there is still a backlog in various visa and permit categories. And Schreiber has now moved to protect applicants while the backlog is reduced.
“The decision to avert adverse consequences for applicants who seek to obtain lawful visas signals the minister’s commitment. Applicants …who seek these in order to contribute to South Africa, either through their skills or as tourists. It’s a commitment to improving the visa system to make South Africa a more attractive destination. The destination for international investment, tourism and job creation,” the Department of Home Affairs said in a statement.
Schreiber was appointed as the Minister of Home Affairs by President Cyril Ramaphosa in an address to the nation on Sunday. A swearing-in ceremony by Deputy President Paul Mashatile and Cabinet members of the Government of National Unity (GNU) followed. This took place on Wednesday.
In a statement on Thursday, the department said that it will take time to achieve this vision in full. However, the decision to extend the temporary concession serves as a signal of intent. The intent to “reinvigorate the Department of Home Affairs and position it as a vital economic enabler”.
Commits to avoid a repeat of current situation
“In order to build confidence in this new approach, Minister Schreiber further commits to avoiding a repeat of the current situation. [The latter] has seen the previous concession expire prior to the extension being announced.”
In addition, the department is committed to eradicating the backlog as soon as possible. And the minister has undertaken a decision on any further extension, modification or amendment. Further extensions to the terms of these concessions will be communicated. This will be communicated in writing prior to the new expiry date of December 31, 2024.

The following temporary measures will apply with immediate effect.
Visa holders who have applied for a waiver and the waiver application is still pending as of June 30, 2024. They are granted a further temporary extension until December 31, 2024. This is to enable the department to process the applications. Also for applicants to collect their outcomes, and to submit applications for appropriate visas.
Those who wish to abandon their waiver applications and depart from South Africa, will be allowed to exit. This will be at a port of entry before or on December 31 2024. This without being declared undesirable in terms of Section 30(1)(h) of the Immigration Act, 2002. Read with Regulation 27(3) of the Immigration Regulations, 2014.
Visa holders who need to travel, but are awaiting the outcome of a waiver application, will be allowed to do so. This will be up to and including December 31, 2024, without being declared undesirable in terms of the Act.
Visa applicants to get a reprieve
Non-visa-exempt applicants who travel out of the country with a waiver application receipt have requirements. They are required to apply for a port of entry visa, which would allow them to re-enter South Africa.
Visa holders who have applied for long-term visas (still pending) as of June 30, 2024, are granted extension. They have a further temporary extension until December 31, 2024, of their current visa status. These are Visitor’s Visas, Business Visas, Study Visas, Relative’s Visas and Work Visas. Applicants are not allowed to engage in any activity other than what the visa conditions provide for.
Visa holders who need to travel but are awaiting the outcome of a long-term visa application will be allowed. They will be allowed to exit and re-enter at a port of entry up to and including December 31, 2024. They will not be declared undesirable in terms of the Immigration Act.
However, non-visa-exempt applicants who travel out of the country with a long-term visa application receipt have other requirements. They are required to apply for a port of entry visa, which would allow them to re-enter South Africa.

The City of Cape Town revealed a rise in filming permit applications for 2023/24, only confirming that Cape Town is a prime filming location.
Cape Town is a top spot for filming.
More filming permits for Cape Town
Between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, the City of Cape Town’s Film Permit Office issued 4 757 film permits, a massive 22% increase from the 3 910 permits issued the previous year.
This is per the City of Cape Town, who revealed that the permits were lodged for feature films, commercials, TV series, stills photography, documentary films, short films, student projects and music videos.
The permit office also received bookings for more than 9 317 film locations in the same period.
Commercials make up the bulk of the film shoots over the last financial year, with 1 604 permits issued. This was followed by micro shoots, at 962 permits.
There were also 168 large feature films shot in Cape Town between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024, almost double the amount from the previous year.
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith said that filming in the city was increasingly becoming an all year business, which was good for both the industry and Cape Town.
“We are seeing more and more productions taking place in the winter months and this was the case for the concluding financial year. This is critical for an industry that contributes billions to the economy and employs over 30 000 people. Our Film Permit Office is geared to help the industry work effectively, by ensuring permits are processed timeously and providing efficient support where required,” Smith said.
Freeze on tariffs
The City also froze tariffs for filming for the fourth year in a rown, in a bid to boost the film industry. This effort includes zero-rated fees for the deployment of metro police and traffic services to assist where road closures are required.
This freeze has saved the local film industry nearly R700 000 in production costs.

When thinking of soaring demand for international travel, we visualise selfie stick-wielding visitors bustling through crowded markets and snaking queues of excited and weary travellers at airport counters.

A record five billion people are expected to take to the skies this year, according to the International Air Travel Association, up from an estimated 4.49 billion in 2023.

For some associated sectors of the industry, the impact of this boom is felt early on, before travellers begin the actual journey, as the queues are getting longer at visa processing centres amid the growing hunger for leisure, business and migration travel.

For VFS Global, one of the world`s top outsourced visa, passport and consular services provider, all indications point to a year of healthy profitability, according to its founder and chief executive.

“I would say we expect double-digit growth on the top line, double-digit growth on bottom line, and double-digit growth on applicants [numbers],” Zubin Karkaria told The National about VFS Global`s income and revenue expectations this year.

“[It’s] huge growth, especially 2023 was still controlled, people were still coming in, 2024 is doing well, even China as a market is almost 70 per cent of 2019 numbers [and] by the end of the year, they could become 80 per cent. So, there is a huge potential.`

The company processed 24.1 million applications in 2023, about 88 per cent of 2019 levels, when it dealt with 27.4 million applications. VFS expects to overhaul the pre-pandemic mark and set a record this year.

Between January to May 2024, it has processed approximately 100,000 applications a day.

Countries such as Russia and Ukraine were also major markets for the company before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Outbound travel from the two countries accounted for some 3 per cent of global spending, or about $14 billion in 2020, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation.

However, the war has severely dented both inbound and outbound tourism.

Since February 2022, Ukraine’s culture and tourism sectors have accumulated lost revenue of $19.6 billion, representing an increase of 30 per cent in one year, Unesco said in February.

“More than half of this loss - $10.6 billion - has been incurred by the city of Kyiv alone, mainly due to the fall in tourist numbers and the sudden slowdown of the creative industries,” it said.

But Mr Karkaria is confident that while the market has been hit hard, it could start to pick up once the tensions ease.

“I am still very hopeful that things will settle down and we will still have the CIS producing a huge volume of around four to five million applicants a year,” he said.

Overall, the company expects business to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 18 per cent to 20 per cent over the next three years.

“We have multiple routes, multiple products, multiple categories of visas in multiple geographies … so if one goes down a little bit, another one picks up,” he said.

“I`ve got a very nice hedge. That is the advantage that we have.”
The beginning

Mr Karkaria spotted a business opportunity in the market more than two decades ago, at a time when global travel was neither as affordable nor as trendy as it is today.

Working with Swiss travel company Kuoni in India, he realised that a key hurdle for many visitors was uncertainty about getting a visa on time. Seeing first-hand the long queues outside embassies, with some applicants forced to travel domestically and stay overnight in different cities, Mr Karkaria was keen to find a way to make the process more efficient and systematic.

“I approached the US Embassy because that had the longest lines … I went to the head of the visa section at that time and I explained to him that ‘let`s work out a process where you still remain in control of the decision making. But the way we do it is we scan everything and do all the administrative part of your work before, your visa officer gets the documents one day before, we do appointment scheduling that means you know who`s coming at what time … so you spend 90 per cent of your time in decision making.”

The proposal worked, and VFS began operations in 2001, still a part of Kuoni, to support embassies with their administrative tasks including collecting documents, scheduling appointments and managing the logistics of delivering passports.

The company did not charge the embassy for its services but created a business model of receiving a service fee from individuals to make the entire process more efficient.

It took time and the process was far from easy or smooth due to the complexities involved in terms of security, privacy and government approvals.

But having the US embassy as client helped VFS bring other governments on board - in some cases even needing legislative changes to permit the use of their services.

VFS currently works with 68 governments around the world, through 3,450 centres in 151 countries and has more than 12,800 employees. It has processed more than 290 million visa applications in the past 22 years.

It is now the service provider for all UK visa and citizenship application centres overseas - operating across 142 countries and is estimated to manage 3.8 million applicants every year. It plans to open UK application centres in 84 countries this year.

The company also has a contract with Australia for global biometric collection service across seven regions - Americas, Mekong, the Middle East and North Africa, North Asia, Pacific, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Headquartered in Zurich and Dubai, VFS is mainly backed by Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, with Swiss-based Kuoni and Hugentobler Foundation and EQT also holding minority stakes.

The company decided to launch an initial public offering in Zurich in 2020, and even conducted roadshows and final asset presentations, but Covid-19 hit and the plan was put on hold.

“We always keep our mind open, on the opportunities, on the timing. Finally, it will be up to our shareholders,” Mr Karkaria said.

“It`s not out of our eye line, but it`s not something that is going to happen tomorrow.”
Security and privacy

VFS is also investing heavily in data security, considering the nature of its business.

It spends around 40 million Swiss francs ($44.36 million) on IT and IT security a year and also has partnerships with companies such as Microsoft and Fortinet.

It also runs “one of the biggest bug bounty programmes” in terms of the number of business applications deployed for testing due to the large volumes it handles.

Bug bounty programmes offer ethical hackers compensation for finding and reporting a vulnerability or bug to the application`s developer.

At VFS, after the person at the counter collects the documents from the applicant, there’s a huge process that takes place at the back end, explains Mr Karkaria.

“We have to make sure that every passport goes with the right documentation. Every upload that has happened has to be 99.9 per cent accurate because there cannot be a mistake - even if your passport number, there’s a slight mistake, when you`re entering a country, you might be asked to go back. So, we can`t take a single risk,” he explains.

To de-risk operations, the company does not hold or store any data - all the biometrics are directly sent to the respective embassies.

Other data is also kept only for a brief period of time, as decided by each embassy.

“When the country does a contract with us, there are purging rights. So they tell us three days, four days or five days, so everybody has this thing and … somebody doesn`t have to go and do it, the system automatically purges [all information],” Mr Karkaria says.
Dealing with customer complaints

As the front-facing business, VFS receives complaints ranging from issues with long delays for appointments to questions on why a visa was not granted.

Customers on Reddit threads complain of poor service, high fees and lack of transparency.

But Mr Karkaria stressed that VFS is completely removed from the decision-making process, which rests solely with the embassies.

The company is unaware about details regarding the visa approvals - whatever comes back from the embassy is directly sent to the applicant.

Mr Karkaria said it advertises heavily to inform visa applicants about the areas of the process it covers.

But the executive stressed that the company invests in training to ensure front-line staff are equipped to handle all the queries.

“We do skill set training, you know, customer service, attitude, and then we do actual training on the operations. They have to pass with a certain rank before they are put on the ground,” he said.

If specific staff receive customer complaints, they are pulled out of the counter and sent back to training, he added.

VFS also operates premium lounges, which cost more, but offer personalised attention and shorter queues. The platinum lounge, which costs Dh750 per person, also offers a chauffeur service in the UAE, valet parking and privacy.
Middle East focus

The company, which relocated its headquarters to the UAE in 2013, is significantly boosting its operations in the country. It is currently investing in expanding its main centre in Wafi City in Dubai. It will be much bigger and have all visa centres under one roof.

VFS is also planning to launch a new academy in Al Ain, which will focus on training Emiratis.

This week, the company is rolling out a new ‘Medical At Your Doorstep’ service in collaboration with AMH, allowing expats to do medical tests for visa renewal without visiting a designated medical centre.

It is also investing significantly in artificial intelligence and is setting up a new AI hub in the UAE next month, joining one in Mumbai, with two more - in Berlin and Silicon Valley - in the pipeline.

“We have 16 digital products already being used currently with governments,” Mr Karkaria said. VFS has also teamed up with the Responsible AI Institute to focus on “ethical AI”, he added.
Organic growth

Looking ahead, Mr Karkaria is confident that the market potential is massive - citing industry reports, he said 65 per cent of the visa processing market is not yet outsourced.

At this point, outsourcing visa services is “no longer an option” for governments.

“That`s huge organic growth for us. Then we are looking at, similar to the size of the visa business, there’s the passport business for expats living abroad who want to renew their passports,” he said.

“It`s the same infrastructure that I can build on. So, there is less costs. And then the third is the medical part.”

VFS has already been working with the Qatar government and has signed up with Oman to do medical tests at the point of origin to make it easier once expats arrive.

Such ancillary services will help the company diversify its offerings while not being capital intensive, he said.

While more and more countries have revealed plans to secure visa-free travel for their citizens, Mr Karkaria said the trend was not yet picking up pace on ground.

“Over the last two years, we have seen more governments wanting to outsource - and with visas. Will visa-free increase? Not to what I see, in my experience,” he said.

“In fact, the borders are getting stronger around the world. Migration is becoming a big issue around the world. So, you know, people want the right type of people to come in, the right checks and balances. So, security, migration, the right people coming in, economics, they all factor in, and the way it is factored in, it looks like there`ll be more visas than no-visas.”

Schreiber says SA must differentiate between ZEP holders who have contributed their skills to the country and those who have undermined the system.
Newly appointed Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says he needs time to review the processes and “missteps” in how the Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEPs) were handled.
This comes after the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) ruled that former Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi unlawfully terminated the ZEP.
The ZEP has allowed Zimbabweans to live, work and study in South Africa since 2009. This has been part of the Dispensation of Zimbabweans Project.
In December last year, Motsoaledi granted at least 178,000 Zimbabweans exemption permits until 29 November 2025.
The conditions of the extension of the ZEP mean that the Zimbabweans will be allowed to work, seek employment and conduct business in South Africa during the period of validity or to apply for a new permit.
No holder of a valid exemption permit may be arrested, ordered to depart or be detained for purposes of deportation or deported for any reason related to them not having any valid exemption certificate, reads the department’s directive.
Will Schreiber terminate ZEPs?
“It’s not clear-cut,” Schreiber told Newzroom Afrika on Wednesday.
“We have to approach all of these things on the basis of what our Constitution tells us. The courts have spoken on a particular way in which this matter has been handled. I will obviously need some time to go and review the processes and what some of the missteps were,” he said.
“The fundamental point to make is that we must uphold the law. That means where there is fraudulent activities or where people have engaged in corruption to obtain certificates or have corrupted the ZEP, there will need to be consequences. We must uphold the law in that space,” he said.
Schreiber will also look at the failures of the department to grant applicants legal paperwork to remain in the country.
“You cannot punish a person when the department has failed to facilitate what may have started as a legal application,” he said.
“There has to be a process for persons who have tried to legalise themselves, people who have tried to apply for other visas and have managed to contribute skills to the economy to actually obtain the paperwork where they have applied.
“Where there are people who do not meet the criteria, that is where we will have to review that system,” said Schreiber.
International community ‘pressure’
Schreiber further highlighted the “pressure” from the international community on South Africa to “play its role” in managing international migration.
“I was made to understand that there has been significant cuts to the ability of South Africa to actually process asylum papers and even from our neighbouring countries,” he said.
“That’s something I will have to take on urgently with the international community. They’re expecting South Africa to step up to our responsibilities when it comes to migration. We are one of the biggest recipients of migration including from neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe and they must surely come to the party with assisting South Africa to do that,” he said.
He said South Africa must differentiate between the ZEP holders who have contributed their skills to the country and those who have undermined the system.
“The visa issue is one of the many priorities we need to tackle in this department. The processing of visas can serve as an economic catalyst of South Africa. It will help in places where we have scare skills or people with exceptional skills, but also in the day-to-day operations,”said Schreiber.

Thousands of foreign nationals have chosen South Africa as their retirement destination, with many of them leaving some notable first-world countries such as the United Kingdom, China, Germany, and the United States of America.
In a parliamentary Q&A last year, the former Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, was asked to provide the total number of retirement visa applications received and approved, as well as the countries from which these applicants came.
In his response, Motsoaledi revealed that over the past two years, South Africa had received approximately 3,645 retirement visa applications from foreigners residing in 112 countries.
Out of a total of 3,645 visa applications, 1,645 have been approved, 1,449 are pending, and 499 have been rejected.
Reasons for rejections vary, from incomplete documents to failure to prove the required net worth or retirement income, which meets South Africa’s prescribed minimum amount of R37,000 per month.
The data also reveals that the top five countries for retirement visa applications are the UK, China, Germany, the USA, and Bangladesh, which account for 1,824 of the total applications.
Interestingly, notable applications have also been received from other European countries, such as Switzerland (150), the Netherlands (124), and Sweden (27), indicating a diverse range of applicants.
Adding to this, while commenting on the latest visa backlog numbers in 2024, the minister highlighted that another 1,686 retired person visas had yet to be processed, meaning the number of applications of foreigners wanting to retire in South Africa sits at well over 5,000.
Why South Africa
Despite facing numerous challenges, such as load shedding, high crime rates, and poor governance, South Africa continues to be viewed as an appealing retirement option for foreigners, especially in Gauteng.
Although, the Western Cape has also experienced a surge in demand for property from foreign buyers in recent years.
According to the latest Census 2022 provincial data, Gauteng is the most populated province in the country, with 15.8 million inhabitants.
However, only 9.5 million people who live in Gauteng were born in the province.
In contrast, 11.6 million of KwaZulu-Natal’s 12.4 million permanent residents were born in the province.
Gauteng is clearly a migration and semigration hub, with roughly a third of residents coming from other areas.
Overall, 1.1 million people born outside of the country live in Gauteng, which is far more than the 368,000 foreigners living in the Western Cape, which comes in second place.
The most sought-after locations for retirees in South Africa are the major urban centres, including Cape Town and Johannesburg.
These cities boast substantial expatriate retiree communities, especially from the United Kingdom.
Additionally, there are other slightly more economical options with significant expat retirement populations, such as the Garden District along the southeast coast, Durban, Knysna, Krugersdorp, and Sedgefield.
South Africa also features numerous retirement villages, with those in Cape Town being particularly popular among foreign retirees.
South Africa is a popular retirement destination, largely due to its warm climates, picturesque landscapes, and affordable living costs.
However, many immigration specialists - including SA Migration - highlight the main reason as the standard of living.
Immigrants choose South Africa as their chosen retirement destination because their euros and dollars afford them a better lifestyle and a cheaper cost of living.
Integrate Immigration noted that a major draw for foreigners is house prices and affordable household support.
Household support refers to the common practice of employing a domestic worker and gardener, which is considerably cheaper than in first-world countries. This helps older retirees with maintenance.
Economist Dawie Roodt agrees, saying South Africa is an exciting place to live and far more affordable than most developed countries.
Commenting after his visit to New Zealand, he said he would never leave South Africa.
“South Africa is a very special place. The first thing I did after returning from New Zealand was to buy a proper steak for a third of the price,” he said.
However, despite the positives, Roodt emphasised to those considering staying in South Africa the importance of careful future planning and awareness of the country’s risks.
He said that South Africa is a dangerous place with many inherent risks that must be identified and managed.
Additionally, Roodt suggested that individuals can still appreciate the country’s favourable climate, cuisine, familial bonds, and friendships by adhering to a few fundamental guidelines, with safety being of utmost importance.
This may entail residing in a secure estate and steering clear of precarious situations.
Regarding financial matters, Roodt recommended that South Africans maintain a diversified portfolio, with a significant portion invested internationally.
Overall, Roodt added that foreign retirees choosing South Africa are a very good sign, especially for the economy.
“These individuals are effectively long-term tourists, leading to an increased inflow of capital, and this also supports the exchange rate of the rand,” he said.
Roodt added that South Africa should encourage more of these types of visas and stressed that Home Affairs needs to do better, as the current turnaround for retirement visas is a dismal 12 months.