There may be good news on the horizon for frustrated South Africans heading to Home Affairs in the future. Home Affairs is planning a big change by extending their working hours into the weekend to help deal with the current backlogs.

Speaking exclusively to eNCA, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi stated that negotiations are currently underway with worker unions to create weekend shifts.

Despite the numerous strides made by the department, it is not uncommon to spend hours waiting in line, with server problems, corruption and indifferent staff being a frequent occurrence.

Home Affairs currently closes its doors at 3:30 and are not open on weekends. These new office hours will help alleviate some of the pressure on the department and the frustration of many South Africans.

“That’s what we want to do, a shift system that the people who come to work on the weekends must not work during the week, for instance,” Motsoaledi said.

“We’re still negotiating with the unions.”

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A penthouse in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town sold for R45 million.

* *The low interest rate seemed to have little impact on the luxury housing market, but this seems to be changing.*

* *There has also been in increase in foreign buyers looking for and buying property in SA.*

  * *The March Lightstone Residential Property Index shows that annual house price inflation was    4.0% at the end of February 2021 signifying a positive increase from the previous month.*

Luxury homes are back in demand in South Africa, according to Megan Ladbrook, general manager of Frankie Bells Real Estate, which specialises in luxury real estate.

The agency defines luxury homes as those priced from R3 million upwards. They are seeing an increased demand in the Northern suburbs of Gauteng, southern suburbs of Cape Town and in coastal towns such as Ballito, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.

"While the low repo rate has driven demand amongst first-time home buyers and buyers in the low to mid-price range, it has had little effect on the luxury housing market," says Ladbrook. In her view, however, this is about to change.

"As investor confidence begins to rise, global statistics released by Luxury Portfolio International (LPI) has indicated that between 30% and 50% of high net-worth individuals are planning to buy at least one additional luxury property in the next year – compared to just 20% last year," she adds..

At the same time, it is important to remember that the luxury market has taken a knock in terms of asking price.

"We have seen homes go for as much as 30% less than the initial asking price," she says. "We are dealing with a surplus of luxury homes on the market. Key drivers for the sales of these homes include so-called semigration between provinces, the need to upscale or downscale, and emigration," she explained.

In addition, a number of properties used as Airbnbs are now up for grabs. These homes are usually well kept and well located. Among South Africa buyers, gated communities and lifestyle estates remain in high demand. In addition, those with extra money and looking to take advantage of the low interest rates are now investing in holiday

homes.

*Foreign buyers*

According to Samuel Seeff, chair of the Seeff Property Group, it has seen increased activity from foreign buyers at the high-end price levels. One such example is the sale of a R45 million penthouse in Cape Town's Waterfront area to a German buyer.

The group also recently sold a R36 million property in Fresnaye, Cape Town to a buyer from the United Arab Emirates and two sales of more than R20 million each in Constantia Upper to buyers from Zimbabwe and Malawi respectively."Overall, sales to foreign buyers across Cape Town's Atlantic Seaboard and City Bowl are 36% higher compared to 2019 and is the highest in the past three years. Almost one third of all high value sales have been to foreign buyers," says Seeff.

"While the luxury areas are doing exceptionally well in the price bands to around R5 million to R8 million (R18 million on the Atlantic Seaboard), sales in the R20 million-plus sector remains well below what it was in 2017. That said, sales are taking place across the board in the high-end areas from Zimbali to Plettenberg Bay and Cape Town as well as in certain Gauteng locations." He explains that, generally, the market remains driven by the low interest rate with the highest volume of activity still below R3 million as first-time buyers continue taking advantage, but they are also seeing buyers upgrading, or investing or relocating for a better quality of life. At the top end of the market, buyers can find great value given that prices of properties, often not seen before, are now at about 20% to 30% lower compared to 2017, according to Seeff.

The March Lightstone Residential Property Index shows that annual house price inflation was 4.0% at the end of February 2021 signifying a positive increase from the previous month.  According to the index report, this optimism is evident at provincial level and the different value bands with the exception of the low-value segment (properties of less than R250 000). This is because the historically low interest rate has enabled both the participation in the higher value market for new homeowners and the ability to upgrade for low-value homeowners.

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Intra company Transfers

An Intra-company transfer is a type of work visa that allows for a staff member to transfer from an overseas company to a branch, subsidiary or affiliated business that is operating in South Africa.

Who should apply for an Intra-company transfer work visa?

Ideal for the multi-national company, the Intra-company work visa (Intra-company transfer) allows for an obvious temporary immigration route for staff members to South Africa. Employers should however note that the Intra-company transfer option is only appropriate where the employee is required in South Africa for a maximum period of a 4 years.

If the employee is required for longer than 4 years, the Intra-company work visa will not be appropriate and you should view further options here or you can contact us to discuss your needs.

If you have staff you need to relocate to South Africa, we have a dedicated corporate department that you can contact here.

How long is the Intra-company transfer work visa valid for?

An Intra-company transfer is a temporary work visa only, and as such its validity period is for a maximum of four years. Please note an Intra-company transfer work visa cannot be extended.

About applying for an Intra-company transfer work visa

Importantly it should be noted that if a company is transferring an employee to work at a location in South Africa, you must have an Intra-company transfer work visa to enter the country. This means that the Intra-company transfer work visa needs to be applied for outside of South Africa.

What are the employers responsibilities?

The responsibilities of the employer can be broken down into those that the company abroad must adhere to and those that the branch, affiliate or subsidiary in South African must adhere to.

Responsibilities of the South African branch, affiliate or subsidiary

The South African company needs to confirm:

• Acceptance of the transfer of the employee to them in their capacity as a branch, subsidiary or an affiliate of the company abroad.
• That the employee will only be employed in the specific occupation and capacity for which the intra-company transfer work visa was granted.
• That the foreign employee will at all times comply with the provisions of the Act and
  conditions of their visa.
• That they undertake to immediately notify the Director-General if the employee does not comply with the provisions of the act or conditions attached to the visa.
• Any potential deportation costs that maybe associated to the employee and his or her dependent family members, will be born by the company should it become necessary.
• That the employee holding the intra-company transfer work visa will have at all times a valid passport for the duration of his or her employment;

The South African branch, affiliate or subsidiary also needs to demonstrate that they have an appropriate plan in place for the transfer of skills from the Intra-company work visa holder to a South African citizen or permanent resident holder.

Responsibilities of The South African branch, affiliate or subsidiary

The application will need the company abroad to demonstrate the following:

• The employees contract of employment (with the company abroad) is valid for a period of not less than six months.
• Confirmation that the applicant shall be transferred to a branch, subsidiary or an affiliate of that company in South Africa.
• That the employee will not be staying in South African more than 4 years.

What you need to apply for an Intra-company Transfer

The application would need to include amongst other :

• A completed temporary visa application form.
• A valid passport must with an expiry date no sooner than 30 days after the expiry of your intended visit.

NB – different consulates and embassies have different requirements regarding the application content for an Intra-company transfer work visa. An example of this is that some require a certified copy of the employee’s birth certificate. Care needs to be taken to ensure that all information and documentation (as required by the specific embassy) is included within the application.

Can partners and dependents accompany the employee?

Yes they can. Partners would need to apply for an accompanying visa whilst dependents of a school age would require a study visa.

Can permanent residency be applied for with an Intra-company transfer work visa?

No application can be made for permanent residency purely as a result of holding an intra-company work visa.

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That said, applications for permanent residency can be made by those individuals who have held a work visa for 5 years and the period you have held an intra-company work visa for counts towards this time period.

Therefore if you have previously held, or subsequently hold, another type of work visa for 12 months or more, this combined with 4 years on an Intra-company work visa would allow for a permanent residency application.

Finding out more about Intra-company transfer work visa

Intergate Immigration has successfully assisted companies to submit applications in over 80 South African embassies and consulates around the globe. Offering South Africa’s premier dedicated corporate service, you can trust us with your companies and employees needs. Contact us here to be impressed.

Getting help with your visa or permit application

We welcome the opportunity to consult with you as to your eligibility for a visa /permit and answer any questions you may have with no obligation.

General Work Visa 

A General Work Visa South Africa, is one of 5 types of work visa categories that you can make a work visa application under.

Unlike the others types of work visa, the general work visa requires that the employer has made every attempt to try to fill their vacant position with either a South African Citizen or permanent resident.

Below we give you 10 important facts you need to know about a General Work Visa South Africa.

1. Background to a General Work Visa South Africa:

The whole basis on which general work visa are issued is two fold: To protect South African labour by ensuring that positions filled by foreign workers can not be met through locals. To enable companies to recruit foreign workers where they are unable to locally.

2. Who should apply for a General Work Visa South Africa?

Applicants for a general work visa should first ensure that they do not meet the qualifying criteria for any of the other work visas. This can be done by taking advantage of our free assessment. In addition they shouldn’t be applicants who are being transferred by their employer from an international branch or whose employer holds a corporate work visa.

3. Do spouses and partners need to apply for a general work visa?

No general work visa application is required for spouses or partners of South African citizens or permanent resident holders. The correct visa application for spouses and partners is a spousal or partner visa. This visa can then be endorsed to allow the applicant to work for a specific employer.

4. What is the basic qualifying criteria for a general work visa?

The following will be required for a general work visa application:

• Job offer and acceptance.
• CV.
• Proof of the employer’s attempts to first recruit a South African permanent resident or citizen for the position.
• SAQA registration, confirming the applicant’s qualifications.
• Proof of good health and character.

5. Where can applications be made?

Applications for a general work visa should be made at the embassy or consulate in the applicants home country. Renewing of a general work visa can take place in South Africa.

6. Can spouses and partners of general work visa holders also work?

Only the holder of a general work visa is entitled to work. An accompanying partner or spouse visa can be applied for but this only allows for entry and stay in South Africa. Should the spouse or partner also wish to take up employment they would need to apply for the appropriate work visa themselves. Also children would need to have separate applications made for study visa.

7. How long does the application process take?

Time frames for processing general work visa vary greatly. Once the application has been submitted it generally takes around 8 – 12 weeks but delays in this are common. Please note that compiling the application also takes some time as adverts must be run and SAQA obtained.

8. How long is a general work visa valid for?

The validity period can vary but is typically between 2 and 4 years. General work visa can also be extended by a making a further application towards the existing general work visa expiry date.

9. Can I apply for permanent residency with a general work visa?

The first step is to secure temporary residency and you cannot apply straight away for permanent residency. However once you have held your general work visa for a unbroken period of 5 years you may apply for permanent residency.

10. What comes first the job offer or the work visa?

Prospective immigrants to South Africa are often frustrated as they attempt to secure jobs. Often employees will not entertain the prospect of offering positions to foreigners who are not in possession of a work visa. Some of this is down to not understanding the process. You can however increase your chances of success. Start the process by obtaining your SAQA and informing the prospective employer that you have started the work visa process and retained an immigration company already.

Next steps

You may be surprised at the work visa options that are available to you. In the first instance we recommend you speak to one of our experts . They will provide you with a free assessment that carries no obligation. So to get started and find out more about a general work visa South Africa call us today.

Getting help with your visa or permit application

We welcome the opportunity to consult with you as to your eligibility for a visa /permit and answer any questions you may have with no obligation.

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Critical skills work visa permit for South Africa

Welcome to the critical skills work visa and permit category. For those potential applicants for a work visa or permit to South Africa, and even those existing work permit or visa holders, this category of work visa may well be great news.

Introduced in the new Immigration regulations in June 2014, the Critical skills work visa and permit saw a refreshingly forward thinking approach by the Department of Home Affairs to attracting much needed skills to South Africa and improving the visa and permit application process.

Some highlights of the critical skills work category include:

• It allows you to get a work visa without a job offer.
• It allows you to enter and stay in South Africa for 12 months to secure a position.
• Is based on a well researched list of occupations that are badly needed in South Africa, increasing your chances of finding a job.
• No restrictions in terms of the numbers in each listed occupation.
• No department of labour recommendation so quicker turnaround times.
• Deals with the professional bodies specific to the occupation.
• Can be a pathway to permanent residence immediately as well an immediate 5 year working visa.
• Qualification for a critical skills visa if you completed a post graduate (Phd) in South Africa.
• Less obligation on employers.

Both permanent and temporary residency options

A temporary critical skills work visa is issued for a 5 year period of time. After 5 years you can then apply for permanent residence.

If you already have 5 years experience in your occupation then there is every chance you can immediately apply for permanent residence as well.

What is the key criteria for a critical skills visa or permit application?

You must feature on the critical skills list, this is firstly based on your educational subject and then further broken down into occupations within these educational areas.

What If I am not on the critical skills list?

There are other visa alternatives that you may qualify for and we recommend you contact us

Great news I am on the list critical skills!

The best next step is to e-mail us and attach your CV, if you don’t have a current CV why not call us on any of the above numbers or request a call back.

Getting help with your visa or permit application

We welcome the opportunity to consult with you as to your eligibility for a visa /permit and answer any questions you may have with no obligation.

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