The Bo-Kaap in Cape Town. The fact that the city is 'chock-full of colourful markets and quirky neighbourhoods' makes it a drawcard for digital natives, says Big 7 Travel.

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With more people working from home indefinitely because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the option to work from anywhere in the world has never been as enticing as it is now.

With this in mind, Big 7 Travel has released a list of the 50 best places to work from remotely in 2021 — and the Mother City has made the cut.

Coming in at number 42, Cape Town made the travel website's list by virtue of its atmosphere, scenery and community of expats and nomads.

“Cape Town sometimes gets a bad rap for its droughts, iffy Wi-Fi and occasional safety concerns. However, it still manages to reel in digital nomads by the thousands,” states Big 7 Travel's website.

“Despite having a few drawbacks, Cape Town boasts an incredibly connected expat and digital nomad scene from all corners of the globe. The scenery doesn’t hurt, either. Situated right on the water, surrounded by mountains and chock-full of colourful markets and quirky neighbourhoods, Cape Town is all about the atmosphere.”

The team from Big 7 Travel used variables such as affordability, internet access, cool co-working spaces, expat friendly communities and regulations that make it easy for digital nomads to work from a different country to make their final selection.

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, came in first, largely due to a visa the country has put in place that offers digital nomads the opportunity to work remotely within Estonia for up to a year. The cost of living is also relatively low, according to the list, and with 99% of public services available online, internet access is a charm.

Tbilisi in Georgia grabbed second place, owing to its rich cultural offering, funky co-working spaces and a remote-worker visa to qualifying individuals.

Apart from Berlin, at sixth, the top 10 places on the list were dominated by countries in Eastern Europe, the Caucus region, Asia and Latin America.

The top 10 best places for remote working in 2021, according to Big 7 Travel:

1. Tallinn, Estonia
2. Tbilisi, Georgia
3. Belgrade, Serbia
4. Bali, Indonesia
5. Chiang Mai, Thailand 
6. Berlin, Germany
7. Singapore
8. Buenos Aires, Argentina
9. Hanoi, Vietnam
10. Ljubljana, Slovenia

www.samigration.com

“The notarial contract is a formal agreement entered into by a South African citizen/permanent resident and a foreign partner, notarised by a South African notary, setting out the details of their rights and privileges in terms of their relationship. There is no standard format for this notarial contract and each one will be unique according to the party’s particular requirements and circumstances.”- Louwrens Koen

The reason for notarial contract is to show proof that your relationship with your partner has exceeded a period of 2 years and to prove that your relationship is valid indeed. This is presented in the form of a sworn affidavit and a notarial contract which is included with your application for a life partner visa.
The cost in South Africa to consult and draft a notarial contract is roughly going to cost about R1200.

Please note under the new immigration regulations that it’s a requirement to prove that you have been in a relationship with your partner for at least 2 years or more in order for the South African Embassy to award you with a life partner visa.

Make use of our free assessment to find out whether you are eligible to apply for the life partner visa!

www.samigration.com

Whoever said that immigration is a piece of cake clearly paid an arm and a leg for the slice. The immigration process is incredibly case specific to the point that if it is not handled properly, it can immediately end with a negative outcome. Today, we discuss the reasons why you, as a person or as an organisation, should make use of an immigration consultancy for all the nitty gritty details that the immigration process has to offer.

Immigration is not going to happen overnight. In fact, there is a common misconception that in a couple of weeks, one can pack up all their stuff and head out the door to a better life. Immigration takes months – and more often than not – years to achieve. Just the documentation collection stage alone can take a few months due to the number of documents required to even be considered for this type application. And that’s all assuming that you have the correct, up to date document list for all the necessary pieces of information requested by a foreign government.

Before one takes on the task of dusting off their old certificates and papers, one will first have to determine whether or not they are even eligible for immigration. With differences in tertiary education levels from country to country, correct working experience and language proficiency to name a few, you want to know where you stand prior to actually starting an application. Where one can spend a large amount of money in Portugal or Malta to obtain a permanent residence status, a country like Australia or Canada could have a completely different (and more accessible) process for obtaining permanent residence.

It's important to have yourself assessed before you even look at spending money, as you may very well qualify for a route that you hadn't even thought of. This is where immigration consultancies come into play. The consultancy will review your specifics (work experience, education, age, marital status, etc.) and then determine where your best options lie.

Scam artists and frauds have plagued the Immigration Industry for decades and in the modern era this has not changed so one must ensure that whoever they are talking to is a credible and confirmed source. Note, a legitimate agency should NEVER charge you for verifying your basic information and assessing your eligibility. A transaction will only become applicable IF you are eligible and IF you so choose to use the services offered, keep an eye out for organisations and individuals who attempt to take advantage of your naivety and try to make a fast buck out of you.

No matter how serious a query may or may not be regarding immigration, rather talk to a certified and legitimate consultancy. Immigration is no walk in the park, with most interest being based on goals for personal growth or for a household the last thing anyone wants is to end up with a negative outcome and waste of resources. Why not rather enlist the professional services of an agency that shares the same values?

Sa Migration International ( SAMI – Sa Migration ) – Is a registered Immigration Practitioner recognised the Department of Home Affairs , a member of FIPSA – Forum of Immigration Practitioners , a SAQA recognised organisation and we enjoy a high level of cooperation with the Department of Trade and Industry ( DTI ) as well as the Department of Labour ( DOL )

www.samigration.com

Home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi has issued directions extending the validity period of legally issued visas that expired during the Covid-19 lockdown period.

This is to end-June for short-term visas “issued for a period not longer than 90 days, such as a tourist visa”.

The validity of longer-term temporary visas (issued for three months to three years), is until end-July.

“Holders of such visas are permitted to remain in the country under the conditions of their visas until the expiry of their applicable extension. Those wishing to be repatriated to their countries within this period can depart without being declared undesirable persons,” said the ministry.

The extension does not apply to people who entered the country from March 15. In these cases, the normal validity period applies.

Holders of longer-term temporary visas such as a study visa, treaty visa, business visa, medical treatment visa, relative's visa, general work visa, critical skills work visa, retired person’s visa and exchange visa, which expired during the lockdown can apply to renew their visas at www.vfsglobal.com/dha/southafrica before July 31.

Refugee reception centres remain closed. The validity of asylum and refugee permits has been extended until June 30.

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If your asylum seeker permit or refugee status has expired, or is due to expire, during lockdown (from 15 March 2020 onwards), it is considered to have been extended up to, and including, 30 June 2021. 

This was officially confirmed by Directions and Amended Directions Gazetted by the Department of Home Affairs. You can read these Directions and Amended Directions

AMENDMENT OF DIRECTIONS ISSUED IN TERMS OF REGULATION 4(8) AND (10) OF THE REGULATIONS MADE UNDER SECTION 27(2) OF THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT ACT, 2002 (ACT NO. 57 OF 2002): MEASURES TO PREVENT AND COMBAT THE SPREAD OF COVID -19 published 26 March 2021 .

The Department of Home Affairs has also indicated that they will begin an online renewal process for asylum seeker and refugee documentation. However, this process does NOT exist at this time. Once we know more about this process and when it will begin, we will share more information on social media and our website. We hope to provide assistance to clients who may experience difficulties or access issues with the upcoming online renewal process.

It is important to note that Home Affairs has confirmed in its Directions that “all the rights, benefits and obligations of asylum seekers and refugees remain the same. The refugee and asylum seeker permits that expired during lockdown will not be subject to any penalties."

Refugee Reception Offices: 

Refugee Reception Offices have not offered any face-to-face services since they closed at the beginning of lockdown. Should Sa Migration  receive any news about the reopening of services at Refugee Reception Offices, we will update this webpage and our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/visasamigration.

www.samigration.com