The UK remains the preferred destination for South Africans looking for great employment opportunities, a high standard of education and a good quality of life. Choosing the right visa can make the process of applying much simpler and can lead to a more successful application. These are your top UK visa options as a South African.

Applying for a UK ancestral visa

A UK Ancestry visa is one of the most sought-after UK visas because it allows you to live and work in the UK for five years, after which you can apply to remain in the UK permanently. Many South Africans who have a family link to the UK are unaware that they could be eligible for this visa.

To qualify, you must meet all of the following criteria:

• One of your grandparents was born in the UK
• You are a Commonwealth citizen
• You intend to work in the UK

You also need to be over 17 years old and have enough money to support yourself and any dependants joining you in the UK.

Benefits for partners and dependants of an UK ancestral visa holder

Your partner or family members can be included on your Ancestry visa application. This will allow them to move with you to the UK as soon as your visa application is approved. They will enjoy the same rights as the main visa holder – i.e. they too will be able to live and work in the UK for the duration of the Ancestry visa.

Should your dependants decide to join you at a later stage, they will still be able to apply for ILR when you do, even though they have lived in the UK for a shorter time.

A family link to the UK could also make you eligible for British citizenship

If your grandparent or even great-grandparent was born in the UK, you may qualify for UK citizenship. A British Citizenship Assessment can help you discover any possible routes to citizenship that you may be unaware of. The assessment is quick and free, and you’ll receive an instant response on the likelihood of qualifying for citizenship, with guidance on what to do next.

Applying for a UK work visa

Under the new immigration system, the Tier 2 (General) visa category has been replaced by the Skilled Worker route. This visa allows you to live and work in the UK for up to five years.

To apply, you need to have a job offer from and be sponsored by a UK-based employer.

The Skilled Worker visa is points-based, which means you’re awarded points for meeting certain requirements. You must obtain a total of 70 points to be eligible. If you’ve got a job offer for a role that meets the minimum skill level, you only need to have 50 points. In this case, you must be able to show evidence of your English language ability.

You will be allowed to trade characteristics, such as your qualifications, against a lower salary to get the required number of points. If the job offer is less than the minimum salary requirement, but no less than £20,480. You can still apply for a work visa if you have:

• A job offer in a specific shortage occupation
• A PhD relevant to the job
• A PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job

Points are awarded for the following:

Characteristics	Type*	Points
Job offer by approved sponsor	Mandatory	20
Job at appropriate skill level	Mandatory	20
Speaks English at required level	Mandatory	10
Salary of GBP 20,480 (minimum) – GBP 23,039 or at least 80% of the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher)	Tradeable	0
Salary of GBP 23,040 – GBP 25,599 or at least 90% of the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher)	Tradeable	10
Salary of GBP 25,600 or above or at least the going rate for the profession (whichever is higher)	Tradeable	20
Job in shortage occupation as designated by the Migration Advisory Committee	Tradeable	20
Qualification: PhD in a subject relevant to the job	Tradeable	10
Qualification: PhD in a STEM subject relevant to the job	Tradeable	20

*You must meet all mandatory characteristics to qualify whereas other characteristics are tradeable to reach the 70-point threshold.

Intra-company transfers

The Intra-company Transfer route falls under the Skilled Worker visa. This route lets you transfer to your employer’s UK-based branch. To apply, you need to have been employed at the overseas branch for at least 12 months. This visa does not lead to settlement and British citizenship.

Get a UK spouse visa and move to the UK with your partner

You can apply for a UK spouse visa or partner visa if you’re in a relationship with a British citizen or someone with indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or settled status.

You and your partner must be over 18 and either in a civil partnership or marriage that’s recognised in the UK, in a relationship and living together for at least two years or planning to get married or become civil partners within six months of arriving in the UK.

Partner visas are valid for two and a half years, after which you can extend your visa for a further two and a half years.

Qualifying for British citizenship on an Ancestry visa, spouse visa or Skilled Worker visa

The good news is that the Ancestry visa, spouse visa and Skilled Work visa all lead to ILR and British citizenship. This is how you can obtain both statuses.

Step 1: Get indefinite leave to remain

ILR (also known as permanent residency) is the status you need before you can apply for citizenship. ILR allows you to stay in the UK indefinitely and leave and re-enter the country as often as you wish.

You’ll be eligible for ILR once you’ve stayed in the UK on a work, Ancestry or spouse visa for five continuous years. Since the spouse visa is only valid for two and a half years, you’ll need to extend your visa for a further two and a half years before you can apply.

Other requirements for ILR include:

• Passing the “Life in the UK Test”
• Meeting the English language requirements
• Be of good character

Step 2: Apply for British citizenship

Once you’ve held ILR status for 12 months, you can apply for British citizenship and get your British passport. You also need to meet the following requirements:

• Have lived in the UK for five years without spending more than 450 days outside the country before you apply (90 days per year)
• Be “of good character”, which means not behaving in ways that are criminal, deceiving or dishonest, and not breaching any immigration laws

If you’re married/in a partnership with a British citizen, you do not need to wait 12 months after ILR to apply for citizenship. You can apply immediately

www.samigration.com

The encrypted messaging service Signal won't replace WhatsApp, Brian Acton, the executive chairman of the Signal Foundation and  cofounder of WhatsApp, predicted.

Downloads of Signal have skyrocketed since rival WhatsApp announced it would make users share some personal data with parent company  Facebook.

Brian Acton, executive chairman of the Signal foundation, saidthere was room for both apps. "I have no desire to do all the things that WhatsApp does," he told TechCrunch.

  He expected people to rely on Signal to talk to family and close friends, while continuing to talk to other people via WhatsApp, he said.

Acton cofounded WhatsApp and then sold it to Facebook for $22 billion in 2014. He left the company in 2017, and cofounded the Signal Foundation, which runs Signal, in 2018.

But Signal won't replace WhatsApp, the cofounder of both WhatsApp and the Signal Foundation predicted.

The two apps have different purposes Brian Acton told TechCrunch Wednesday. Acton is the executive chairman of the Signal Foundation,which he cofounded after leaving WhatsApp in 2017. Acton cofounded WhatsApp and then sold it to Facebook for $22 billion in 2014.

"I have no desire to do all the things that WhatsApp does," Acton said,although he didn't specify which WhatsApp features he does not plan to replicate.

He expected people to rely on Signal to talk to family and close friends, while continuing to talk to other people via WhatsApp, he said.

"My desire is to give people a choice," Acton told the publication."It's not strictly a winner take-all scenario."Acton has been an outspoken critic of Facebook: in 2018, he urged Facebook users to delete their account .

He left WhatsApp in 2017 "due to differences surrounding the use of customer data and targeted advertising."

In 2018, he cofounded the Signal Foundation with CEO Moxie Marlinspike, using $50 million of his own money. Signal, first created in 2014, has focused on privacy and has promised to never sell users' data or display in-app ads.

On January 6, WhatsApp announced it was changing its terms of service to force users to share some personal data, including phone numbers and locations, with Facebook. Users will lose access in February if they don't agree to the changes.

WhatsApp has since clarified that this only affects users outside the European Union and the UK, and said that the change "does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way." The changes are now driving people to use Signal, Acton told TechCrunch.

 

"The smallest of events helped trigger the largest of outcomes," he said. Signal was installed roughly 7.5 million times on the App Store and Google Play between January 6 and January 10, app-analytics firm Sensor Tower told Insider - a 4,200% increase from the previous week.

Fellow encrypted-messaging app Telegram has also seen booming downloads following WhatsApp's data-sharing announcement. It added more than 25 million new users between Saturday and Tuesday.

"We're also excited that we are having conversations about online privacy and digital safety and people are turning to Signal as the answer to those questions," Acton told TechCrunch. And because Signal is funded by user donations rather than adverts or selling data, the small team of below 50 staff are motivated to keep improving the app, Acton said."The idea is that we want to earn that donation," he told TechCrunch. "The only way to earn that donation is building an innovative and

delightful product." Correction: Initially, this article stated that Brian Acton cofounded

Signal in 2018. In fact, he cofounded the Signal Foundation, which now helps develop Signal. The Signal app initially launched in 2014.

www.vsoftsystems.co.za

 

Social media app WhatsApp has sparked an outcry among users with its proposed new terms and privacy policy.  Ahmore Burger-Smidt, Director and Head of Data Privacy Practice and Dale Adams, Associate Designate at Werksmans Attorneys unpack the  terms.

As some users flee to rivals Telegram and Signal, the writers explain how these services differ.

"By tapping Agree, you accept the new terms and privacy policy, which takes effect on February 8, 2021. After this date, you'll need to accept these updates to continue using WhatsApp. You can also visit the HelpCenter if you would prefer to delete your account and would like more information.”

With these simple words, the Facebook-owned messaging giant, WhatsApp, sparked a public outcry concerning the recent update to its terms and privacy policy. The privacy policy update relates to how it processes the data of users, how businesses can utilise Facebook services to store their (business) chats and who partners with Facebook to offer integration across all Facebook products.

Users criticisms about the app's changed policies are rife and complaints about social media relating  to personal data/information being misused are increasing. Telegram and Signal users are also increasing by the minute. What is the exact situation regarding the changes to WhatsApp and how concerned should people be?

Whatsapp security and privacy

WhatsApp is the largest messaging service in the world with over 2 billion monthly active users. Since its origins in 2009, WhatsApp has prided itself on its commitment to security and privacy with encrypted conversations and other important technologies integrated into the app. This is demonstrated by WhatsApp's latest privacy policy dated February 2021 which, amongst others, states that –

"Your messages. We do not retain your messages in the ordinary course of providing our Services to you. Instead, your messages are stored on your device and not typically stored on our servers. Once your messages are delivered, they are deleted from our servers."

In addition, the WhatsApp privacy policy states that WhatsApp and other third parties cannot read the messages of its users due to the built in end-to-end encryption (*E2E*). Also, WhatsApp cannot decrypt the contents of a user's profile contents, that being messages, calls and photos.

This means that WhatsApp does not store personal information i.e. the content of your messages as such and deletes your messages on their servers immediately.

What WhatsApp has access to is metadata, IP addresses, profile pictures, status updates and user contact information. Whilst metadata does not allow anyone to read a user's messages, it allows for transparency as to who and when a user messaged someone and for how long.

Telegram security and privacy

Telegram, an entity originally established in Russia with the aim of providing secure messaging, is the second largest messaging service in the world with over 400 million users. Even though Telegram offers encryption on messages and other information, it is not enabled by default – like that of WhatsApp. The only way to use E2E encryption on Telegram is to use its "secret chats" feature. In addition, the "secret chats" feature is only available for "chats" between two users. In theory, therefore, Telegram has access to your messages which are not covered by the veil of "secret chats" and they store this for 12 months. Based on the above high-level comparison of the security features utilised by WhatsApp and Telegram, it could be argued that WhatsApp's security and privacy is more robust and secure than that of Telegram especially in that E2E encryption is a default feature. So what personal information does Telegram have access to? In the Telegram Privacy Policy it is stated that Telegram processes, amongst others, the following set of personal information –

basic account data such as user mobile number, profile name, profile picture and about information; user email addresses; and  user messages in cloud chats such as messages, photos, videos and    documents.

The above information goes further than the sets of personal information that WhatsApp has access to, and processes on behalf of its users, and WhatsApp by default provides E2E encryption.

Signal security and privacy

Several experts and users are encouraging people to move to Signal. Signal is an established, US based social messaging platform and is considered the best alternative to both WhatsApp and Telegram from a security and privacy perspective. Like WhatsApp, Signal makes use of the open-source Signal Protocol to implement E2E encryption for communication on Signal. However, while WhatsApp encrypts messages and calls (which is sufficient for most users), Signal goes a step further and encrypts metadata as well.

Furthermore, Signal also makes use of what is called "Sealed Sender", which allows no one to be  ble to know – not even Signal – who is messaging whom. This is but a small part of the Signal  functionality. Other security features include, amongst others, passcode or biometrics lock and automatic face blur in messages.  Considering personal information, Signal only stores a user's phone number and nothing else.

The changes to WhatsApp privacy

In essence, the new changes to WhatsApp terms and privacy policy relate to how WhatsApp will share information within the Facebook group of companies and how any shared information will be used. These key updates

relate to –

WhatsApp's service and how it processes your data;

how businesses can use Facebook hosted services to store and manage their WhatsApp chats; and

how WhatsApp partners with Facebook to offer integrations across  Facebook's product portfolio.  It is important to note that the information collected by WhatsApp is not the "chats" of its users, as these are encrypted and therefore cannot be seen by the company. To the contrary, the information relates to personal data such as phone numbers of users (and their contacts, if the contacts make use of WhatsApp), profile names, pictures and diagnostic data.

The updated privacy policy makes it clear on how WhatsApp will share data with the Facebook family of apps for better advertising targeting. The fear is that this gives Facebook even more incentive to monetise user WhatsApp data. Statements have been made by many that the update of WhatsApp privacy policy will now enforce sharing of data from WhatsApp to Facebook and even that WhatsApp will completely invade user privacy.

However, is this really the case?

WhatsApp has added new features to allow people to communicate with businesses – and those businesses could be hosted by Facebook. However, users should be informed if that happens by the specific business. When speaking to a business who has decided to have its messages managed by Facebook, a message should appear – and users should stop engaging with the specific business if they would prefer that information not be managed by Facebook. Businesses making use of the WhatsApp platform will be able to make use of Facebook services to store the business – customer chats.

Going forward, there will be an even greater integration between WhatsApp and Facebook's other products like Instagram and Messenger, but this means that they will share data like your phone number, transaction data (when available in SA) IP address and information on how you interact with businesses.

What exactly does this sharing of personal information between Facebook companies actually entail? The WhatsApp privacy policy states that this entails, amongst others, –

helping improve infrastructure and delivery systems;

understanding how the WhatsApp or Facebook services are used;

promoting safety, security and integrity across all Facebook company products;

improving services and user experience such as personalising features and contents, helping users to complete purchases and  transactions and showing relevant offers and advertisements across     the Facebook company products; and providing integrations which enable users to connect WhatsApp with other Facebook company products. For example, allowing users to connect to a Facebook Pay account to pay for things on WhatsApp.

So yes, advertising directed at a user specifically is possible and certain information will be shared to achieve that, but does Telegram differ in any significant way?

That is doubtful.

In less detail, the Telegram privacy policy states that Telegram may share user personal data with their parent company, Telegram Group Inc located in the British Virgin Islands and Telegram FZ-LLC, a group member located in Dubai to help provide, improve and support Telegram services. It has been reported that nearly eight years after its initial launch, Telegram needs to monetise its platform by either advertising or finding a buyer in order to ensure survival. Telegram’s Pavel Durov, stated that the company will begin serving advertisements to cover some of its costs.

Conclusion

Today, WhatsApp supports more than 50 million WhatsApp business app users. In order to help them and the thousands of larger businesses on the WhatsApp business API get discovered, the company is introducing these new features to start a chat with a business on WhatsApp to see what goods and services they offer.

The update to the WhatsApp privacy policy is cosmetic in nature and to a large extent aimed to allow people to communicate with businesses – which businesses are offered through WhatsApp and hosted by Facebook.

Also, when messages are conversed with those business accounts, they might be stored and managed by Facebook at the election of the specific business.

Data privacy laws across the world require clear and transparent communications with data subjects. Are we blaming WhatsApp for updating their communication so that users know what is happening in the background?

Therefore leaving aside Signal, is there really such a difference between WhatsApp and Telegram, so much so to necessitate a move from WhatsApp to Telegram? Or do other messaging platforms have a place?

www.vsoftsystems.co.za

 

Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi updated South Africans on the new Covid-19 restrictions,

 

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has suspended certain critical services, including applications for new IDs, passports and all marriage services.

Motsoaledi said between March and December 2020, 532 staff members tested positive for Covid-19.

 

In the first eight days of January 2021, about 116 employees tested positive and in the first 10 days of this year, the department lost seven.

 

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has temporarily suspended certain critical services, including applications for new IDs and passports.

 

Only matriculants may apply for an ID, while passport applications will only be accepted from those who are allowed to travel under the amended

regulations.

 

Motsoaledi said the suspension was forced by the increasing number of Department of Home Affairs employees who have tested positive for Covid-19.

 

"From 1 Jan 2021, our statistics are alarming. Out of the 412 offices, 266 offices had to close at some point since the lockdown began in March

2020 because [of] staff members testing positive. Some offices even closed more than once.

 

"This [has] led to a situation where out of the 5 734 employees, 4 502 were affected one way or the other. Either they were infected, or they

were contacts of those who were infected or came from families where somebody was infected."

 

He added whenever a staff member tested positive, those who were in contact with him or her, including clients, have to be traced and the

office closed for decontamination.

 

"Between March and December 2020, a total of 532 staff members tested positive, mostly from Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and

KwaZulu-Natal. In the first eight days of January 2021, we already had 116 staff members who tested positive and mostly from the same provinces.

 

"In the first 10 days of this year, we have already lost seven front office employees. All this is happening when the issuing of death

certificates is increasing exponentially.

 

"All indications are that at the end of January, we will have had even more death registrations than we had in December 2020," said Motsoaledi.

 

Of those who visited home affairs offices daily, 29% are people who collect smart IDs, 16% apply for smart IDs, 11% for the issuing of

birth, marriage and death certificates and 10% are there to apply for temporary IDs.

 

"The department has decided to temporarily suspend certain services. This is unfortunate, but we are forced by circumstances. In choosing

which services to suspend temporarily, we were guided by some form of statistics.

 

"The department has suspended application for smart IDs except for matriculants, application for passports, except for those permitted to

travel, [and] marriage services will be suspended until further notice," he added.

 

Motsoaledi pleaded with people to only collect IDs if they were specifically invited by an SMS.

• The latest visa extension brings the total amount of leeway afforded to foreigners since the beginning of the outbreak to more than 12 months.
• Foreigners who have been unable to leave South Africa due to lockdown measures will now have their visas automatically extended to 31 March 2021.
• This sets aside government’s “declaration of undesirability” clause which, under normal circumstances, would punish foreigners who have overstayed with expired visas.

Foreigners who have been stuck in South Africa due to the lockdown restrictions first implemented in March 2020 will benefit from yet another visa extension. Adjustments to Alert Level 3 regulations, gazetted on Monday 11 January 2021, have granted a further three-month grace period to foreigner’s holding expired visas.

This extension, the third of its kind granted since international travel restrictions were initially introduced to limit imported Covid-19 infections, will keep expired visas valid until 31 March 2021. The previous extension was due to lapse at the end of January.

In addition to including visas which expired since March 2020, the extension also applies to any foreigner who has travelled to South Africa in the last ten months and is still unable to return to their country of origin before April.

This waives government’s “declaration of undesirability” clause, which would usually ban foreigners, who have overstayed in South Africa with an expired visa, from re-entering the country for up to five years.

“A foreign tourist who arrived in the Republic prior to the commencement of this regulation. will have his or her visa automatically extended to 31 March 2021,” states the latest government gazette.

The latest extension takes the total amount of leeway afforded to stranded foreigners to just over a year.

The reprieve does not, however, permit foreigners to deviate from their visa’s terms and conditions. For example, those without a general work visa are still forbidden from entering into any employment agreement on South African soil. Contravening the visa’s terms and conditions, except for the period of validity which has been consistently extended, may still result in foreigners being deemed “undesirable”.

In the example of a foreigner being employed without a valid work visa, it’s the employer who will face a fine or imprisonment.

Amendments to the visa regulations coincide with the closure of South Africa’s land borders, following crippling congestion and fears of backlogged posts serving as the backdrop to “super spreader” events. Persons allowed to use the border for re-entry into South Africa include holders of long-term residence visas, work visas or business visas.

Further exceptions have been extended to the deportation of willing departure of foreign nationals returning to their countries of origin.

www.samigration.com