Cut visa processing times, Home Affairs told, business complains of shortage of workers

SMH -  17 June 2022

Federal officials have been told to act on an “extraordinary” backlog in visa applications for thousands of skilled workers at a time when employers claim they will have to shut down if they cannot find a solution to chronic labour shortages.

With experts warning of “gridlock” in the visa system, incoming federal ministers have put the backlog at the top of their agenda in a bid to speed up decisions when the number of skilled foreign workers in Australia has slumped to half the number seen a decade ago.

People are waiting months for their visa applications to be processed.

Official figures show the number of skilled foreign workers leaving Australia exceeded the number coming into the country in April, highlighting the pressure on the labour market when employers say they are waiting too long to have new visas approved.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has asked the Department of Home Affairs to act on the problem as a priority given the concerns put to him by the community before he was sworn into office last week.

But the scale of the backlog is difficult to measure because the previous government did not release figures on the number of applications for the 482 visa for skilled foreign workers or most other visa classes, although other measures have hinted at the growing wait for visa decisions.

“The extraordinary delay in the processing of visa applications has been raised by the community and with the former Liberal government for many years,” Giles said in response to questions from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

“Processing outstanding visas applications is a priority for the Australian government. I have raised my concerns with the current state of visa processing with the Department of Home Affairs, and we are committed to ensuring that visa applications are processed in a timely manner.”

Abul Rizvi, a former deputy secretary in the Department of Immigration, said public data showed the number of people on bridging visas had blown out to more than 300,000 individuals over the past decade, a measure of the number of people waiting in Australia for decisions on visa applications across all categories.

Rizvi said anecdotal evidence suggested there was “gridlock” in decisions on visa applications from people outside the country, such as skilled foreign workers.

“It’s just absolutely jammed and complaints are coming from every direction,” he said.

“Migration agents are tearing their hair out. Because of the way Home Affairs deals with issues, you can’t actually speak to a human being to find out what’s happening. Without more resources, it will remain gummed up.”

Rizvi said 8970 skilled foreign workers arrived in Australia in April but 9230 departed, resulting in a net outflow of 260 workers on the 482 visa category at a time when the country is meant to be opening up and filling labour shortages.

Australia had more than 195,000 skilled temporary visa holders in Australia in June 2014 but only 96,000 in March 2022, an outcome Rizvi blamed on changes under the former government that made visa applications more bureaucratic despite public claims about attracting people to Australia after the pandemic.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged the problem in his public remarks in Jakarta on Monday when he said he believed Australia should be “more welcoming” to visa applicants from Indonesia and other countries.

But the problem is more widespread. Officials are yet to confirm the scale of the backlog and the incoming government is yet to determine whether the solution will require a change to the design of the system, the administration of the rules or the resourcing of the department.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Andrew McKellar said employers were reporting significant barriers to finding skilled workers including “excessive” costs for visas and “protracted” processing times.

“Greater resourcing is needed to reduce protracted visa processing wait times. The current delays just aren’t good enough when so many businesses are left without staff and therefore can’t afford to stay open,” he said.

“To make the skilled migration system more accessible and responsible, we need to open employer sponsored migration up to all skilled occupations.”

Australian Industry Group chief Innes Willox said employers could pay up to $25,000 for a 482 visa for a skilled worker, making it an expensive process when they could not find enough local workers. He said the previous 457 visa cost about $10,000.

“That might mean hiring fewer workers and missing out on contracts or losing opportunities to grow,” he said.

ACTU secretary Sally McManus said the priority should be to train local workers.

“Under the previous government the visa system prioritised the needs of employers above all else and facilitated the wide-spread exploitation and abuse of temporary migrant workers including systemic undercutting of minimum wages in many sectors,” she said.

“The visa system should prioritise permanent migration aimed at filling genuine skill gaps, paired with a renewed commitment to skills training and ensuring that where local workers can fill a job or be trained to do so, that is always the first option.”

www.samigration.com

 

 

ANC policy turns away from nationalisation

City Press – 17 June 2022

 

It can no longer be nationalisation at all costs for the ANC, especially if it will cost the country dearly.

This is the opinion of the head of the ANC’s subcommittee on economic transformation, Mmamoloko Kubayi, who is also the minister of human settlements, regarding the party’s policy change from radical economic transformation in 2017 to the rebuilding of the economy this year.

The subcommittee is responsible for drafting the ANC’s economic policy proposals in the run-up to the party’s policy conference at the end of next month.

At the ANC’s national conference in December 2017, the controversial resolutions passed included the nationalisation of the SA Reserve Bank, as well as land expropriation without compensation – both of which ultimately failed.

Kubayi says that, at the time, it was not realised what impact such policy proposals would have on the markets, and that such policy decisions need to be reconsidered in the current economy.

“Take, for example, our decision to nationalise the SA Reserve Bank – as soon as we announced that, private investors reacted [negatively],” Kubayi said in an exclusive interview this week.

“On the land issue and the issue of land expropriation without compensation, we’re going to have to report that we no longer have the majority in Parliament to implement this,” she admitted.

“People were moreover scared, because their frame of reference was the Zimbabwean example – it was never the ANC’s intention to do so.

That’s why food security protection is now such an important aspect of our policy documents.

Kubayi believes there will now be a need to fall back on the rhetoric of various organisations in the run-up to the failed amendment of the Constitution to make land expropriation without compensation explicit.

At the time, several organisations made it clear during parliamentary submissions that land expropriation without compensation could, in some cases, already take place under existing legislation.

According to Kubayi, who has served in the Cabinet in a series of portfolios since 2017, land expropriation can now be managed from her portfolio, but she concedes that the ANC has to take a policy leap on this.

“It can’t be nationalisation at all costs – and at the expense of the country. These are some of the things we’ll have to reflect on at the policy conference,” she said.

The current political climate differs greatly from the one that existed in December 2017.

And for Kubayi, it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince the public that the ANC is still the right vehicle to take the country forward.

“We’re at a point where we want to talk about policy by saying, ‘Here’s our policy framework’ – but people don’t want to hear any more about policy, they just want to know what we’re going to do, when and how.

“It’s not only the Russian war on Ukraine, it’s not only Covid-19 [that is making the economic climate difficult], it’s also the years that the ANC’s been in government.

“That’s why it’s difficult to constantly answer questions about why people should believe us now. [They say]: ‘You were [already] in control back then and some of these changes you’re talking about should have taken place a long time ago.’ It’s a difficult balancing act,” she says.

So how does she do it? Kubayi admits that the ANC cannot distance itself from the years of state capture.

“The first important thing is to acknowledge where the problems were. To be sincere, clear and transparent by saying what went wrong, what we should have done and what we shouldn’t have done,” she says.

As for the new plans, she added: 

We have to start talking about the future, about a meritocracy. Merit must come above all else.

“We have to get the right people to do the right jobs. If we can get the right people – qualified, competent people to run organisations, competent people to run government – then we’ll see the necessary results.

“With our [new] policy, we want to remove rhetoric and slogans, and rather focus on what will really change [people’s lives].”

She believes that the issue of regulating and protecting informal traders is one of the first things that needs to be addressed so that “people can get a foot in the door”.

“It’s critical [that people should be economically active]. People’s dignity is taken away if they can’t take care of their families. Our idea is that, if you’re an informal trader, you should be able to walk into a municipality and get a permit so that you can trade.

“These people shouldn’t be asked for something like three months’ bank statements. At the moment, they’re almost treated as if they were criminals, while they’re an economic entity.

“This is an area filled by mostly black women – who’re at the bottom of the economy – and we believe that if we let them go on doing business, we’ll start to get many more economically active people.”

According to Kubayi, however, it is not good if there are people who are economically active, but they are not provided with the electricity to remain so.

“In the [new] policy, we’ve accepted that in the generation of power, there should be private roleplayers, so there will be such participation – despite arguments [at government level].

But when it comes to transmission, we don’t believe it should be privatised, because we don’t want people to depend on a private person to decide whether or not they can receive power.

Are partnerships with private companies what lie ahead for all state entities?

Kubayi believes these are inevitable for some: “I learnt for the first time this week about an entity in public works that deals with innovation. Given the fact that I didn’t even know about this entity, how relevant is it, really?”

It worries her that there are entities “trying to hide”.

“We spend the fiscus [money] on them – we pay salaries, office rent and all this stuff – but we can’t do that if we don’t know what their impact on the country is.

“There are entities that we have to get rid of, unless we can benefit from them and then we can start commercialising a partnership. That’s how the economy should work.

“I know it’s going to be problematic, but these are talks that need to take place.”

However, she added that there were strategic entities – such as struggling state-owned arms manufacturer Denel – that needed to remain under state control.

www.samigration.com

 

 

 

Immigration mess not foreign to SA

By Sowetan – 17 June 2022

 

Often news breaks of the arrest of home affairs officials and foreign nationals running one scam or another meant to bypass immigration laws.

When a police team pounced on a gang of robbers at The Hill, southern Johannesburg, a worrying dimension was added to the story. Police released the nationality of the men arrested in the raid, and it emerged that most of the thugs were foreign nationals.

Mention arrests  these days and  the subtext is “what nationality are they?” It speaks to a crisis those empowered to do something about seem to ignore  – the mess that is immigration in this country.

Often news breaks of the arrest of home affairs officials and foreign nationals running one scam or another meant to bypass immigration laws.

In an interview on Radio 2000 on Tuesday, home affairs minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi spoke of the arrests of home affairs officials along with Pakistani and Somali nationals in connection with a scheme in which locals were hoodwinked and passports were issued in the name of foreigners. In the end locals lost their citizenship when they were  removed from the national registry for a quick buck. 

Many will recall how Motsoaledi came under fire recently and was labelled xenophobic simply for doing his job. Marches were even held to call for his sacking.

Sadly, the minister appears to be the odd one out, left to handle a problem that is nothing short of a crisis.

www.samigration.com

 

 

Top 5 Things to Know about South African Visa Renewals

SA Migration – 17 June 2022

Picture this – it’s Monday and in a quiet moment you decide to go through your foreign employees’ documents.

To your shock you discover that one employee’s visa is due for renewal – at the end of the week.

Suddenly, your Monday is a whole lot bluer! You have no idea how you’re going to do this. You don’t even know if it’s still possible to submit a renewal!

Take a deep breath – this does not have to happen to you.

You can avoid any visa renewal shocks and surprises simply by keeping these 5 facts in mind:

1. Applications must be submitted at least 60 days before the expiry date of the visa

South Africa’ Immigration Act requires visa holders to submit renewals at least 60 days before the expiry date of their visa. Visa holders may also submit renewals earlier but no earlier than 6 months prior to a visa’s expiry date.

Our advice? Don’t wait for the 60 days! Submit as early as possible to allow for unforeseen hiccups.

2. Start the groundwork early

The process of renewing a South African visa is the same as applying for a new visa. For this reason, it is advisable to start preparing for a renewal well in advance.

When it comes to work visas specifically, there are often multiple steps that need to be followed before being able to submit the renewal to the authorities. Given the backlog at Home Affairs due to the post COVID-19 pandemic, hangover  we recommend starting the preparation process 12 months in advance.

3. The visa holder must meet all the requirements again

To apply for a visa extension, the visa holder must be able to meet the requirements of their visa again. This includes any new requirements or changes to requirements that were made by the Department of Home Affairs since the previous application or renewal.

Applicants who can’t meet the requirements of their visa will most likely not get a visa extension.

That does not mean it’s the end of the road! Unsuccessful renewal applicants can get assessed against all of South Africa’s immigration requirements to see if they perhaps qualify for another visa that lets them work in South Africa.

4. Keep critical documentation up to date

Want to save yourself a lot of headaches? Ensure that documentation with expiry dates are always valid. By keeping documents up to date, you’ll see to it that you’re ready to proceed with renewals as soon as it’s necessary.

Police clearances is one example of documentation with an expiry date. These documents are only valid for 6 months from the date of issuance. The passport expiration date is also an important one to keep in mind. It is impossible to apply for a visa with an expired passport.

5. Extensions must be submitted in South Africa

All extensions must be submitted in South Africa, at a VFS application centre. Visa holders can’t submit extensions outside of South Africa.

Need help with South African visa renewals?

Our corporate team can assist you with all types of South African visa renewals. The team will guide you through the requirements and work with you to submit a complete application.

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

 

How Can You Apply for a Long Term French Visa?

17-06-2022 – Sa Migration

[Sponsored article] When living in or visiting France on a long-term basis, most ‘non-EU’ citizens (i.e from the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and since 2020, Britain, too) must obtain permission to stay.

Fab the English-speaking community living in France, has this advice:

How Do French Visas Work?

For stays over 90 days, you’ll need either one of these long-term visas:

• Long-stay one year visa, known as the VLS-TS, or “Visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour” in French.
• Long-stay temporary visa, known as the VLS-T, or “Visa de long séjour temporaire.” This visa only applies for stays between three to six months.

Whatever the planned length of the stay, it must be scheduled in advance and from your country of residence.

➡️ Pro tip: If you intend to live in France for more than a year, you should think about applying for a residency permit.

Documentation Required for a Visa Application

Given the various types of visas available and the massive differences in terms of process for each, applying for a long-term visa can quickly turn into a nightmare! Thankfully, the French government has created a website called France-visas. The website is in English and helps you find out which type of visa you need to apply for. France-visas also provides details on both the process and the paperwork that needs to go with your visa application. Always Best to get processional help .

It is often said that Brexit has taken its toll and complicated the application process. It’s true that it actually has had an impact on citizens from all countries, with application rules also being tightened for U.S. citizens. For example, some types of visa applications require an insurance policy to be taken out and the requirements for that insurance are now being applied with more severity than ever before.

Some documentation is required for all applications, regardless of the types of visas, including:

• Passport
• ID photographs
• Private health insurance

And some documentation may be required, such as:

• Travel documents
• Proof of financial situation (usually bank statements)
• Proof of residency / accommodation in France (rental agreement, hotel/gite reservation, proof of homeownership, etc.)

Applications may vary according to the type requested. But, most of the time, the following checklist is relevant:

Where to Apply for Your Visa?

For long term visas, you can’t apply more than three months before the scheduled departure date, but you don’t want to wait too long as the process can take time. Fab French Insurance usually advises that you apply at least one month prior to departure.

The application can be made directly online as well via the France-visas website and you can even save your application and resume it at a later date.

You then need to schedule an appointment at your local VFS center (the name of the contractor might be different, for example it is VFS in the U.S. and VLS in the U.K.). Depending on where you are located, how busy your local center is and also the current geopolitical situation (for example, the crisis in Ukraine has made all applications from Ukraine a priority and this has led to other applicants experiencing delays), appointments can be obtained anything from the next day or a month later, so make sure you factor this variability into your schedule.

How to Prepare for the Appointment with the Visa Application Center

Remember that your passport is an important part of the application process and that your passport will be held and will not be returned until you come back to the visa center. Assuming all goes well during the appointment, you should then get your visa within one to fifteen working days. The delay can vary. However, the same factors that influence the time taken to get an appointment also influence the delays involved in providing the physical visa and handing back your passport. This means that you could potentially be without your passport for nearly three weeks: be aware of this and factor it into your plans.

➡️ Pro tip: even if you intend to apply for residency, the first step will be to get a one-year visa (VLS-TS), so make sure your passport’s expiration date is after the intended arrival date: + 15 months.

Another common source of rejection during the appointment is the medical insurance requirement. If this doesn’t fulfill the criteria or if you can’t provide any required supporting documentation, your application will be rejected.

The requirements are not that complex when it comes to insurance and a copy of your insurance certificate should be enough.

➡️ Pro-tip: most successful applications have the following elements in common:

• The certificate shows coverage for at least the duration of your visa and, if this is not possible (or it ends before the visa), then the certificate should mention that the insurance policy is scheduled for automatic renewal.
• It mentions that you’re covered for medical expenses and hospitalisation (not just hospitalisation).
• The medical coverage should be at least €30,000.
• The certificate should not mention any medical exclusions.
• It covers your public liability in the EU and includes a repatriation plan.

Also, don’t forget that your visa must be ‘activated’ once you get it and there is a fee for this. This can be done online directly on the Ministère de l’Intérieur (the equivalent of Department of Homeland Security in the U.S.) website.

 Five Steps to a Stress-free Visa Application

1. Gather all the required information – e.g. passport, ID photographs, supporting documents and proof of medical coverage.
2. Complete the online application form on France-visas.
3. Book your appointment with the visa application center (details on the website).
4. Your passport will be withheld until your application is confirmed (or denied).
5. Collect your visa and don’t forget to pay the visa validation fee on the official website.

As they say in France, “une image vaut mieux que mille mots” (a picture is worth a thousands words). So, here’s a quick summary of the process:

 

If all of this still seems confusing, our friends from Fab French Insurance & HCB French Connection offer assistance with the entire visa application process and carte de séjour paperwork; these types of services are well worth considering as it will leave you free to get on with organizing the more enjoyable aspects of your stay in la Franc

www.samigration.com