South African Business Visa

A business visa may be issued by the Department of Home Affairs to a foreigner intending to establish or invest in a business in South Africa in which he or she may be employed, and to members of such foreigners’ immediate family providing that certain requirements have been met.

The Act calls for investment of R5,0 million in a business and you need to make sure you employ 60% South African citizens or permanent residents to get both a temporary and permanent business visa, you can get these visas with less capital investment - sometimes for as low as R600,000 investment using our expert team at SA Migration.

Many businesses do not require a capital investment as large as R5 million and in certain cases, you are allowed to reduce this amount and commit to a smaller investment if your business falls within the certain industries. The following businesses to be in the national interest, and therefore qualifying for reduction or waiver of the capitalisation requirements as determined to be in the national interest in relation to a Business Visa: Many of these business owners do not have the required investment amounts. If this is the case and the business falls in line with one of the following industries, a capital waiver can be requested. This would mean a reduction in the required investment amount.

The industries are:

(a) Agro-processing

• Fisheries and aquaculture i.e. freshwater aquaculture and marine culture
• Food processing in the milling and baking industries
• Beverages viz. fruit juices and the local beneficiation, packaging and export of indigenous teas
• High value natural fibres viz., organic cotton and downstream mohair production
• High value organic food for the local and export market
• Biofuels production viz. bioethanol and biogas
• oils: tea extracts, including buchu, honeybush: and other oil derivatives (avocado, amarula etc.)
• Diversification / beneficiation of biomass sources i.e. sugar, maize

(b) Business Process Outsourcing and IT Enabled Services

• Call centers
• Back Office Processing
• Shared Corporate Services
• Enterprise solutions e.g. fleet management and asset management
• Legal process outsourcing

(c) Capital / Transport equipment, metals and electrical machinery and apparatus

• Basic iron and steel
• Basic precious and non-ferrous metals
• Casting of metals
• Other fabricated metal products: metalwork service activities
• General purpose machinery
• Tooling manufacturing
• Foundries
• White goods and associated components
• Electric motors, generators and transformers
• Electricity distribution and control apparatus
• Insulated wire and cable
• Accumulators, primary cells and primary batteries

(d) Electro Technical

• Advanced telecommunications
• Software development
• Software and mobile applications
• Smart metering
• Embedded software
• Radio frequency identifications
• Digital TV and Set Top Boxes due to migration to full digital television
• Process control, measurement and instrumentation
• Security and monitoring solutions
• Financial software
• Manufacturing sensors

(e) Textile, Clothing and Leather

• Spinning, weaving and finishing of textiles
• Knitted and crocheted fabrics and articles
• Wearing apparel except fur apparel
• Dressing and dying of fur
• Leather skins and hides beneficiation

(f) Consumer goods

• White goods and associated components

(g) Boatbuilding

• Boatbuilding and associated services industry
• Engines and engine systems
• Marine equipment and accessories

(h) Pulp, paper and Furniture

• Manufacture of paper products: publishing, printing and reproduction
• Manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials
• Paper and paper products and furniture
• Manufacture of wood and products of wood and cork

(i) Automotives and Components

• engines, radiators, filters and components thereof
• air conditioners / climate control systems
• alarms and Tracking devices
• axles, transmission shafts
• body parts and panels
• catalytic converters, silencers and exhaust systems and components
• wiring harnesses, instrument panels vehicle interiors, electronic drive train components,
• lighting equipment
• seats and parts thereof, seatbelts, leather covers
• suspension and shock absorbers, springs and parts thereof
• steering wheels, columns and boxes
• ignition, starting equipment, gauges and instrument parts

(J) Green Economy Industries

(jj) Power generation:

• Nuclear Build Programmer i.e. joint ventures, consortiums and the establishment of new companies to grow South Africa's nuclear manufacturing capability and nuclear supply industry to supply into the nuclear build programme
• Independent power generation, energy infrastructure and alternative energy

(jjj) Renewable Energy:

• Onshore wind power - manufacture of turbines/blades
• Solar PV and Concentrated Solar Power manufacture/assembly
• Biomass
• Small hydro
• Lowering greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites
• Energy efficiency and energy saving industries
• Solar water heaters
• Waste Management and Recycling
• Reducing landfill

(k) Advanced Manufacturing

• Nano-materials
• High performance materials based on natural resources (advanced bio-composites
• Advanced materials, polymers and composites
• Medical devices, diagnostics and composites
• Space e.g. satellite manufacturers etc. and astronomy e.g. SKA, telescopes, dishes etc.
• Composites (intelligent textiles used in medical, building and construction industries)
• Continuous fibre reinforced thermoform composites
• Biochemical and biologics for applications in agriculture, industry and health/medical sectors
• Electricity demand Site Management Solutions to improve electricity efficiency usage
• Lasers and laser-based additive manufacturing various applications
• Advanced Robotics Mobile Intelligent Autonomous Systems
• Applications in the mining industry, data collection and analysis
• Bio - manufacturing - Biochemical and biologics for applications in agriculture, industry and health/medical.
• Fuel cells and Technology

(l) Tourism infrastructure

• Accommodation - hotels, boutique hotels, lodges and resorts
• urban integrated tourism/ entertainment precincts
• adventure, - eco-, sport-, conference- and cultural tourism
• infrastructure developments
• leisure complexes and world class golf courses
• harbour and waterfront developments
• trans frontier conservations areas
• Tourism transport - aviation, rail, cruise liners etc.
• green building and green technologies for tourism
• attractions and activity - based tourism.
• museums and heritage

(m) Chemicals, plastic fabrication and pharmaceuticals

• basic chemicals
• water treatment chemical products
• man-made fibres
• plastic products: polypropylene and polyvinculchloride
• medical (drips and syringes), manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredient
• (APIs) for key anti-retrovirals (ARVs)
• Manufacture of reagents for AIDS/HIV diagnostics
• Production of vaccines and biological medicines

(n) Creative and Design Industry

• Film studios, treaty film co-production ventures, distribution infrastructure
• Servicing of foreign productions
• Production of film and documentaries, commercials, stills photography and
• Multi-media
• Post-production
• Design
• Jewellery manufacturing and design
• Fashion design

(o) Oil and Gas

• Maintenance ship and rig repair
• Fabrication - equipment and specialised components
• Specialised services - training and accreditation
• Specialised services - non-descriptive testing, inspection services, SHEQ services
• Exploration - technical services: seismic surveys, logging, environmental impact assessments, etc.
• Exploration - offshore
• Exploration - onshore shale gas
• Exploration - onshore coal bed methane and underground coal gasification
• Infrastructure - refineries (Oil and GTL)
• Infrastructure - terminals LPG/LNG import, storage and distribution
• Infrastructure - ports and associated infrastructure
• Infrastructure - storage
• Logistics - pipeline

(p) Mineral beneficiation

• Downstream processing and value addition

(q) Infrastructure Development

(r) ICT

• Geoamatics and Digital media
• Wireless and Telecom
• Electronics
• IT
• Software Development
• Advanced programming

List of undesirable Business in South Africa;

• Businesses that import second hand motor vehicles into the Republic of South Africa for the purpose of exporting to other markets outside the Republic of South Africa
• The exotic entertainment industry
• Security Industry

Our team of professionals at SA Migration International will assist you and help you to obtain your business visa for you.

South Africa is going through a very exciting stage at the moment and there is lots of opportunity to be involved in this emerging economy and the government welcomes anyone wishing to invest and create employment. Especially for small business owners, the markets are extremely lucrative and the government welcomes anyone who wants to invest

Hiring foreign workers in South Africa – the new case you should know about

Daily Mirror – 20 July 2022

The Western Cape High Court recently dealt with a case of hiring foreign workers in South Africa, and whether an employer’s intention to employ foreign nationals rather than South African citizens or permanent residents could constitute unfair discrimination.

The case centred around Mukuru, a financial services provider that uses mobile technology to transfer money across Africa and Asian countries, says Jacqui Reed, a senior associate at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills.

“The group applied for a corporate visa that would permit them to employ foreign nationals. To obtain such a certificate, it was necessary for Mukuru to obtain a certificate from the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL).

“To obtain the certificate, Mukuru needed to have shown that despite conducting a diligent search to find suitable employees that were either South African citizens or permanent residency holders, it was not able to do so.”

The department subsequently refused to issue the certificate because it was not satisfied with Mukuru’s attempts to employ South Africans which prompted Mukuru to take this decision on review.

However, the High Court was not persuaded by Mukuru’s explanation for why it could not employ South Africans and found that South Africans were unfairly excluded from employment opportunities which constituted unfair discrimination on various constitutional grounds.

Reed noted that the ruling is important – especially when considering whether passing over South Africans for employment is discriminatory.

“Whilst this decision did not emanate from a South African alleging that there was unfair discrimination by an employer who employed a foreign national as opposed to the South African citizen, it does highlight that there may be circumstances under which the employment of a foreign national rather than a South African may constitute unfair discrimination,” she said.

“It is evident from this decision that South African employers will need to justify the employment of foreign nationals in favour of South Africans. Whether an employer can do so, will depend on the facts of each case.”

www.samigration.com

More South Africans are looking at leaving: here’s where they want to go

Businesstech  - 20 July 2022

 

Africa continues its trajectory as a growth market for investment migration in 2022, says Amanda Smit, managing partner at Henley & Partners South Africa.

The citizenship planning firm recorded an overall increase of 18% in enquiries from African citizens seeking alternative residence and citizenship over the past 12 months.

“By early February 2022, we had already received over 11% of total 2021 enquiries, a trend we predict will continue throughout the year as wealthy investors scramble to diversify their domiciles at the same time as their investment portfolios in a bid to secure greater global access and optionality as a hedge against an unrelenting market and political volatility,” said Smit.

Zimbabwe took first place with an increase of 48% in enquiries compared to 2020. Neighbouring South Africa saw the second-highest level of growth with an increase of 40% in enquiries as well as a record-breaking year in terms of the volume of enquiries from South African citizens. Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, and Nigeria all averaged impressive increases in enquiries of 25%.

Investment migration programmes that offer the option of a real estate investment as a pathway to residence rights or citizenship acquisition are particularly popular among African investors, said Smit.

“International real estate has always been a reliable and attractive asset class for global investors due to its great staying power. Real estate–linked investment migration programmes have the additional advantages of enhancing your global mobility through multiple passports and expanding your personal access rights as a citizen or a resident of additional jurisdictions.

“The combined effect is increased optionality in terms of where you and your family can live, work, invest, study, and retire. The possible gains over the lifetime of the investment include the core value of the real estate asset, potential rental yields, and extended global access providing an opportunity to not only diversify assets but also create country diversification.”

The following countries are popular destinations for South Africans:

Caribbean Island Nations

According to Henley & Partners, the following island nations garnered the most interest in 2021:

Dominica offers the right to free movement and visa-free access to 144 destinations worldwide with a minimum investment donation of R1.6 million [$100,000] and a processing time of three months.

In August 2013, the parliament of Grenada passed a citizenship investment plan which offers the right to free movement to Grenada, China, Russia, Singapore, the UK, and Europe’s Schengen Area at a minimum contribution of R2.4 million [$150,000] and a processing time of three to four months.

The dual-island of St. Kitts and Nevis, offers air links to Europe and North America, pristine beaches and diverse culture with an investment of R2.4 million [$150,000] and a processing period of three-six months.

Mauritius

Mauritius’ residence programme allows foreign nationals to make a real estate investment into the country and apply for a residence permit.

“Successful applicants and their families are granted full residence rights including the right to live, work and retire in Mauritius,” said Henley & Partners

To gain residency, Mauritius requires a minimum real estate investment of R5.6 million [$375,000] and that you wait between two and six months for processing to be completed.

Montenegro

Offering citizenship in Europe and access to the euro, Montenegro since 2019 has had citizenship by investment programme that requires a minimum financial investment of R4 million [€250,000], a donation of R3.2 million [€200,000] and that you wait between six to eight months for submission of the application to be approved.

Portugal

Considered one of the most globalised and peaceful nations with a high quality of life, Portugal has become the interest of many people wishing to immigrate.

As a full member of the EU, the residence allows for visa-free access to Europe’s Schengen Area and requires an average stay of just seven days a year in Portugal over the five years.

An investment of R3.2 million [€200,000] and a processing time of three to six months is required.

www.samigration.com

 

 

 

Cape Town partners up with Airbnb to welcome digital nomads

20 July  2022 – Itc ct

Cape Town has been identified by Airbnb as one of the world’s most remote worker-friendly destinations and has entered into a new partnership deal with the accommodation-sharing service.

The Mother City is one of 20 destinations around the world that has entered into the partnership which aims to make it easier to live and work anywhere, according to Business Tech. The deal is part of Airbnb’s ‘live and work anywhere initiative’ and supports governments in helping to revive tourism and provide economic support to communities after two-plus years of COVID-19 travel restrictions. This initiative was introduced earlier this year in April.

The 20 destinations Airbnb will spotlight include:

• Baja California Sur, Mexico
• Bali, Indonesia
• Brindisi, Puglia, Italy
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Caribbean
• Canary Islands, Spain
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Colombia
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
• Lisbon, Portugal
• Malta
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Palm Springs, California, USA
• Queensland, Australia
• Rural France
• Salzkammergut, Austria
• Tampa Bay, Florida, USA
• Thailand
• Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

As part of Airbnb’s partnership with Cape Town, the company will work closely with Cape Town Tourism in “building a dedicated custom-built hub for Cape Town that will showcase top local long-term stay listings as well as important information relating to entry requirements and visa policies to attract remote workers” and other iniatives.

The Cape Town hub will also hold educational campaigns that will promote responsible hosting and travelling as a remote worker. The Cape Town hub is set to launch later this year.

As per Bizcommunity, Cape Town Tourism’s chief marketing officer, Leigh Dawber, says: “We are incredibly proud to be profiled by Airbnb as one of the world’s best cities for remote working. Cape Town offers an unparalleled experience as an inclusive, hospitable African city in the heart of nature. The work-life balance that our city offers is truly unique.

“You can work while looking up at Table Mountain, one of the 7th Natural Wonders of the World, and down at a beautiful sea view of one of our three blue flag coastlines, all at the same time. Being recognised as a World Design Capital and a leading African City for innovation, we welcome business travellers to visit Cape Town to be inspired and get the best of both worlds.”

Not only will Cape Town be promoted as a prime destination for remote workers, but Cape Town and other tourism destinations in South Africa are also set to benefit from the introduction of a ‘Remote Working Visa’ for South Africa. The visa is aimed at attracting ‘digital nomads’ – people who will live in and work remotely from cities such as Cape Town.

Digital nomad visas are travel permits that legally allow travelling professionals to enter certain countries while working remotely. Unlike most tourist visas, digital nomad visas allow for longer stays. They are also easier to obtain and don’t require a work contract and other documentation.

As part of the ‘live and work anywhere initiative’, Airbnb partners with governments and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO) to specifically support efforts to bring remote workers to their communities. Dozens of destinations around the world already have policies in place to allow foreigners to work remotely with ease, and South Africans will benefit from these changes by being eligible for newly introduced remote working visas to these destinations.

The city’s mayoral committee member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos, said with people working from home during the pandemic, the digital nomads concept has become a much-needed escape and great opportunity to take work on a holiday.

“We are seeing innovation within the tourism sector to accommodate the changed behaviour of remote working by offering affordable long-term stays, including other benefits required to work remotely and we will expand this message through the broad range of products and businesses who can use a leg up in this challenging time.

“An abundance of natural beauty and wide-open spaces makes Cape Town an ideal location to live and work with solid fibre infrastructure and top-class hospitality services and products,” he said.

www.samigtration.com

 

105 countries you can travel to visa-free on a South African passport right now

Businesstech - 20 July 2022

 

Henley & Partners has published its latest global mobility index for 2022, outlining the countries that South Africans can travel to visa-free right now – and how the pandemic continues to impact international travel.

Japan holds the number one spot on the index — the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa — with a record-high visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 193, while Singapore and South Korea come in joint-second place, with a score of 192.

EU member states dominate the rest of the top ten spots on the latest ranking, with Germany and Spain in joint-third place, with access to 190 destinations visa-free. Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg follow closely behind in joint-fourth place with 189 destinations, and Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden share fifth place with their passport holders able to travel to 188 destinations worldwide without a visa.

Both the UK and US have dropped down a rank, to sixth and seventh place respectively, and Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the index, with its nationals only able to access 27 destinations worldwide visa-free.

As US travel chaos begins to ease following the Fourth of July holiday weekend, strikes and staff shortages are forcing airlines across Europe to cancel thousands of flights, causing hours-long queues at major airports.

Heathrow Airport has even told airlines to stop selling summer tickets as the UK’s biggest airport struggles to cope with the rebound in air travel. Dr Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners saidthe recent surge in demand is hardly surprising.

“The latest results from the Henley Passport Index are a heartening reminder of the very human desire for global connectivity even as some countries move toward isolationism and autarky. The shock of the pandemic was unlike anything seen in our lifetimes, and the recovery and reclamation of our travel freedoms, and our innate instinct to move and migrate will take time.”

South Africa

The index shows that South Africa has slipped down four places in the rankings to 55th position. At the mid-point of 2022, South African passport holders are able to access 105 destinations without obtaining a prior visa.

On a positive note, South Africa faces far fewer Covid-19-related travel restrictions compared to the start of the year when several countries moved to place restrictions on South Africa following the discovery of the Omicron variant at the end of November.

A mapping tool developed by travel website Skyscanner shows that as of 19 July , South Africa has 29 ‘major restrictions’ in place from other countries. This is down from around 60 significant restrictions in mid-2021. These countries have suspended travel, may be closed to entry, or entry may only be possible if you are a citizen/meet strict entrance requirements.

Below are the 105 countries South Africans can travel to visa-free according to the latest Henley & Partners report.

* Indicates visa on arrival or eTA.

Africa

Angola	Lesotho	Seychelles*
Benin	Madagascar*	Sierra Leone*
Botswana	Malawi	Somalia*
Burundi	Mauritania*	St. Helena*
Cape Verde Islands*	Mauritius	Swaziland (eSwatini)
Comores Islands*	Mozambique	Tanzania
Ethiopia*	Namibia	Togo*
Gabon	Nigeria	Tunisia
Ghana*	Reunion	Uganda*
Guinea-Bissau*	Rwanda*	Zambia
Kenya	Senegal	Zimbabwe

Asia 

Cambodia*	Malaysia	South Korea
Hong Kong (SAR China)	Maldives*	Sri Lanka*
Indonesia	Nepal*	Tajikistan*
Kyrgyzstan*	Pakistan*	Thailand
Laos*	Phillipines	Timor-Leste*
Macao (SAR China)	Singapore

Europe 

Georgia	Russian Federation	Kosovo
Ireland

Oceania 

Cook Islands	Micronesia	Samoa*
Fiji	Niue	Tuvalu*
Marshall Islands*	Palau Islands*	Vanuatu

Middle East 

Armenia*	Jordan*	Qatar
Iran*	Oman	Israel
Palestinian Territories

Caribbean 

Antigua and Barbuda	Dominican Republic	St. Lucia
Bahamas	Grenada	St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Barbados	Haiti	Trinidad and Tobago
British Virgin Islands	Jamaica	Turks and Caicos
Cayman Islands	Montserrat
Dominica	St. Kitts and Nevis

Americas 

Argentina	Ecuador	Nicaragua
Belize	El Salvador	Panama
Bolivia*	Falkland Islands	Paraguay
Brazil	Guatemala	Peru
Chile	Guyana	Uruguay
Costa Rica	Honduras	Venezuela

www.samigration.com

 

 

 

Businesstech - 20 July 2022

 

Henley & Partners has published its latest global mobility index for 2022, outlining the countries that South Africans can travel to visa-free right now – and how the pandemic continues to impact international travel.

Japan holds the number one spot on the index — the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa — with a record-high visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 193, while Singapore and South Korea come in joint-second place, with a score of 192.

EU member states dominate the rest of the top ten spots on the latest ranking, with Germany and Spain in joint-third place, with access to 190 destinations visa-free. Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg follow closely behind in joint-fourth place with 189 destinations, and Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden share fifth place with their passport holders able to travel to 188 destinations worldwide without a visa.

Both the UK and US have dropped down a rank, to sixth and seventh place respectively, and Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the index, with its nationals only able to access 27 destinations worldwide visa-free.

As US travel chaos begins to ease following the Fourth of July holiday weekend, strikes and staff shortages are forcing airlines across Europe to cancel thousands of flights, causing hours-long queues at major airports.

Heathrow Airport has even told airlines to stop selling summer tickets as the UK’s biggest airport struggles to cope with the rebound in air travel. Dr Christian H. Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners saidthe recent surge in demand is hardly surprising.

“The latest results from the Henley Passport Index are a heartening reminder of the very human desire for global connectivity even as some countries move toward isolationism and autarky. The shock of the pandemic was unlike anything seen in our lifetimes, and the recovery and reclamation of our travel freedoms, and our innate instinct to move and migrate will take time.”

South Africa

The index shows that South Africa has slipped down four places in the rankings to 55th position. At the mid-point of 2022, South African passport holders are able to access 105 destinations without obtaining a prior visa.

On a positive note, South Africa faces far fewer Covid-19-related travel restrictions compared to the start of the year when several countries moved to place restrictions on South Africa following the discovery of the Omicron variant at the end of November.

A mapping tool developed by travel website Skyscanner shows that as of 19 July , South Africa has 29 ‘major restrictions’ in place from other countries. This is down from around 60 significant restrictions in mid-2021. These countries have suspended travel, may be closed to entry, or entry may only be possible if you are a citizen/meet strict entrance requirements.

Below are the 105 countries South Africans can travel to visa-free according to the latest Henley & Partners report.

* Indicates visa on arrival or eTA.

Africa

Angola	Lesotho	Seychelles*
Benin	Madagascar*	Sierra Leone*
Botswana	Malawi	Somalia*
Burundi	Mauritania*	St. Helena*
Cape Verde Islands*	Mauritius	Swaziland (eSwatini)
Comores Islands*	Mozambique	Tanzania
Ethiopia*	Namibia	Togo*
Gabon	Nigeria	Tunisia
Ghana*	Reunion	Uganda*
Guinea-Bissau*	Rwanda*	Zambia
Kenya	Senegal	Zimbabwe

Asia 

Cambodia*	Malaysia	South Korea
Hong Kong (SAR China)	Maldives*	Sri Lanka*
Indonesia	Nepal*	Tajikistan*
Kyrgyzstan*	Pakistan*	Thailand
Laos*	Phillipines	Timor-Leste*
Macao (SAR China)	Singapore

Europe 

Georgia	Russian Federation	Kosovo
Ireland

Oceania 

Cook Islands	Micronesia	Samoa*
Fiji	Niue	Tuvalu*
Marshall Islands*	Palau Islands*	Vanuatu

Middle East 

Armenia*	Jordan*	Qatar
Iran*	Oman	Israel
Palestinian Territories

Caribbean 

Antigua and Barbuda	Dominican Republic	St. Lucia
Bahamas	Grenada	St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Barbados	Haiti	Trinidad and Tobago
British Virgin Islands	Jamaica	Turks and Caicos
Cayman Islands	Montserrat
Dominica	St. Kitts and Nevis

Americas 

Argentina	Ecuador	Nicaragua
Belize	El Salvador	Panama
Bolivia*	Falkland Islands	Paraguay
Brazil	Guatemala	Peru
Chile	Guyana	Uruguay
Costa Rica	Honduras	Venezuela

www.samigration.com