General Work Visa

Under the General Work Visa there are very strict requirements. The South African government, although trying to promote work and trade in South Africa, recognize the need to give South Africans the chance to obtain employment ahead of any foreigner.

You will have to prove that you are the only person who can fill that position and that no other South African can play that role. This is done by placing an advert in a national newspaper advertising the position.

A Department of Labour report would need to be obtained.

You will also need to have a job offer/contract from your future employer.

The most important part of the process is skills assessment by SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) in SA which evaluates your formal qualifications and compares them to a SA qualification. This process is mandatory and for this we would need your academic transcripts and award diplomas. Note under the regulations provision is made for the recognition of work experience in the absence of formal qualifications and this therefore makes provision recognition of prior work experience (RPL).

This is a paper based system which merely compares the foreign qualifications and arrives at an equivalent qualification in SA, and if qualified in SA then no SAQA needed.

Next your employer has to prove that you are the only person that can fill the position and no other South African can fill that role. This is done by placing an advert in a national newspaper advertising the position.

Please note the work Visa is issued in the name of the employer so the person is tied to the employer. If they change the job they will require a new work Visa.

There is some good news for people who are qualified through work experience only and they can qualify if they don’t require formal qualifications, ie SAQA.

South Africa Working Visas

South Africa seeks highly skilled individuals to live and work in SA.

SA Migration Services will provide professional assistance to arrange your work visa for you if you qualify.

Work Visas are regulated in terms of Section 19, Regulation 18 and items 18 (1), 19(2), 20, 21 and 22, of Schedule A.

There are three common types of Work Visas:

• General Work Visa
• Inter Company Transfer Visa
• Critical Skills Visa

Life Partner visa is issued to someone in a long term relationship.

This type of South Africa life partner visa is available to people in either heterosexual or same-sex relationships and can apply for a life partner temporary residence visa or a permanent residence depending on the length of the relationship in question.

An application for temporary residence life partner visa requires that the partners are in a proven relationship for 2 years. Foreigners who are life partners of South African citizens or permanent resident holders may apply for permanent residence if they have been together for 5 years or more in terms the Immigration Act.

To obtain permanent residence, you would have to have been living with your partner for more than 5 years. This came about with the new regulations.

The life partner visa is very similar to the spousal visa but accommodates same sex partnerships. You will have to prove financial and emotional support and may be called upon to be interviewed by the department.

SA Migration Intl will guide you through the entire process and make sure that your application is fully compliant with the immigration law to ensure a successful outcome. Once your application has been submitted we ensure you will be able to track the progress of said application either directly via VFS or via our followup processes via our application tracking system and be kept fully up to date with the progress of your application

Life Partner visa is issued to someone in a long term relationship.

This type of South Africa life partner visa is available to people in either heterosexual or same-sex relationships and can apply for a life partner temporary residence visa or a permanent residence depending on the length of the relationship in question.

An application for temporary residence life partner visa requires that the partners are in a proven relationship for 2 years. Foreigners who are life partners of South African citizens or permanent resident holders may apply for permanent residence if they have been together for 5 years or more in terms the Immigration Act.

To obtain permanent residence, you would have to have been living with your partner for more than 5 years. This came about with the new regulations.

The life partner visa is very similar to the spousal visa but accommodates same sex partnerships. You will have to prove financial and emotional support and may be called upon to be interviewed by the department.

SA Migration Intl will guide you through the entire process and make sure that your application is fully compliant with the immigration law to ensure a successful outcome. Once your application has been submitted we ensure you will be able to track the progress of said application either directly via VFS or via our followup processes via our application tracking system and be kept fully up to date with the progress of your application

Nigerian diaspora works to dispel negative image created by rogue actors such as Boko Haram, drug dealers and Hushpuppi

While it is important to debunk negative stereotypes, we should not fall into the trap of denialism and ignore or downplay the criminal activities of some unscrupulous Nigerians in the diaspora who are partly responsible for the country’s image crisis.

On Sunday, 25 July, Nigeria celebrated its 15th National Diaspora Day under the theme: “Diaspora Integration for National Peace and Development”.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration launched this event in 2006 in recognition of the diaspora’s contribution to national development. The 2021 virtual celebration, in the form of a webinar, was organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (Nidcom), an organisation that provides a platform to engage Nigerians in the diaspora in policies, projects and participation in the socioeconomic, cultural and political development of the country.

In her opening remarks, the chairperson of Nidcom, Abike Dabiri-Erewa noted the inextricable link between peace and development. Her remarks were pertinent in light of the ongoing security quagmire in Nigeria, ranging from Boko Haram terrorism to the Niger Delta crisis, the farmer-herder conflict and kidnappings by “bandits”. 

Dabiri-Erewa called on the Nigerian National Assembly to promulgate the much-anticipated law that would grant voting rights to Nigerians in the diaspora and urged the latter to be good ambassadors for their homeland in their host countries and share good practices with Nigerians at home. She concluded by debunking the negative stereotypes associated with Nigeria, noting the erroneous global opinion of Nigerians as fraudsters and drug dealers.

The director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who joined the webinar from Geneva, said that she missed Nigerian food and the hustle and bustle of Lagos and Abuja. She commended Nigerians in the diaspora for their contribution to national development, particularly through their remittances, which have been critical in sustaining the country’s economy and in the socioeconomic upliftment of households in terms of food, housing, education and small and medium-sized enterprises, to name but a few.

Given the current economic and security challenges confronting Nigeria, Okonjo-Iweala urged Nigerians in the diaspora to do more towards the socioeconomic development of their homeland. She noted that she had leveraged her position to explore how Nigeria can take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to attract investment, condemn vaccine nationalism and encourage vaccine production on the continent, as well as urge key manufacturers to remove trade restrictions and invest in Nigeria and Africa.  

The deputy secretary-general of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, who is also a Nigerian, argued that the Nigerian diaspora has a critical role to play towards the attainment of peace and development in their homeland as their experience, networks and resources can help debunk anti-Nigerian sentiments, and they are well placed to project positive narratives of Africa, sensitise people on human rights issues and mobilise investment.

Like Okonjo-Iweala, she illustrated that diasporic remittances had been pivotal in reducing poverty and fulfilling the socioeconomic needs of Nigerian households. She added that the diaspora would be instrumental in Nigeria’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The invited diasporic organisations, including the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation worldwide, the Association of Nigerian American Professionals in Nigeria, the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom, the Association of Nigerian Physicians in Americas and the Nigerian and Canadian Business Network participated in a panel discussion, with each setting out their contribution to peace and development in Nigeria and the challenges they encounter.

Two key initiatives were unveiled at the meeting — the National Diaspora Policy and the National Diaspora Merit Award. The 2021 National Diaspora Policy’s vision is “to effectively promote and harness the capacity and resources of Nigerians in the Diaspora for the growth and the development of the nation”; while its mission is “to empower Nigerians in the Diaspora as change agents for the development of Nigeria through promoting a framework for them to maximise their potentials in capital, knowledge and networks”; and its goal is “constructive engagement of Nigerians in the Diaspora for sustainable national development”.

The National Diaspora Merit Award, which was announced at the meeting, is an annual event that will begin in 2022 to celebrate Nigerians in the diaspora who have distinguished themselves in fields such as agriculture; information and communication technology; science, technology and innovation; youth and sports; education; arts and tourism; and entertainment.

Against the backdrop of anti-Nigerian sentiments, Nidcom’s efforts in organising the event and launching the 2021 National Diaspora Policy and an annual National Diaspora Merit Award should be commended.  

However, to avoid the impression that this initiative is merely a public diplomacy stunt, a more nuanced perspective of Nigerians in the diaspora could be projected in future meetings. While Nigeria can pride itself on having several Okonjo-Iwealas, there are equally several Hushpuppis. In other words, to debunk negative stereotypes, we should not fall into the trap of denialism and ignore or downplay the criminal activities of some unscrupulous Nigerians in the diaspora who are partly responsible for the country’s image crisis.

Aside from the fact that the Nigerian government needs to create a business-friendly environment, if it is serious about attracting more diasporic remittances (which totalled around $25-billion in 2018) and foreign direct investment, Nidcom should address the plight of Nigerians abroad who often do not feel at home in Nigerian embassies and complain about poor services at consulate offices, and the maltreatment, including extra-judicial killings of Nigerians across the world.

This is not to suggest that the Nigerian government often assumes the role of a spectator while its citizens are dehumanised, jailed and killed. Indeed, Abike-Dabiri strongly condemned the xenophobic 2019 attacks in South Africa. However, more proactive rather than reactive measures should be considered to arrest pervasive anti-Nigerian sentiments abroad. Addressing the plight of the Nigerian diaspora in this regard could be the fillip required to strengthen state-diaspora engagement.

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