Business Visa Waiver Applications for South Africa

18-October 2021

SA migration

The normal requirement for a business visa dictates a cash investment of R5 million rand or capital equivalent (in the form of new machinery or equipment.

Certain business types can however apply for a waiver to reduce this stipulated investment amount.

The process for applying for a business visa waiver will mean the formation and presentation of a business plan. The business waiver application will be judged on the various factors in this business plan including:

• Contribution to economy.

• Feasibility of business.

• Jobs created for South African citizens or permanent residency holders.

• Desirability of the business.

Most importantly, the business visa waiver application, will have to demonstrate that the business fits into one of the below categories.

Business Visa waiver applications that may apply for a waiver (by category)

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 indigenousteas

• 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

• Processing of seed oils: tea extracts, including buchu, honeybush: and other oil derivatives(avocado, amarula etc.)

• Diversification / beneficiation of biomass sources i.e. sugar, maize

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

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

• Electric motors, generators and transformers

• Electricity distribution and control apparatus

• Insulated wire and cable

• Accumulators, primary cells and primary batteries

• White goods and associated components

Electro Technical

• Advanced telecommunications

• Software development

• Software and mobile applications

• Smart metering

• Embedded software

• Radio frequency identifications

• Process control, measurement and instrumentation

• Security and monitoring solutions

• Financial software

• Manufacturing sensors

• Digital TV and Set Top Boxes due to migration to full digital television

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

• Consumer goods

• White goods and associated components

Boatbuilding

Boatbuilding and associated services industry

• Engines and engine systems

• Marine equipment and accessories

Pulp, paper and Furniture

• Manufacture of wood and products of wood and cork

• Manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials

• Manufacture of paper products: publishing, printing and reproduction

• Paper and paper products and furniture

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

• 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

• Lighting equipment

• Wiring harnesses, instrument panels vehicle interiors, electronic drive train components,

• Body parts

Green Economy Industries

Power generation:

• Independent power generation, energy infrastructure and alternative energy

• Nuclear Build Programme 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

Renewable Energy:

• Onshore wind power – manufacture of turbines/blades

• Solar PV and Concentrated Solar Power manufacture/assembly

• Biomass

• Small hydro

• Energy efficiency and energy saving industries

• Solar water heaters

• Waste Management and Recycling

• Reducing landfill

• Lowering greenhouse gas emis

• sions from landfill sites

Advanced Manufacturing

• Nano-materials

• High performance materials based on natural resources (advanced bio-compositesAdvanced 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/medicalsectors

• 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, industryand health/medical

• Fuel cells and Technology

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

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

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

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

Mineral beneficiation

Downstream processing and value addition

Infrastructure Development

ICT

• IT

• Wireless and Telecom

• Electronics

• Geoamatics and Digital media

• Software Development

• Advanced programming