According to Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, South Africa is loosening its stringent visa requirements to attract more tourists and skilled labourers.
This represents a change from previous immigration laws that have been denounced as being xenophobic.
The introduction of a remote work visa and the implementation of a new points-based system for work visas, which determines eligibility automatically if you meet certain requirements, are among the immediate changes.
He stated that both of these initiatives should be completed in “a matter of days.”
Attract Skills, Tourists
“Visa reform to attract tourists, to attract capital, to attract skills are some of the most powerful things we can do in the short term to kickstart economic growth,” Schreiber told Reuters in an interview.
Currently, foreigners who receive job offers in South Africa may have to wait months or even years to receive a visa, and their requests may occasionally be denied for unclear reasons.
Visas for Western tourists are typically easily obtained upon arrival; however, visitors from China and India, two potentially lucrative markets, must submit off-putting paperwork upon arrival.
The nation has a reputation for being particularly hostile to immigrants from other African nations, who are occasionally accused of “stealing” jobs with a third of the population unemployed.
“It’s a false dichotomy to suggest that we cannot grow the economy and at the same time combat xenophobia,” Schreiber said, adding that bringing in skilled foreigners can help create jobs.
The Democratic Alliance party, which Schreiber belongs to, was the recognised opposition until it partnered with the African National Congress in a coalition government in 2024. Campaigners for human rights criticised both parties for having anti-immigrant sentiment in their election platforms.
According to Schreiber, the current system is a “catastrophic failure” that excludes the very people that South Africa needs.
He claimed that South Africa had a backlog of 306,000 visas that had been built for more than ten years when he took office in July 2024. His team has now reportedly made it through 62% of those by bringing in reinforcements and working overtime.