Special visas for 2009, 2010 Fifa Fans
South Africa's Department of Home Affairs is to issue special "event visas" for soccer fans coming to the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup and 2010 Fifa World Cup, enabling fans to use dedicated counters at major airports around the world for pre-clearance before they arrive in the country.
South African immigration officials - who are able to speak in several languages - will be stationed at several of the busiest airports around the world, including in the UK, India, Dubai and Hong Kong, where fans will be able to go through a free pre-screening and pre-clearance process.
Speaking in Johannesburg this week, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said this would be the first time that such a visa is used by a country hosting a major world event.
The immigration officials will also be equipped with hi-tech devices for scanning passports or travel documents. By electronically capturing information from the documents, officials will save time by not having to type in information.
With such improvements, the department hopes to do better than the international best practice times of interaction between the traveller and immigration official,
which is between one minute and one minute and 30 seconds.
Security
The department says its immigration officials will be working with foreign governments and airline personnel to identify irregular migration patterns during the course of the event, as well as ensure that "undesirable persons", who may be a threat national security, do not enter the country.
Home Affairs' 2010 programme manager Morne Fourie explained that certain minimum requirements had to be met when issuing a special visa: "You need proof of purchase of your ticket for the match, you need to meet certain health requirements - like holding a yellow fever certificate, if required - and you need to have a return ticket and a valid passport."
Quick entry, exit
Those passengers who have received pre-clearance by South African immigration officials will be able to arrive in South Africa and go straight through to baggage collection and on to customs.
Mapisa-Nqakula said that the move would enhance the department's ability to facilitate the entry and exit process through the country's borders, resulting in a less frustrating journey, leading to a positive impression of the country as a whole.
She added that the visas had been finalised, and that the 2009 Confederations Cup would provide a good test of the new system.
Source: www.southafrica.info
Indian Skills, study plan to spice up SA Economy
Cape Argus
Hundreds of Indian students and entrepeneurs are expected to help relieve skills shortages in South Africa.
Hundreds of Indian students and entrepeneurs are expected
to help relieve skills shortages in South Africa through
a scheme by an Indian migration company to enroll its
students here.
India International Group and SA Migration International
have signed an agreement to bring more than 700 students
to South African Universities, colleges and technikons.
Robbie Ragless of SA Migration International, said the
move would encourage foreign investment and help bilateral
trade and tourism. The students would be chosen from
the IT, Hospitality management and tourism fields.
"The partnership will definitely encourage foreign
investment and help our economy to grow" Ragless
said.
"India International Group realised that South
Africa had an extremely high standard of education and
an emerging market. We will be attracting scarce skills
to make up for the shortages in the job market of highly
skilled individuals.
"Locals will benefit as the new conditions for
foreigners opening businesses require them to employ
5 South Africans"
SAMI
gets invited by the Presidents Office to the Union Buildings
in Pretoria
SA Migration Intl were invited to attend a forum on
migration trends within South Africa and the contributing
factors for foreign in-migration. Rod Maxwell ( CEO
) and Robbie Ragless ( Marketing Manager ) joined the
number of guests invited by the Office of The President
and gave input on the growing number of foreigners that
are now making their journey to South Africa to live,
work, retire and conduct business.
The report compiled will go towards drafting legislation
concerning urban migration trends as well as foreign
in-migration trends.
Read the speech presented by Rod Maxwell, CEO
of SA Migration International:
Introduction:
We have had extensive experience in both inbound and
outbound migration, facilitating South African citizens
to Australia, Canada and New Zealand. In our five years
of operation, we have noted a significant reduction
in outbound migration after the attacks on September
11th 2001 in America. Our Interpretation of this turn
around was that the world view that “safety existed
outside our borders” in seemingly developed countries
was removed and indeed there was no “safe country”.
With positive economic signals, such as the appreciation
of the Rand, positive economic growth, lower inflation
and interest rates, SA started to show itself as being
attractive to investors and tourists alike and has become
the 5th most desired migration destination in the world.
The relaxation in exchange controls and a substantial
decrease in the cost of living makes it attractive for
foreigners to come to SA. Less onerous on migration
legislation has made it easier for people to visit and
as tourists visit and like what they see, so the prospect
of migrating here becomes more appealing.
SA has become attractive in a number of ways and as
combined marketing efforts by the
Govt and private sector penetrate the world, so the
word spreads that South Africa offers one: quality of
life, first world banking systems, financial participation
in the worlds most emerging economy coupled with a relaxed
atmosphere and excellent tourism opportunities.
This has resulted in growth and investment into the
agricultural, technological and manufacturing environments
within our industries. It is interesting to note that
a number of Asians especially the Chinese are purchasing
farms to do crop farming and have started bean curd
farming to cater for Chinese local markets and exports.
Key driving forces for Migration:
It is perhaps interesting to note that prior to 2001
there was a significant trend by qualified, skilled
citizens to leave SA and there was a flood to countries
like Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The observation
was that SA would go the route of Zimbabwe.
We have observed a trend in the past 3 years, that
there has been a significant decline in people wanting
to leaving SA and a recent survey by the Sunday Times
suggested that the reasons why people are currently
leaving South Africa is for the migration experience
as apposed to the past when it was suggested that crime
was the factor
Within the booming SA economy, the perceptions differ
by racial lines as to how economically viable the country
is. The predominant push from SA is amongst white and
coloured race groups who feel left out of the new opportunities.
This is further compounded by the fact that a number
of these people were in previously safe employment sectors
and with global changes and pressures in local markets,
have not been able to upskill and take advantage of
the opportunities and accordingly now feel unwelcome.
Whilst not always race linked but competency driven,
migrants will seek to move to greener pastures where
their skills may be in better demand.
Most migrants don’t adequately research their
new countries but are influenced by glossy brochures
and here say leading to many of them being disillusioned
in their new countries, unable to return by virtue of
not being able to afford the return or pride.
Nature and type of migration ( Circular and Permanent
):
Outward:
We note that outbound migration is driven by circular
and permanent needs.
Circular:
The perceived need to generate quick money in pounds
or dollars to pay off study loans, houses, cars or travel
with a number of younger people just wishing to see
the world.
An increasing number of post 40 year olds with British
ancestry links and who have been economically disadvantaged
or due to poor retirement planning go to the UK merely
to survive and or pay off mortgages etc with a view
to return to SA. In the UK alone there are around 1
million SA citizens, most of them living according to
these criteria.
Permanent:
These are people who wish to leave SA for no other
reason than the migration experience or due to being
disillusioned by SA through their own experiences either
political, criminal or economic. Some view it as a perfect
place to raise their children.
Inward:
There are generally 3 types of inward bound migrants:
• Younger more adventurous who wish to start
a new life in a less predictable country.
• Those wishing to retire and live in a better
lifestyle as apposed to back home,
• And people who see a country full of entrepreneurial
opportunities that locals are not seizing due to being
stuck in mindset of “ I must work for a boss”
and get permanency in the way of a salary at the end
of the month.
Discussion Points:
1 ( Migration vs Natural Growth in South Africa )
• Gautengs growth is based on economic factors.
• Part of the stability and natural growth is
that crime is no longer seen as a push/pull factor for
people to relocate from JHB to other regions like CPT
or DBN therefore confirming that the growth is economically
driven.
2 ( Migration push and pull factors in Urbanising SA
)
The challenge presented is that as spouses and children
leave their homes to join the market breadwinners, the
exposure to urban living causes 2nd generation urbanites
who will not want to go back to rural areas resulting
in an additional demand for housing. This will inevitably
increase the spiral towards slums and informal settlements
amongst lower end people as they battle to find affordable
housing.
3 ( Labour Migration and Remittances in Urbanising
SA )
No Comment
4 ( Migration and rural-urban interface )
The challenge would be to educate people who are recipients
to low cost housing to buy into the concept of ownership
and paying for services ie: water rates as well as protecting
and maintaining their environment in such a manner that
facilities are kept in good condition and that the community
owns these facilities ie: schools, parks, libraries
etc
For example: The N2 gateway project in Western Cape
5 ( Foreign in-Migration in urbanising SA )
There are four streams of people migrating to South
Africa
• Skilled Labour migrants
• Business
• Retirement
• Refugees
The first 3 groups are driven by language, specifically
the ability to speak the English language. For example:
African and SADEC as well as Asian and former Eastern
Block countries whilst refugees are driven by the need
to find a safe place removed from persecution.
With respect to entrepreneurial skills, a further factor
to be considered is a number of African migrants who
have settled in first world countries such as the UK,
Canada and USA by migration programmes such as the UN
Refugee programme have now consolidated their lives
and SA offers them the perfect opportunity to come back
to the soil of Africa and become part of an investor
friendly environment.
Many of these people often have language problems not
withstanding the fact that they have been living in
English speaking countries for 15 ears or more and this
results in them employing one or two foreigners on management
level and the balance, SA nationals particularly in
the retail environment as they understand the local
market.
With respect to skilled labour, this process is a lot
more complicated in that there is a general misunderstanding
in the market place that people require a work permit
prior to obtaining a job in the SA when indeed the reverse
applies. Only employers with scarce skill requirements
venture into this area largely because the profitability
of their business dictates that they have to source
foreigners and the lack of info available to these people
lead them down a road of trial and error because local
DHA, Foreign affairs and Embassies abroad are public
unfriendly with not providing solutions but rather asking
people to put themselves in a box to be assessed against.
Entrepreneurial migrant employment of staff will differ
significantly depending on culture ie Asians for example
Indians/Pakistanis will initially tend to employ people
from their own people groups while people from the UK
and America will tend to employ SA Nationals.
Cape
Town voted 'Simply the Best',
- many times over!
It's official. Cape Town (South Africa) is the best
city in the world.
Don't take our word for it - that accolade comes from
thousands of international travellers polled for one
of the world's most prestigious travel surveys, the
UK's 2004 Telegraph Travel Awards.
If you don't believe the Brits, take the Yanks' word
for it. The American 2004 Condé Nast
Top 100 Readers' Choice Awards has also placed
Cape Town at the top of the heap in the Best City category
for Africa and the Middle East.
And if that isn't enough, in the 2004 High Life Travel
Awards, British Airways voted Cape Town the
best city in the world in which to eat out,
pipping New York, Sydney, London and Paris to the post.
The Daily Telegraph has published
its travel poll for the past seven years. It is an independent
market research survey of 25 000 Telegraph readers.
In its poll Sydney and Venice take second and third
places.
Cape Town is also home to one of the best hotels in
the world, according to the survey. The Mount Nelson
Hotel was voted third-best city hotel in the world behind
the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and the Shangri-La
in Singapore.
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Retirement Visas
Would you like to retire as a Pensioner in South Africa? Then you
are at the Right Place ...
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Business Visas
Would you like to start your business in South Africa? Then you
are at the Right Place ...
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Work Permits
Are you looking to work in South Africa? Then You are at the Right
place ...
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Study Permits
Would you like to study in South Africa? Then You are at the Right
place ...
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Visitor Visas
Would you like to visit South Africa? Then you are at the Right Place ...
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