South Africa is introducing major changes to its visa system to attract skilled workers and tourists, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced. The reforms mark a departure from previous immigration policies, which have faced criticism for being overly restrictive and xenophobic.
The new measures will include a points-based system for work visas, where eligibility will be automatic for individuals with specific qualifications. Additionally, a new remote work visa will be launched. Both reforms are expected to be implemented within days.
‘Visa reform to attract tourists, capital, and skills are some of the most powerful tools we have to kickstart economic growth,’ Schreiber said in an interview. Currently, foreign workers face long delays for visa approvals, with the process often taking months or years. The new system aims to eliminate these hurdles, encouraging the entry of much-needed talent to help boost the economy.
Tourists from China and India, potentially lucrative markets for South Africa, also face cumbersome paperwork to enter the country, unlike Western tourists who receive visas upon arrival.
South Africa has struggled with a reputation for being unwelcoming to immigrants, particularly from other African nations, where migrants have often been scapegoated amid the country’s high unemployment rate of around 33 percent. Schreiber believes the visa reforms can address both economic growth and anti-immigrant sentiment. ‘It’s a false dichotomy to suggest we can’t grow the economy and combat xenophobia simultaneously,’ he said.
Leon Schreiber, representing the Democratic Alliance party, joined the African National Congress in a coalition government this year. Both parties have been criticised for their anti-immigrant stances during election campaigns. Schreiber has described the current visa system as a ‘catastrophic failure’ that deters the kind of talent South Africa needs.
Upon taking office in July, Schreiber faced a backlog of 306,000 visa applications accumulated over more than a decade. He reported progress, with 62 percent of those backlogs addressed through extended working hours and extra staffing.
Schreiber also plans to fully digitise the visa system within five years, which would minimise the risk of fraud and bias in the visa application process and improve processing times. He acknowledged, however, that budget constraints could pose challenges to achieving this goal.
‘The lack of skills in the economy is actually the second biggest impediment to economic growth and job creation, following power cuts,’ Schreiber said, citing research by the National Treasury. The visa reform aims to change that narrative by making South Africa more attractive to foreign talent, boosting economic resilience, and fostering growth.
