As a visa and immigration specialist with over 18 years of experience, I recently attended the Forum of Immigration Practitioners of South Africa’s (FIPSA) inaugural Indaba in Durban.
I remain fiercely passionate about the work of immigration practitioners do as immigration is a golden thread weaving through our country’s economic progress. Immigration connects foreign direct investment, fostering new enterprises, and creates much-needed jobs for our residents.
At the FIPSA Indaba last week, we eagerly anticipated engaging with our main government department – The Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
Our primary goal was to have constructive dialogue with DHA. Importantly, we wanted to reinforce how we would work with the department to eradicate stumbling blocks and achieve overall efficiencies within the immigration system.
To our disappointment, no one from Home Affairs was physically present to address us, despite their presence being indicated on the program. This was a significant slight, especially as senior officials from other departments, like the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), were present and engaged robustly.
While the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber addressed us through a pre-recorded speech, the deputy minister and other senior officials were meant to address us in person as per the programme. We were only informed on the day that they would no longer be addressing us. Only towards the end of the day, did a DHA officially eventually address us virtually.
The absence of DHA representation spoke volumes, leaving practitioners feeling unheard and disrespected. Our daily work, supported by the DTIC, demonstrates the vital role immigration practitioners play in navigating the complex DHA system and facilitating foreign direct investment.
We have been the face of the failures of DHA for years representing South Africa, giving foreigners advice to stay and keep their investment in the country, communicating changes, and DHA could not be bothered to face us. It was quite disappointing and disrespectful.
This left us as immigration practitioners with a sense of being spoken to rather than DHA being open to collaborating with us to genuinely bring about efficiencies in the country’s visa and immigration systems.
The DTIC emphasized the immense value immigration professionals bring to their process, streamlining business visa, work permit, and permanent residency applications. They shared statistics and stated that the type of applications they assess and recommend to DHA shows a strong investment appetite for South Africa, with immigration practitioners adding great value by preventing errors and ensuring correct applications are submitted.
We were extremely grateful to have several senior officials from the DTIC engaging us robustly, providing crucial and concrete information to guide us as immigration professionals on how to improve our work and the submission of business visas and permit applications.
The DTIC repeatedly emphasized, with evidence-based examples, that immigration practitioners are important to DTIC’s work. They could easily discern the difference between an application prepared by an immigration practitioner and one submitted by an individual. DTIC consistently stated that the value and standard of work they receive from immigration practitioners significantly streamlines their application assessment process.
Furthermore, DTIC shared that in the first two quarters of this financial year, they assessed over 220 non-visitor visa applications, 140 of which were business visa applications. These applications represent millions of rands potentially coming into our economy.
One or two of these applications can easily equate to R100million investment into our economy. However, what often happens because of complex processes and undue rejections with these applications, many investors who saw South Africa as a land of opportunity and gateway into Africa take their multi million rand investments elsewhere.
Just recently we were approached by an investor who said the process of doing a business visa in South Africa was so fraught with confusion that they ended up taking their business to Tanzania.
A retired DHA official painted a grim picture of severe understaffing within key DHA units, confirming the frustrations experienced daily by practitioners and clients.
While digital advancements are important, the Minister of Home Affairs’ focus on future digitization overlooks the immediate challenges faced by thousands at Home Affairs branches. The solution to our obstacles is simple: open communication and genuine partnership with DHA is needed, not just relaxed visa reforms.
Immigration is crucial for delivering on foreign direct investment, tourism, and job creation in line with the National Development Plan targets. However, recent announcements by DHA seem to undermine immigration practitioners, despite our value being recognised by other government departments.
DHA insists on talking at us about all their reforms but fails to tell us how these changes will be implemented and continues to display a complete lack of understanding the value of immigration practitioners.
Recent announcements by the DHA seem to be wiping immigration practitioners out of business while the government department responsible for trade and investment completely understands and backs our work and our value.
Our message to Minister Leon Schreiber and DHA is that our doors are open for constructive engagement to create a Home Affairs system that works for all. Immigration reform requires serious consideration of the inputs and experiences of immigration professionals.
There is a clear need and value in our work, as evidenced by our clients, the DTIC, and our success rates, but it feels like the DHA does not truly hear or see us.