Start-up visas: Countries draw top talent

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A growing number of countries determined to attract entrepreneurs to their soil are handing “start-up visas” to the best and brightest of them.

A start-up visa enables entrepreneurs to live and start businesses in countries where they are not citizens or permanent residents, for a defined period of time.

According to global entrepreneur network Startup Nations, at least a dozen countries now have start-up visa programmes. These include Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada and Chile. Startup Nations’ network continues to grow, and is expected to add the likes of Argentina, Poland, Norway, the Dominican Republic and Estonia, which plans to implement a start-up visa programme in January. Read more

Validity period of visas now solidified

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Effective 1 August 2016, visas will be issued with a “Valid From” date instead of an “Issue date” which will accurately calculate the expiry dates of visas. This is an issue that has been plaguing expatriate employees. The time employers have previously spent on correcting visas to ensure correct expiry date will no longer be necessary.

Directive 19 of 2016 was issued by the Department of Home Affairs to this effect.

Click here for a copy of the Directive

Department of Home Affairs Launches Inaugural Naturalization

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The Department of Home Affairs will host an inaugural naturalization in honour of foreign nationals residing in South Africa. In this ceremony applicants who have been permanent South African residence holders for a period of 10 years will be formally awarded certificates, while they will be expected to take an oath affirming their allegiance to the Republic of South Africa. The function will take place in the East Rand later Wednesday.

Introduction of The Lesotho Special Permit

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Earlier this year Gigaba introduced the Lesotho Special Permit (LSP). It was indicated that the introduction of the permit was largely influenced by the “success” of the Zimbabwean special permit project, and is aimed at regularising the status of Basotho nationals in South Africa. The scheme will ensure that Lesotho and South African Governments have the biometric data of the individuals in question available to them, and thus equates to free movement between the countries.  Although exact figures are not known, Basotho authorities have previously indicated that there are in excess of 400,000 Basotho nationals residing in South Africa.

Please note that all LSP applications must be submitted before 30 September 2016.

Click here for more information.

Permanent Residency for Graduates

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In the past months the Department of Home Affairs indicated that graduates of South African universities will soon be able to apply for Permanent residency, providing that they have completed their studies in “critical skills areas”. This aims at putting the skills and knowledge that the graduates have obtained from South African universities to good use in South Africa, and opens the way for international students to work or start a business in South Africa after graduation.