Retire with wealth in South Africa

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For many foreign nationals, South Africa (SA) is a dream retirement destination, thanks to its diverse landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and favourable exchange rates. Adding to its allure is the unique aspect of the visa process, which offers a seamless pathway to enjoying the country’s abundant beauty.

Why South Africa

Whether you are looking for a luxurious and expansive residence nestled in the picturesque coastal neighbourhood of Camps Bay, or the modern sophistication of Sandton, SA offers some of the most sought-after real estate in Africa. Unlike most temporary permits, SA’s Retired Person’s Visa allows applicants to own property. Discovering an ideal new residence might feel overwhelming, but thanks to the country’s thriving real estate sector and relatively lower purchase costs, the property market can cater to a wide range of property preferences.

With a favourable exchange rate, applicants can stretch their retirement savings significantly further. The country’s well-established financial sector provides a range of investment options, including robust retirement annuity options, that offer steady and reliable income streams for retirees.

South Africa’s Retired Person’s Visa allows holders to renew every 4 years, and after residing in the country for 5 years, applicants can qualify for Permanent Residency. With Permanent Residency, one would have the right to permanently reside in the country as a South African resident, without the need to renew their visa every 4 years.

Residing in South Africa

Living in South Africa offers a unique blend of diverse cultures, breathtaking landscapes, and natural wonders. The country’s rich tapestry of traditions, languages, and cuisines reflects its vibrant multicultural society. For these reasons it is easy to understand why Cape Town took the top spot at the Telegraph Travel Awards, being voted the world’s best city to visit for the second year in a row.

South Africa boasts a reputation for providing high-quality private healthcare, equipped with advanced medical technologies and skilled healthcare professionals. Taking advantage of the greater financial comfort, retiring in South Africa presents an opportunity for individuals to retire wealthy with access to private facilities.

The Tax Considerations

Throughout the process, applicants must consider the tax implications of their move to SA. They should ensure they meet all the compliance requirements for both the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the revenue authority of the country they are departing.

Applicants should bear in mind that if they intend to work in SA, they may need to meet additional requirements, which can include ceasing tax residency in previous jurisdictions and becoming a South African tax resident.

Make The Dream a Reality

SA remains a sought-after destination for foreign nationals seeking to settle into an idyllic lifestyle. While SA’s Retired Person’s Visa makes the country even more attractive for these individuals, the immigration process can be complex and burdensome.

Equally important are the various documentary requirements for a smooth immigration process. These remain a critical part of the visa application process and should meet the standards set out by the Department of Home Affairs.

With the assistance of immigration experts, however, the stress of the retirement visa application process is significantly reduced. The well-rounded immigration specialist would plan a roadmap that considers every step of your move to South Africa, ensuring the entire process is handled efficiently and effectively.

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Why all mobility professionals should attend Xpatweb’s Virtual Immigration Workshop

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During Xpatweb’s Global Mobility Breakfast event, Mr. Phindiwe Mbhele (Acting Chief Director: Permits at the Department of Home Affairs) shed some light on the current application backlog and the Department’s innovative initiatives to combat future backlogs.

Our upcoming Virtual Immigration Workshop, with guest speaker Advocate Deon Erasmus, will focus on the Department’s efforts on decreasing the backlog, the adjusted Critical Skills list and a multitude of the complexities surrounding the legislative provisions pertaining to Work Visas, with a specific emphasis on Intra-Company Transfers Work Visas.

Topics of discussion will include the relevant Sections of the Immigration Act and accompanying Immigration Regulations that govern the application and adjudication process of Intra-Company Transfer Work Visas.

Whether you are an individual applying for a South African Work Visa or a corporate entity seeking to employ qualified foreign nationals, this event promises to equip you with a better understanding of the regulatory framework pertaining to work visas.

Delegates can register for the upcoming event here: Virtual Immigration Workshop | Xpatweb

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The Isle of Man hosts 800 South Africans – boasting as popular relocation destination

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The Island, which is located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland, is a popular relocation destination with a population of roughly 80,000, of which just over 8,000 are South Africans.

The event was sponsored by Standard Bank, and was organized and coordinated by Isle Settle, in collaboration with the SA Chamber of Commerce UK. The Mayor of Douglas, Councilor Natalie Byron, opened the festival with welcoming words of a long mutual relationship between the Isle of Man and South Africa; and further expressed their warmth towards the rainbow nation.

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Enterprise, Honourable Jane Poole-Wilson, addressed the Saffas, unpacking why the Island is so attractive to South Africans. She firstly mentioned the constitutional relationship as a crown dependency of the United Kingdom, rather than a constitute, which means they can be agile to the needs of the people and the economy. She added that the island plan and economic strategy sets out an ambitious vision for the future, and the Island has an economy that is exciting and hungry for more of the skills and energy that people and businesses from South Africa can bring. Hon Poole-Wilson acknowledged that the people and companies at the festival were excellent ambassadors of this and highlighted that the Isle of Man is keen to build on these links.

She boasted her belief that the Isle of Man is the best place to live and work, while quoting the HSBC expat survey, which confirms this by ranking the Isle of Man the ‘Best Place to Live and Work in the British Isles’, measuring quality of life, access to education, and political and economic stability.

Tax Consulting South Africa and Xpatweb, were invited as sponsors of the event as the premium mobility service provider to businesses and individuals on the Island, which includes immigration solutions as well as holistic tax planning and compliance across borders. They were able to connect with professionals to extend solutions to a multitude of challenges which are faced during the relocation process. They further consulted with individuals who have settled in and are still dealing with questions and uncertainties around their current tax and immigration compliance.

Sharon Constançon, Chairman of the SA Chamber of Commerce UK, a South African herself living in the UK for the last 20 years, closed proceedings echoing the sentiments of the Deputy Minister and showing support for individuals and business who are looking to relocate to the Isle of Man.

The Isle of Man continues to be a popular destination, actively attracting skills and talent across various industries including financial services, technology and gaming, medical, entrepreneurship and innovation. The favourable tax incentives, short path to British citizenship, accessibility, and lifestyle, are some of the factors pulling more and more South Africans to the Island.

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Department of Home Affairs Confirms Visa Backlog Has Increased to over 74 000, but Xpatweb says they see improvement

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Department of Home Affairs Confirms Visa Backlog Has Increased to over 74,000, but Xpatweb says they see improvement


The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) was represented by the Acting Chief Director: Permits, Mr. Phindiwe Mbhele. Many attendees commented that he presented exceptionally and he demonstrated a level of frankness on the challenges the DHA was experiencing, and also shared some of the plans of the DHA to eradicate the delays encountered by employers. This specifically refers to companies and international individuals who are applying for general work visas, intra-company transfer work visas, critical skills work visas, corporate visas, business visas and permanent residency applications.

Marisa Jacobs, the Managing Director of Xpatweb, dealt with the challenges, latest changes to immigration law and practices, as well as the current leading practices in managing work visas for international employees and business professionals. She noted that the only way to ensure any sort of promise can be made to a business for a timely issued visa/permit, is by following a legal escalation process with timeframes. The days are past where it can be expected of a normal human resource function to get correctly and timeously issued visas for a business. The current application process followed by Xpatweb allows for the smooth transition to a legal escalatory process in the event that the application is not finalized timeously. She also explained that the Xpatweb team is increasingly capacitated with attorneys and advocates specialising in immigration in order to deal with the challenges experienced by individuals and corporates alike when applying for a visa or permanent residence permit.

The following 2 (two) disparities arose from the presentations of Mr. Mbhele and Ms. Jacobs, which treated the attendees to an interesting debate facilitated by Jeremy Maggs –

  • Mr. Mbhele noted that the DHA backlog on permits has increased to over 74,000 and that the DHA is keeping a very close track of the number of applications outstanding. He said that despite a backlog eradication project having been established by the DHA, the number of outstanding permits is increasing. This was contrasted by Ms. Jacobs who noted that practically, on the ground, Xpatweb has seen a marked improvement on visas being issued quicker and that many corporate employers and international employees are very pleased with the outcomes which they are receiving, especially in the past couple of months.
  • Ms. Jacobs, however, noted that an area of concern is a much higher first-time rejection rate of work visa applications. These rejections are often completely unfounded in law and sometimes even have comical reasons as to why visas are being rejected. The application must then the appealed, which means further delays, as the DHA appeal department also has a backlog of appeals. Mr. Mbhele disagreed on this point and noted that the rejection rate has only slightly increased from previously below 25% to now 26%.

Everyone attending the Global Mobility Breakfast agreed that the demand for international employees is increasing in order to address the skills gap that exists to ensure South Africa remains globally competitive. The annual Xpatweb Critical Skills Survey is expected to be finalised in October 2023 , and any employer with foreign employees or the need for potential foreign employees should consider participating in the survey, which is used by government to inform their decision making.

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The Critical Skills Crisis – A Problem Mitigated by Data-Driven Evidence

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While the country remains a hotspot for foreign workers and their families to settle down as well as many looking to work remotely – which is a positive – the South African economy and its businesses continue to need more critically skilled employees. This shortage may be supplemented by foreign nationals in the short and medium term. Unfortunately, however, the stringent and currently backlogged South African visa process makes obtaining a South African work visa challenging.

This is not the end of the road, though. Xpatweb, South Africa’s premium work permit and immigration provider, has found that providing the government with sufficient, data-driven evidence, could be the key to mitigating this crisis.

Data-Driven Evidence

South Africa’s skills crisis was brought into sharp focus when Xpatweb released the results from its 2020/2021 Critical Skills Survey. The survey was conducted across 220 multinational and JSE-listed companies and assisted in affecting much-needed change to policy and the current Critical Skills list.

Xpatweb is currently running the 2023 Critical Skills Survey so that companies and organisations can continue contributing to change. Many companies have already participated, and we have already seen some eye-opening statistics.

Among the companies that have taken the 2023 Critical Skills survey, preliminary results show:

  • 78% of participants stated that their organisation struggles to recruit critically skilled individuals.
  • 73% indicated that an international search will assist the organisation in meeting critical business objectives.
  • 82% of participants confirmed succession planning and skills transfer is a priority for their business.

These preliminary results are tracking similarly to the previous survey. Additionally, this year’s survey included a group of questions specifically relating to spouses of assignees. The initial statistics indicate that there is undoubtedly a need for a remote working visa in South Africa to retain and attract highly skilled foreign workers and their families:

  • 93% stated that the spouse/partner of a Critical Skills Visa holder should be authorised to work in the host country upon recognition of their dependent status; and
  • 81% stated that dual career and partner issues have always been and are becoming even more critical to their organisations.li>

The results from previous surveys have been instrumental in effecting the much-needed change several industries and organisations needed. This year’s survey may be just as influential.

Effecting Change with the Critical Skills Survey

Xpatweb runs this survey annually, however, the results from the 2020/21 Critical Skills survey were key in updating the previous Critical Skills list, which had not changed since 2014. The 2022 list not only included new critical skills but with Xpatweb’s continued input, it also re-introduced several essential skills that had previously been marked for removal. These included several occupations in the trade and engineering field.

Ultimately, the positive response from the government indicated that they are willing to assist if they are provided with sufficient evidence. This essential survey provides that evidence, and with Xpatweb acting as your representative, positive change can occur.

A Few Short Questions Away from Making a Difference

Xpatweb continues to be a trusted source of truth by the government, and as such, a trusted representative for many organisations. By taking Xpatweb’s Critical Skills Survey, you can provide the necessary data and evidence to effect much-needed change.

Xpatweb is hosting a business-critical breakfast event with Marisa Jacobs and Phindiwe Mbhele (Acting Chief Director: Permits at the DHA) as the speakers. This event will provide insights into the updated critical skills list and the importance of taking the survey this year.

Visit https://www.xpatweb.com/global-mobility-breakfast/ to register now.

Participate in the 2023 Critical Skills Survey now: https://www.xpatweb.com/participate-in-xpatwebs-2022-2023-critical-skills-survey/

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