Skilled Foreign Nationals In South Africa: 5 Areas To Reassess Before Starting Work

Skilled Foreign Nationals In South Africa: 5 Areas To Reassess Before Starting Work

/in , /by

With the world experiencing an international shift of skillsets, the so-called ‘brain-drain’ has created a wealth of opportunities for professionals or entrepreneurs who have their sights set on South Africa.

The Department of Home Affairs have vowed to fast-track applications for critical skills work permits for those with the necessary qualifications, sometimes without requiring an official offer of employment. However, if you aim to establish a business in South Africa, you will need to apply for a business permit. As you are finalising your applications, it is also the perfect time to re-evaluate your risk cover protection and investment portfolio.

While there are international cover and investment options available for expatriates, they seldom provide the necessary security for you and your family. Here are 5 areas to reassess before starting your work in a foreign country:

1. Health Care

Whether you are working in South Africa as a doctor, a teacher or a business executive, you cannot escape the reality of accident or injury. If you are travelling with your family, medical aid cover takes precedence. The health of you or your family while abroad, should always be considered from the viewpoint of the country you are in. To get peace of mind that you and your family are covered for emergency medical procedures while you are resident in South Africa, consult a medical aid provider who can assist with cover for expatriates.

2. Short-term insurance

This type of insurance provides cover for vehicles, electronic devices, household goods, and more. With the potential trials of adjusting to a new country, not to mention the notable crime rate, this could be the most important type of cover for expatriates in South Africa. As this type of insurance depends in large part on the individual and the items insured, it is best to consult a short-term insurance specialist to advise you on the best solutions available for you.

3. Life cover

One element that often gets overlooked is the need for life cover. Cover areas for death, disability, and dreaded disease, are the more prominent focus points to consider when working as a foreign national in South Africa. While you might encounter exclusions on certain conditions or loaded premiums for others, it is best to find the optimal cover package that will suit your needs.

The biggest advantage to having life cover or risk protection in South Africa, is the fact that you will be in South Africa at the time of needing it. It will pay out in South African currency, in your South African account, which will offer you liquidity while you are dealing with the cause of the claim. It is, therefore, imperative to consult a financial services provider with experience in assisting skilled foreign nationals working in South Africa with their risk cover or investment plans.

4. Income protector

As a business owner or qualified professional working in South Africa, there is no better form of security than protecting your income. In the event of an emergency where you are left unable to earn your regular monthly salary, an income protector can provide you with the necessary funds required to sustain you and your family until you can fully return to your work.

Having cover or investments in the country where you are living and working in, can eliminate potential delays in getting immediate assistance when you need it most. At the point of submitting an insurance claim or needing an emergency operation, you do not want to struggle with obtaining approvals from your service provider.

5. Investments

Skilled foreign nationals are often on the lookout for flexible and tax efficient investment vehicles to store funds in. The country they find themselves in usually offer the most financially beneficial investment options, especially if the company they work for contributes towards their retirement savings or the country allows for tax relief through a Double Taxation Agreement.

In circumstances where the employer-employee engagement becomes a long-term one, or the individual is accompanied by his family, then it starts making sense to look at investing in South African property. Buying a house, much like moving to a new country, can be stressful, but the benefits of not having rental obligations while enjoying the potential growth benefits of an asset, can contribute immensely towards your saving goals.

CONTACT US FOR ASSISTANCE
Global Mobility And The Technology That Drives It

Global Mobility And The Technology That Drives It

/in , /by

With the increasing need for automation and remote working, the modern workspace has become more elusive than ever before, as did the vetting and relocation processes of skilled migrants. From tender to implementation, technology has solved many mobility challenges – and created some new ones.

A recent panel discussion about the effects of technology on global mobility processes delivery shed a lot of light on the sector and its future. The virtual LinkedIn event was hosted by Madalina Andrei, who is the Provider Relationship Manager at Xpath.global. The three industry specialists present as speakers were Bianka Budai (Global Mobility Program Manager for Nokia), Gopi Krishna (Global Head of Compensation & Benefits at QuEST Global), and Marisa Jacobs, (Managing Director at Xpatweb, Expatriate Solutions Specialists in Africa).

The pros of technology in the global mobility space

As the speakers shared their experience, the benefits of technology became evident. Krishna pointed out that the biggest impact technology has had on global mobility is that it was no longer about case management or improving on Service Level Agreement (SLA) standards. He believes that technology is all-pervasive and has enabled them to be more focused on the overall experience, for the employer as well as the employee, which could range from ensuring efficiency of remote working to facilitating the relocation process for employees.

“Technology creates transparency, improves user experience, enforces compliance through automated processes and removes individual dependency,” says Krishna.

For Budai, the benefit is not just about a central database that makes sure nothing gets overlooked. She is more excited about the analytics component of modern technology, which goes beyond the usual reports on assignments, nice presentations about geographical locations of assignees or the company’s male-female ratios.

“We have access to all this information,” said Budai. “Not just current data but also the historical data, which can add value to the business management process. We can form part of a business and proactively advise on business plans based on this data. This is something we could never do before.”

The host also made mention of how Xpatweb has made use of technology to conduct their annual skills surveys, which subsequently contributed immensely to South Africa’s Critical Skills List, as well as the Occupations in High Demand List. Jacobs highlighted the fact that the skills that showed the most movement were in the technology sector, which was another example of where global mobility and technology merged.

Challenges solved vs challenges created

The challenges brought about by the introduction of technology to the global mobility sector, differ largely from the challenges faced prior to the arrival of the digital age.

“Our challenges have transformed,” says Budai. “Technology is an enabler. We must now maintain that system and feed it information.”

Andrei, having ample experience herself, was quick to quip that the system will do whatever you tell it to do. However, it is difficult for people to trust in a system or to give over to technology. Also, it takes long to implement new technologies. Those who would have to rely on it, will have to be taught how to use it first. Understanding the process and knowing how to apply technology effectively could prove to be the biggest hurdle for global mobility practitioners to overcome.

“The best automation solution implemented on a bad process would still deliver a bad result,” says Krishna. His comment speaks to getting the process understood and the workflow correct before implementation. “A bad process can only see the gaps getting more emphasized. While there are fragmented technology solutions, global mobility is still a vast topic and requires many things to be integrated. I have not yet seen a technology solution bringing those fragmented pieces together.”

The power of human touch

When asked about the relationship between compliance and technology, Jacobs’ answer put an entirely new perspective on the discussion.

“The relationship between technology and global mobility compliance is indirect. Technology is used to facilitate the visa application process, to better track that process, and to submit documents to government, but, ultimately, it still ends up with an individual who is tasked to review the documentation and make a decision based on the information provided therein. Where technology has been more incorporated, especially with regards to pre-approval, pre-assessments or otherwise individual tax return filings, there remains a manual audit process that can’t presently be automated retaining the need for the human touch.”

The area of compliance is very complex because every jurisdiction will have a different mandate to follow. Technology could bridge the gap and, though still a far way off, the use of Artificial Intelligence could expedite many aspects of the global mobility process. However, the human element will always be a vital factor in the process.

Krishna fondly remembers how the use of tech was called upon during the lockdowns to engage with expatriates and a global workforce overall. He concludes, “The pandemic was a big disruptor. We created Whatsapp groups to keep in touch. In fact, we had to increase the human element! Tech enabled us to focus on this human touch.”

“I agree that the human touch is needed. Technology can never replace it. The two biggest stress events in someone’s life are changing jobs and moving house, an international assignment combines these two, and is compounded by uprooting your life and taking your kids with. Global mobility assignment managers are there to help, facilitate and support you during this process and the role these professionals play in a successful assignment cannot be underestimated” added Budai.

CONTACT US FOR ASSISTANCE
The Brain Drain Can Be South Africa’s Gain

The Brain Drain Can Be South Africa’s Gain

/in , /by

Clicks’ Vikesh Ramsunder has announced he’s stepping down as chief executive for presumably greener pastures abroad, which has enabled the appointment of the group’s first black woman at the helm.

Ramsunder was chief executive for three years and will step down at the end of December to take up a similar post at an Australian listed company; the pharmaceutical retailer said.

He follows in the footsteps of other chief executives who have left South Africa and are now serving in senior roles in the UK and Australia.

Last year, IT and telecoms business leaders, former MTN chief executive Rob Shuter and Reunert executive Mark Taylor, left for the UK. Shuter is now the chief executive at BT Enterprise and Taylor now heads Ricoh International.

Former Vodacom chief financial officer Till Streichert left South Africa to move to Spain, where he is now the chief financial officer of travel technology company Amadeus.

Stories of top executives leaving South Africa and the dreaded brain drain are common parlance, and surely the spectre of “human capital flight” crept in when Ramsunder announced his resignation. But all cannot be doom and gloom such departures are used as an opportunity for transformation.

In the case of Clicks, Bertina Engelbrecht has been elected to succeed Ramsunder as the pharmaceutical group’s first black woman chief executive. Streichert left room for the appointment of new chief financial officer, Raisibe Morathi, who is a black woman, at Vodacom.

Marisa Jacobs, a director at recruiter Xpatweb, said there are good examples of how the brain drain made way for needed transformation.

“Every skill that leaves or enters South Africa creates opportunity. It is whether we choose to see this opportunity or focus on the negative and in so doing, create a negative narrative around skills migration,” said Jacobs.

 

MTN’s Shuter’s exit made way for Ralph Mupita,, who was “his planned successor and a reflection of how a world-class board operates with foresight. The MTN non-executives’ strategy gives an excellent blueprint of foresight and succession planning. Where the correct talent is attracted and remains engaged, the rest often takes care of itself,” Jacobs said.

The other side of the argument is that labour or skills shortages abroad have made South Africans attractive as they have sought-after skills. Jacobs agrees international recruiters go after skills and expertise.

“National considerations like transformation are not part of their requirements. They want to recruit the best possible skills and South Africa has much to offer,” she said.

Dawie Roodt, the chief economist at Efficient Group, said broad-based black economic empowerment (BB-BEE) policies contribute to professionals leaving South Africa.

“There are certain groups in South Africa who do feel marginalised because of things like BEE policies and this is a contributor,” said Roodt.

 

Roodt said South Africa’s skills and education levels are generally inferior to the rest of the world. However, ironically, South Africa has a high level of skills because South African universities compare well with the rest of the world.

“Specifically, we have very qualified people in South Africa, specialists and CEOs, and that is where there is a shortage of skills internationally. So that is where the rest of the world is poaching our skills,” said Roodt.

Jacobs says skills shortages abroad differ from country to country, but internationally experienced executives, engineers, IT professionals, chartered accountants, medical professionals, teachers and tradespeople are sought after.

“Even now, there are shortages in the US and the UK for drivers, so we expect there to be more international mobility. We have so many South African top executives who have left South Africa through the years, achieving great success abroad. The world takes note and where executives are only compensated in rands, the move internationally and ability to earn hard currency and free from exchange control appeals to many.”

South Africa has also had its fair share of senior executive imports, who have been paid exorbitantly. Ian Moir, Woolworths former boss, was Scottish and he left the retailer’s balance sheet in a crippling state due to his David Jones misadventure.

The Canadian-born former Sasol chief executive David Constable, who was the highest-paid CEO on the JSE, took home a whopping R50‑million a year. He took Sasol on a journey to the US with his Lake Charles Chemical Project.

Pick n Pay’s long-term chief executive Richard Brasher was imported from the UK.

“More can certainly be done to make it easier to attract top talent to South Africa, especially when one considers the efforts of other countries. But we have done many work visas for what one can only describe as wins for the country,” said Jacobs.

Source: Mail & Guardian

CONTACT US FOR ASSISTANCE
The advantages of studying in Mauritius

The Advantages Of Studying In Mauritius

/in , /by

Mauritius by the numbers

The most exciting thoughts about moving to Mauritius delivers a sensory overload. Diverse culture, stable economy, island lifestyle and beach views aplenty, are just some of the realities to sink your teeth into. However, a quick look at Mauritian statistics, confirms that there is much more than meets the eye.

Besides an unemployment rate that hangs around the low 7% mark, they also have a low crime rate. According to the annual Forbes Magazine list, as well as the World Bank report, Mauritius was ranked the best African country to do business in, knocking out competitors like South Africa and Nigeria. Both these reports looked at taxation, governance, workforce, banking, infrastructure and more.

With a measly population of close to 1.3 million, there are around 72,000 children of school-going age in Mauritius, with more than 300 primary schools and 170 secondary schools to choose from. Pre-Covid the island recorded a whopping 1.3 million tourists visiting their shores every year. This provides for a bustling hospitality sector year-round.

The Mauritian education system

The education system in Mauritius is diverse and very accommodating. There are many private schooling institutions, all offering a varied curriculum for those who are looking to meet specific criteria. With a couple of tertiary education institutions scattered across the island, there are options for your children when considering their post-schooling education.

Most expatriates opt to keep their children in domestic schools or colleges, though they would have to meet certain criteria set out by the “Equivalence” department of the Ministry of Education. Another available option to parents, is to enrol their kids in one of the French schooling systems on the island, which will introduce them to a new language and social- and cultural development.

The Mauritian government holds the view that everyone has the right to education and advocates for providing access to education. As such, they recently implemented a basic education reform known as the Nine-Year Schooling program. This program offers the full cycle of 11 years compulsory schooling for free at all state institutions, of which 9 years are to be concluded consecutively. The aim of this innovative strategy is to develop a holistic learning program which will secure the future of the Mauritian workforce.

Student Visas in Mauritius

If you are a non-citizen and you are hoping to go to Mauritius to continue your higher studies, then there is always the option of applying for a student visa. This permit will enable you to enter and stay in Mauritius for the duration of your studies, whether full-time or part-time.

To apply for this visa, you will need a letter of admission from a recognized tertiary educational institution or Technical and Vocational Educational and Training (TVET) institution where you have enrolled. The institution you wish to attend must be registered with the Tertiary Education Commission or the Mauritius Qualification Authority. You will also need documentary evidence of availability of funds, as well as accreditation from local establishments regarding the timeframes for the program or course you wish to complete.

Once your studies have been completed, there is always the option of applying for a Young Professionals Permit, which will enable postgraduates to find employment after concluding their degrees.

Another favourable change is that the dependency age of 24 no longer applies. In other words, if your children join you as dependents, they will have more time to conclude their studies or to find their feet after they have finished their schooling. This is also in line with the government’s family-friendly approach to immigration.

Whether you intend to relocate to Mauritius for work and/or seeking schooling solutions for your children before setting off, then it’s best to do a lot of research and to consult an immigration expert who knows a thing or two about the Mauritius relocation process.

CONTACT US FOR ASSISTANCE
Critical SA Jobs left Vacant in wake of skills exodus

Critical SA Jobs Left Vacant In Wake Of Skills Exodus

/in , /by

While the grass might not always be greener on the other side, it does not negate the fact that there is a paucity of educated professionals and experienced staff across many industries that contribute largely towards the economic growth in SA.

The impact of emigration on the ever-changing Critical Skills List

Xpatweb, a specialist immigration consultancy, launched their own independent critical skills survey in 2016. Since then, this annual survey has become a vital contributor to the official Occupations in High Demand List released by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the Critical Skills List (CSL) issued by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), both contributing to assess skills shortages in South Africa. It also marked the first time that a private company was called upon to deliver commentary during the exercise. Subsequently, it has been used to re-include occupations to the CSL that were going to be excluded. The latest survey from Xpatweb sourced data from 220 notable companies, which included multinational groups and JSE-listed corporations.

It cannot be ignored that a contributor to the ever-increasing skills shortages in South Africa, is the exodus of skilled and experienced professionals moving abroad. Their motivation is to pursue international exposure, take advantage of earning a foreign currency, gain global experience and to create opportunities for their families, which could include a second passport or better education.

Skills going out fast, but coming in slow

The big concern is indeed the sad loss of South African professionals who have chosen to emigrate. However, it has also raised another glaring concern. As evidenced in Xpatweb’s Critical Skills Survey, there are companies in dire need of filling key positions to conduct their business. Failure to find suitable South African candidates for these roles, has resulted in Human Resource professionals casting their lines further afield with the hopes of snagging professionals abroad. However, it’s not as easy as finding the best match in a pool of foreigners and then handing them the job.

Before applying for work visas, their qualifications must first be assessed by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and their skills and experience corroborated by the relevant professional body. Only then does the matter progress to the DHA, before the position is finally filled and work resumed.

“It is clearly not just about the skilled workers leaving the country,” says Marisa Jacobs, Director at Xpatweb. “It’s also about attracting and securing critically skilled workers to come into South Africa.”

With the focus on a compliant application, compiled specific to the applicant, employer and place of submission to secure a first-time issued visa in the most expeditious manner, it is vital for each step in the process to be handled expertly. The emphasis should be on which processes can run concurrently, which steps can be motivated to expedite the outcome and an overall approach of care and efficiency.

Jacobs concludes by stating, “Working with a variety of clients across industries on urgent immigration projects daily, we better appreciate than most the business importance and personal impact of obtaining a legal and correctly categorised visa in the most administratively efficient and timely manner.”

CONTACT US FOR ASSISTANCE