Successfully Navigating Important SA Government Document Renewals While Living Abroad

NEWS | SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATING IMPORTANT SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT RENEWALS WHILE LIVING ABROAD

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This leaves South Africans wanting to obtain their Civic Services stuck between a rock and a hard place, as they usually have to travel back home to complete the process; and even then they are not guaranteed to receive the documentation in time before having to travel back abroad.

Types of Civic services

Typical Civic services include:

  • Unabridged birth certificates;
  • Unabridged marriage certificates;
  • Passport renewals;
  • Death certificates;
  • Apostilling/legalising of documents;
  • Letters of no-impediment;
  • South African Police Clearances; and
  • Expediting of any pending applications.

Why is a local service provider is key to obtaining these types of documentation?

Besides the fact that you might not be able to return to South Africa to fulfil this process, it often occurs that when trying to obtain/reapply for official Certificates, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) does not consider such applications with high priority which consequently leaves a substantial backlog with processing times to be as long as 6 – 18 months.

Using a professional service provider comes with an added level of assurance, swiftness and convenience; where the process is fully understood, and applications submitted on a first-time accurate basis. Xpatweb has assisted many South Africans abroad, and accordingly, compile, submit your application, and facilitate the process on your behalf to DHA in South Africa and courier to wherever you find yourself in this world.

Once we have received your information and the required documents, it will take approximately 8 weeks for the Department to process and issue your certificate.

Other benefits include:

  • Removing the administrative burden of compiling documents
  • Avoiding long queues, application forms and processes
  • Includes several follow-ups to ensure your application is finalised
  • Resolve any issues that might cause a delay
  • Full tracking of the application
  • The certificate gets delivered to you within an excellent turnaround time

Xpatweb maintains a long-standing professional relationship with DHA and our professionals are well versed in the various South African Government Issued Certificates. This service allows you to get your affairs in order from the comfort of your own home.

AUTHOR
Mpho Ndimande
Mpho Ndimande
Immigration Administrator

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NEWS | SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST SOUGHT AFTER SKILLS

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“The OIHD list is an essential resource for skills development initiatives across the tertiary education, public and private sectors,” says Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb, a private firm that was invited to contribute to the list’s compilation.

Why the list is important

The OIHD list alerts tertiary education institutes, professional bodies, employers and other stakeholders to occupations that indicate relatively high employment growth in the past, present and future but are currently in shortage. This allows them to establish courses and internal skills development programmes to alleviate future shortfalls in business-critical competencies.

The Gazette regards an occupation as being in shortage when the demand for labour exceeds the supply of people willing to work for a particular income, under prevailing working conditions, at a specific place and point in time.

“We encourage stakeholders to review the list against their existing training programmes and human resources requirements to ensure they are adequately prepared,” says Jacobs.

Private sector input

“As the only private sector company to receive special mention in the Gazette, we are proud to have been consulted in this process,” says Jacobs.

She attributes the firm’s inclusion based on the Critical Skills Survey Results, which is an annual survey that reports the skills that organisations consider most difficult to source and recruit.

On the basis of this research, Xpatweb was invited to present its findings as part of an interdepartmental session, also comprising the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the Department of Labour, and the Department of Trade and Industry. This included the methodology used and impact on employers.

The Xpatweb Critical Skills Survey is in its 5th year running and, with inputs from the DHET in the above consultation sessions, the 2019/20 survey is more in depth to further unpack feedback from the participants.

The inputs received up to end September 2020 have already been incorporated into the OIHD list published on 26 November.

The impact of COVID

The 2020 OIHD list takes into consideration the impact of COVID-19 on economic activities and the consequent shift in demand for affected occupations. These are highlighted either in red, indicating possible slower recovery in or lower demand for the skill, or green, indicating possible faster recovery or increased demand.

“This introduces some uncertainty into the equation, and we will closely monitor how the pandemic plays out and if there are lasting effects on the job market,” says Jacobs.

Towards a critical skills list

The OIHD list is not a critical skills list and does not indicate those occupations requiring the employment of skilled foreign nationals for whom visas may be obtained.

The DHET will work with the DHA to amend the existing national critical skills list, which was last updated in 2014. The list is expected to be published in early 2021 and incorporate occupations that have recently emerged.

“Our research suggests these will include occupations in the growing oil and gas sector, ICT skills and STEM teachers,” says Jacobs.


AUTHOR
Marisa-Jacobs
Marisa Jacobs
Director

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NEWS | MAURITIUS OFFERS NEW PREMIUM LONG-STAY VISA FOR FREE

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Zainab Bouzaine, Immigration Specialist at XpatWeb, says the new Visa programme will likely appeal to several South Africans who either want to work remotely on a picturesque tropical island, escape from rising Covid-19 numbers locally or those who want to get a feel for the tropical island to determine whether they would like to retire there eventually.

“The Mauritian Government isn’t charging for this Visa, and there aren’t any commitment fees associated with it. South Africans may enter Mauritius on a tourist Visa and apply for the Premium Long-Stay Visa once they are there, or you can apply through the economic development board before departure. If you are eligible, can apply for the Visa from 16 November 2020,” says Bouzaine.

New Visa requirements and eligibility

Some of the requirements for this long-stay Visa include not entering the Mauritian labour market, and applicants will need to prove that they have enough income from a source outside of Mauritius to stay there. Apart from the standard emigration requirements, additional documentation needed includes health insurance and proof of accommodation for the duration of your stay.

Long-stay Visa holders will be able to stay in Mauritius for 180 days. It is important to note that after 183 days, Visa holders will become a tax resident of Mauritius.

Mauritius and Covid-19 

At the beginning of the pandemic, the WHO identified Mauritius among 13 African countries as being at high risk due to the high volume of international travel, high population density, and long life expectancy (due to the elderly being at greater risk),.

In as little as five weeks, Mauritius brought down its Covid-19 inflection cases from a cluster of local cases to zero cases, becoming the first in Africa to contain the virus’s spread after reporting its first case in March.

The country’s well-developed healthcare system, combined with a timely and decisive national response and strict measures to detect and stem the virus’s spread, has led to the country becoming an African Covid-19 success story.

“The Premium Long-Stay Visa is ideal for retirees who want to get distance from the pandemic, as well as people who do business remotely and have kids that can study remotely. We also foresee that people who aren’t quite ready to commit to moving to Mauritius will make use of this extended stay Visa to get a better feel of what life on the island could be like,” says Bouzaine.

With beautiful beaches, lagoons, reefs, a modern infrastructure, and a small population of 1.2-million people, it’s not hard to see Mauritius’ appeal to tourists.

“There are many factors, both immigration and tax-related, that can make planning and having a roadmap invaluable when exiting South Africa. Therefore, to avoid costly mistakes, one must seek professional assistance and follow due diligence when looking to go to Mauritius on the Premium Long-Stay Visa,” concludes Bouzaine.

NEWS | 10-YEAR UAE GOLDEN VISA AT HAND FOR FOREIGN NATIONALS WITH SCARCE SKILLS

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This means that Foreigners with scarce skills in the UAE can now apply to obtain a Golden Visa which is valid for an impressive 10-year period. Such foreigners include holders of doctoral degrees in medicine, electronics, programming, and engineering.

Moreover, students from certain universities and high schools may also be eligible for the Golden Visa provided they obtain top marks whilst studying in the country. This initiative aims to retain top graduates.

A key benefit of the 10-year Golden Visa is that it helps applicants avoid the lengthy renewal process which can be quite a complex one for most foreigners and companies residing/doing business in the country.

Below an overview of the qualifying criteria for the different categories –

Requirements for foreign investors to be eligible for a Golden Visa

At least one of the below conditions must be fulfilled:

  • A deposit of up to Dh10 million (roughly ZAR 41 million) in an investment fund in the UAE.
  • Owner of a company with Dh10m (roughly ZAR 41 million) in capital or a partner in a company with a share of up to Dh10m.

In addition, all of the below conditions must be met:

  • The investment fund must be fully owned rather than funded through a loan. Proof must be provided.
  • The investment should be held for at least three years.
  • The investor must provide a comprehensive insurance document for themselves and their family.

Requirements for entrepreneurs to be eligible for a Golden Visa

  • This category includes those having an existing project with a minimum capital of AED 500,000, or those who have the approval of an accredited business incubator in the country.

Requirements for students to be eligible for a Golden Visa include the following:

  • A Ph. D. degree from one of the top 500 universities in the world (refer to ICA for information).
  • An award or certificates of appreciation in the field of the applicant’s work.
  • Contribution to a major scientific research in the respective field of work.

Requirements for professionals to be eligible for a Golden Visa

  • One must own a successful project valued at Dh500,000 or more in a certified field in the UAE.
  • One must have approval as a certified business incubator who founded the project.
  • One must provide a comprehensive health insurance document for themselves and their family.

Global Competition for Skills

Evidently, it shows that that skills are globally sourced for the economic benefit of those countries, while also highlighting the global need to compete for scarce skills.

Should you wish to learn more about golden visa opportunities, and are unsure whether you may be eligible to apply for such visa, please complete the contact form below and one of our immigration consultants will be in touch.

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NEWS | UAE WIDENS 10-YEAR RESIDENCY ‘GOLDEN’ VISA ELIGIBILITY

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Foreigners in the UAE usually have renewable visas valid for only a few years tied to employment. The government in the past couple of years has made its visa policy more flexible, offering longer residencies for certain types of investors, students and professionals.

All holders of doctorate degrees, medical doctors and also computer, electronics, programming, electrical and biotechnology engineers are eligible, UAE Vice President and the ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said in a statement.

Also eligible are those with specialised degrees in artificial intelligence, big data and epidemiology, as well as high school students living in the UAE who rank top in the country and students from certain universities with a GPA of 3.8 or higher.

After first announcing a long-term visa plan in 2018, the UAE in 2019 started granting 5- and 10-year renewable visas to certain foreign investors, entrepreneurs, chief executives, scientists and outstanding students.

The emirate of Dubai, a Middle East trade and tourism hub, in September said it would grant visas renewable every five years to wealthy foreign retirees.

An oil and gas producer, the UAE’s economy has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic and low oil prices, prompting many expatriates to leave.

Source: News24