Effectively procuring South African work visas, business visas

The southernmost country on the African continent, South Africa is a multi-ethnic country with a population of about 56 million. It earned the nickname Rainbow Nation owing to its pluralistic society, where there are people belonging to different races, religions, and languages.

The second largest economy in what was referred to as the Dark Continent behind Nigeria; it is a country rich in mineral resources and is reportedly the largest producer of gold and platinum in the world. Because of this very aspect, this country has a large mining industry.

The country, which became a democracy in 1994 after apartheid was abolished, is divided into nine provinces. Its largest city is Johannesburg. Cape Town and Durban, which are second and third largest cities in the country, respectively, are also important commercial centers.

Before applying for a South African work visa, you need to know that this county issues different types of work visas. ICT or (Intra Company Transfer visa is issued to migrant workers for four years. They are normally given to employees of a company who have been transferred to work for their operations in this country. An individual must apply for this visa in the country she/he belongs to and cannot be renewed.

Critical Skills visa is issued for a period five years to people possessing skills and qualifications which are considered essential or critical to the South African economy. One needs an SAQA certification has to be registered with a professional organization in the country.

General Work visa is also issued for five years and is applicable to people who are not eligible for an ICT or a Critical Skills Visa. Considered to be the most tedious and tough to procure, it requires the prospective employer to provide evidence that a citizen or a permanent resident of South Africa cannot fill up the vacancy.

If you want to apply for a South African Business Visa, you need to prove that the sector in which you wish to set up shop is legitimate, provide evidence that you have the capability of investing 5 million rands (about $374, 352) and mandatorily hire three out of every five employees who are either citizens or permanent residents of South Africa. The evidence that you satisfy the aforementioned requirements must be submitted within a year of being eligible for the business visa.

A business visa application is first sent for vetting to the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) which will analyze your plan and other compliant business documents to take a decision on whether they view it positively or otherwise. If approved, you have issued a letter of recommendation which would be sent to the SA or HA Representation overseas. This is considered to be a crucial step as the DTI’s decision will be taken into consideration by the appropriate authorities to decide whether you could be issued a business visa or not.

Source: - https://visaagency.wordpress.com/2017/03/22/effectively-procuring-south-african-work-visas-business-visas/