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South Africa introduces new work visa rules to attract critical skills
South Africa has amended existing work visa regulations to attract foreign workers with critical skills to the country to boost its economy.
The revisions are a part of continuous efforts to modernise the nation’s visa requirements, encourage creativity, and draw in foreign investment, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa announced.
“To succeed in an ever-changing global economy, our country needs far more people with the right skills. This is so that our economy can be competitive, grow and create employment,” President Ramaphosa said in a statement.
“The publication of the new draft regulations is part of our ongoing drive to reform the country’s visa system, making it easier to attract the skills our economy needs and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship. An efficient, agile, responsive visa regime is key to attracting business investment and boosting economic growth. International experience shows that employees with critical skills contribute to improved productivity, enhanced innovation, and improving the competitiveness of the firms they work for.,” he added.
The draft amendments include a remote working visa and a critical skills visa. Digital nomads who can operate virtually from anywhere in the world are covered by the remote working visa.
For critical skills visas, the draft regulations provide a point system that accounts for job experience, age, education, language proficiency, and receiving an employment offer.
The South African government has committed over R3 billion ($158 million) since 2016 to bolstering the development and growth of business process outsourcing, intending to create about 500,000 new jobs in the industry by 2030, President Ramaphosa indicated.
