DELIVERING the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that his administration was currently streamlining and modernising the eVisa application process in order to make it easy for people to enter the country.
The president was delivering his sixth SONA at Cape Town’s City all, Cape Town on Thursday evening.
“The world over, the ability to attract skilled immigrants is the hallmark of a modern, thriving economy. We are therefore streamlining and modernising the visa application process to make it easier to travel to South Africa for tourism, business and work,” he said.
The president also confirmed that South Africa’s eVisa system is now operational and has been launched in 14 countries, including China, India, Kenya and Nigeria.
The Western Cape provincial government has previously mooted a Remote-Work visa as a way of attracting skilled and wealthy tourists to the country.
The visa would specifically be aimed at attracting ‘digital nomads’ – people who will live in and work remotely from cities such as Cape Town.
Visas for digital nomads are travel permits that legalise the status of travelling professionals. Like tourist visas, they are easy to obtain and do not require long paperwork and a work contract. However, they allow for longer stays.
“As we committed last year, the eVisa system has now been launched in 14 countries, including China, India, Kenya and Nigeria.”
He further added that government has also published a revised critical skills list for the first time since 2014.
This is after a detailed technical work and extensive consultations with business and labour.
“The revised Critical Skills List has been published for the first time since 2014, following detailed technical work and extensive consultations with business and labour. The updated list reflects the skills
that are in shortage today, to ensure that our immigration policy matches the demands of our economy,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa said a review of the work visa system is currently underway led by a former Director-General of Home Affairs.
“A comprehensive review of the work visa system is currently underway, led by a former Director-General of Home Affairs, Mr Mavuso Msimang. This review is exploring the possibility of new visa categories that could enable economic growth, such as a start-up visa and a remote working visa,” he said.
The e-Visa allows a potential traveler to apply for a Visa from his or her home country without having to visit the Mission, as well as pay the visa cost online.
- * Inside Politics
