SA launches visa reform to lure talent

South Africa announced a remote work visitor visa and a new points-based system for work visas on Wednesday, aiming to attract talent and investment and grow the country’s tourism sector.

The remote work visitor visa seeks to lure highly paid individuals who are employed abroad to spend their money in South Africa, eat at South African restaurants, and buy South African goods and services, said the Department of Home Affairs in a statement.

“The department’s meticulous attention to detail to ensure that these reforms are fit-for-purpose and market-friendly has resulted in two products that begin to reposition South Africa as a world-class destination for investment and tourism to create thousands of new jobs for South Africans,” said South African Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber.

The new points-based system introduces a transparent framework to adjudicate visa applications in order to tackle corruption and cut red tape while delivering on the government’s top priority to grow the economy and create new jobs for South Africans, added Schreiber.