South African Immigration Policy: Business visa exepert insights/
[Some extracts below. Read the full Opinion as published on Business Day].
As the world has watched US President Donald Trump’s “America First” administration in action, from trade tariffs to the termination of 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts, an introspective assessment of state-determined priorities surrounding what constitutes the “national interest” has been reignited.
Immigration policies follow similar self-interest patterns in protecting and promoting the national interest from both a domestic and foreign policy perspective, and are mostly driven by economic and demographic factors. The preservation of citizens’ jobs, boosting employment and stimulating the economy are often key factors that determine immigration policies, and SA’s stringent immigration regime reflects these protective traits. In light of this multi-layered nature, co-operation and alignment between different governmental departments are key to an unambiguous application and pursuit of the national interest.
Big multinational corporations and BEE discouragement aside, individual private investments into SMEs in SA have been fuelling the economy behind the scenes. According to the Banking Association SA, SMEs make up 91% of formalised businesses, provide employment to about 60% of the labour force and account for about 34% of GDP. Looking at foreign investment and catalysts to economic growth, it most certainly is not all about size
However, over the past few years foreign individual investors and entrepreneurs who are willing to, or have already, personally invested in SA are faced with overprotective red tape and subject to imbalanced arbitrary immigration policies surrounding the evasive definition of “national interest”, beyond the application of the legislative scheme and objectives of the SA Immigration Act.
By Claudia Pizzocri | CEO at Eisenberg & Associates Inc.