The new Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber has hit the ground running as his first official act a day after being sworn in, was extending the temporary concession for foreign nationals who are currently awaiting the outcome of visa, waiver and appeal applications.
This extension safeguards applicants, including those who are contributing to South Africa through their scarce skills, from suffering adverse consequences or being erroneously declared undesirable while they await the outcome of applications submitted to the Department.
The processing of some of these applications has been delayed as the Department works on reducing backlogs.
While the Department has made progress in this regard since its previous communication on the matter, there is still a backlog in various visa and permit categories and Minister Schreiber has now moved to protect applicants while the backlog is reduced.
The decision to avert adverse consequences for applicants who seek to obtain lawful visas in order to contribute to South Africa, either through their skills or as tourists, signals the Ministers commitment to improving the visa system to make South Africa a more attractive destination for international investment, tourism and job creation. While it will take time to achieve this vision in full, the decision to extend the temporary concession serves as a signal of intent to reinvigorate the Department of Home Affairs and position it as a vital economic enabler, the department said in a statement.
