Remote Work Visa: Why can’t Home Affairs get this right?
9 May 2024
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) must urgently provide clarity for tourism industry businesses and hopeful travellers on the status quo of the long-awaited remote work visa.
According to one report of an incentive programme in Oklahoma in the US, digital nomads generated nearly $20 million in additional local gross domestic product. Our own research shows that these working tourists spend up to R50 000 during their time in Cape Town.
The visa should have long ago been implemented but just as it looked as if it was finally out of the gate, the department scored a series of own goals of comedic yet infuriating proportions.
On 28 March of this year, the DHA published the amended immigration regulations. This, however, was a day before the closing date of the public comment period. Media reports further state that Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the amendments were made in consultation with the Immigration Advisory Board, which reportedly does not exist yet.
And then on 12 April, the minister issued a notice withdrawing the 28 March amendments!
South Africa’s visa system is already infamously a mess and this latest bungle only serves as a reminder of the murk. The hundreds of thousands of employees working in the tourism industry, not to mention those in need of jobs, can ill afford yet more chaos caused by the department.
Businesses in countless more industries are equally frustrated as the skilled staff they need are unable to get into the country due to unprocessed visas.
I have held ongoing engagements with industry bodies to better comprehend the economic impact of the visa backlogs. I am committed to taking a stand by advocating for change. This endeavour aims to address the constraints faced by companies.
For example, our Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) partner in the call centre industry, CapeBPO, has noted that the current visa system is hindering critical knowledge transfer for numerous local jobs. The sector currently provides 90 000 jobs for Capetonians. If companies and other industry players were able to provide the necessary skills development, that number could increase exponentially in Cape Town and the rest of the country.
Similarly, UVU Africa, the City's tech industry SPV, has emphasised the challenges in acquiring visas for delegates, prompting the relocation of events from Cape Town to other parts of Africa. These events would have been a major economic and jobs’ generator.
In this regard, the Special Investigating Unit’s probe into allegations of maladministration at the department is of great urgency.
In the interim, the department must provide a detailed plan to address the crisis of the visa system and, importantly, adhere to that plan.
The City is making sure that Cape Town is as ready as possible to welcome greater numbers of digital nomads who will take advantage of the new visa. Our official Destination Marketing Organisation, Cape Town Tourism, has partnered with homestay platform, Airbnb to highlight the Mother City’s destination value for international remote workers. The partnership agreement includes a dedicated custom-built Airbnb hub for Cape Town that showcases top local long-term listings, attractions and experiences, and information relating to entry requirements and visa policies.
A fully functioning visa system would be a boon to our country’s economy, driving investments and jobs for millions of desperate South Africans. I urge President Cyril Ramaphosa to exert pressure on the department to get this done.
Issued by Media Office, City of Cape Town, 9 May 2024
