Visa backlog: Portfolio committee welcomes overtime approval for Home Affairs officials

The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration has welcomed the approval of overtime for Home Affairs officials to reduce the visa backlog.

This comes after Minister of Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi and his department granted the overtime request from Homes Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber for the next three months to meet target and reduce the backlog.

“The committee understands and supports the interim measure of granting the Department of Home Affairs three months of overtime to the officials to reduce the visa backlog.

“These interventions will assist in ensuring the country attracts critical skills that businesses need to grow the economy and reduce the rising unemployment rate.

“The collaboration by the two departments clearly demonstrates ‘the spirit of commitment to a joint national effort to reconcile our nation and improve its well-being’ as mentioned by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his opening of the 7th Parliament,” chairperson of the committee, Jan De Villers, said.

In his first official act as the new Home Affairs minister, just one day after being sworn in, Minister Schreiber extended the temporary concession for foreign nationals currently awaiting the outcome of visa, waiver, and appeal applications.

The processing of some of these applications has been delayed as the department works on reducing backlogs. While Home Affairs has made progress in this regard since its previous communication, there is still a backlog in various visa and permit categories. Minister Schreiber has now moved to protect applicants while the backlog is reduced.

The department said 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 minister’s commitment to improving the visa system to make South Africa a more attractive destination for international investment, tourism, and job creation.

At the time, Minister Schreiber committed to avoiding a repeat of the current situation that has seen the previous concession expires before the extension being announced.

“While the department is committed to eradicating the backlog as soon as possible, the minister undertakes that any further extension, modification or amendment to the terms of these concessions will be communicated in writing prior to the new expiry date of December 31, 2024,” the department said in a statement.

The backlog will assist those:

• Applicants whose waiver application outcomes are still pending
• Applicants whose visa applications are still pending
• Applicants whose visa appeal applications are still pending
• Short-term visa holders issued in terms of section 11(1)(a): Short term visas 90 days or less, who have applied for a renewal, but have not received their visa renewal outcome, must make the necessary arrangements to depart from South Africa within 90 calendar days from the date of expiry of the principal visa, to avoid being declared undesirable. The latter concession is in line with the provisions of section 11(1)(a) of the Immigration Act, 2002 which limits the duration of sojourn for visiting purposes to a total of 180 days.
• The temporary concession applies only to foreign nationals who have been legally admitted into South Africa: This concession is also only applicable to applicants who have submitted their applications via VFS Global and who can produce a verifiable receipt for such application against the VFS Global tracking system.

De Villers said that Minister Buthelezi’s support to Minister Schreiber will directly contribute towards the building of improved professional state capacity in Home Affairs, which would have a positive effect on job creation and economic growth.

“We as the committee look forward to also playing our part towards supporting Minister Buthelezi and his department towards the goal of realising a professional, capable, ethical, and developmental state,” De Villiers said.

robin.francke@iol.co.za

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