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Mail & Guardian

Visa

latest news & developments
AUSTIN GORMLEY

Ireland celebrates 30 years of ‘shared values’ with SA, reiterates support for Palestine

Irish companies have developed a significant presence in South Africa and employ more than 12 500 people

  • Umamah Bakharia
6 min read
NAMIBIA

Should South Africa introduce a visa for countries that are currently exempt?

The type of visa and the cost of it should be taken into consideration

  • Lindani Zungu
4 min read
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.(Photo by SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images)
ANTI HOMOSEXUALITY ACT

US visa sanctions a reminder that Uganda must urgently stop corruption

According to Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Perception Index, Uganda scored 26 on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean)

  • Robert Kigongo
5 min read
A recent study commissioned by the global financial services company, Visa, highlighted that although 93% of minibus taxi passengers still use cash, 56% of them would prefer to use a prepaid card if one was available.
CAPE AMALGAMATED TAXI ASSOCIATION

Brave new minibus taxi world: Cashless and taxed

Brave new minibus taxi world: Cashless and taxed

  • Eunice Masson
8 min read
Nowhere to go: Zimbabwean special permit holders outside Home Affairs. (Madelene Cronjé)
CLIFFE DEKKER HOFMEYR

Zimbabwe permit holders can work until 31 December even if permit application unsuccessful

Lawyers at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr say Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders can work in the country until the end of December as they appeal unsuccessful application outcomes

  • Anathi Madubela
5 min read
(John McCann/M&G)
ACADEMIC RANKING OF WORLD UNIVERSITIES

OPINION | New UK work visa to exclude graduates from Africa

If graduates did not get their qualifications from the list of top 50 universities, 40 of which are in the US, France, China, Hong Kong, Australia, Germany, Canada and Japan,…

  • Afeez Bolaji
7 min read
Cropped shot of a woman holding her ID book in an airport
COVID 19

A South African passport allows entry to 103 countries visa-free

It’s best to plan ahead by ensuring you have the correct visa (if one is needed) and other documents, the vaccinations required as well as knowledge of Covid-19 restrictions

  • Andrew Price
4 min read
If South Africa is intent on fulfilling the provisions of the AfCFTA, then the department of home affairs must relax, rather than retract, its visa requirements for people from other countries, particularly African ones.(Gallo)
COUNTRY

South Africa fails to tap into immigration pot of gold

South Africa appears to regard all foreigners with suspicion, making visa, residency and citizenship applications a complex nightmare

  • Stefanie De
  • Saude Darbandi
3 min read
British efforts to strengthen its position in the world are being undermined by its visa system. (Graphic: John McCann/M&G)
BORIS JOHNSON

UK visas discriminate against Africans

No continent has suffered more from Britain’s ‘hostile environment’ immigration policy

  • Nic Cheeseman
7 min read
For the last decade, the government has been complaining that the country has become a destination of bogus asylum seekers who left their homes in search of economic opportunities. (Mujahid Safodien/AFP/Getty Images)
BABATUNDE FAGBAYIBO

Why Africans can’t move freely within their own continent

As things currently stand, only four mem​ber states (Mali, Niger, Rwanda and Sao Tome & Principe) have ratified the free movement protocol

  • Babatunde Fagbayibo
6 min read
(Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
BRITIAN

Systemic prejudice in the UK, and visa refusals for African academics

Accusations of racism continue to be directed towards the UK following an inquiry concerning denials of visit visas for African applicants

  • Maddie Grounds
5 min read
About 200 African content moderators are being laid off by Sama, Meta’s Kenyan subcontractor. This comes after Facebook’s parent company Meta declined to renew Sama’s contract, which expires at the end of March. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)
CRYPTOCURRENCY

Libra, the cryptocurrency spearheaded by Facebook, arrives

Unlike other digital or cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, the Libra is intended to be backed by real assets

  • Lynley Donnelly
3 min read
Immigration applications are submitted to South Africa’s 124 foreign missions, but each seems to have its own set of requirements. (Jacques Demarthon/Reuters)
HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

Immigration Act upended by legal chaos

Every foreigner, including investors, has to hurdle ignorant officials and a multiplicity of ‘laws’

  • Gary Eisenberg
4 min read
Invisible: Immigrants queue outside the home affairs department in Pretoria for permits and visas. South Africa is not living up to its constitutional obligation to meet the needs of all people. The African Continental Free Trade Area endorses immigration, yet South Africa’s home affairs department is pushing for stringent requirements for visas. (Madelene Cronjé)
DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS

Home affairs minister abdicates his duties

Our Constitution requires a humane treatment of people but functionaries fail to recognise this

  • Staff Reporter
4 min read
Ahead of anticipated change in immigration policy, government should consider the impact immigration legislation has on foreign direct investment and global skills transfer, says the author. (John McCann/M&G)
DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS

Home affairs takes a (confusing) step in the right direction

The surprise publication of draft amendments to visa regulations is welcome. But what of the draft Bill on immigration due in March next year?

  • Stefanie De
  • Saude Darbandi
4 min read