Andrew Stegmann

Immigration changes in Angola, Mozambique and South Africa

MOZAMIBIQUE | DIRE Residency Document No Longer Required for New Foreign Hires
Effective immediately, foreign nationals entering Mozambique with a work visa will no longer be required to obtain an Identification and Residency Document for Foreigners (DIRE). Instead, their work visas will be extended up to one year based on the length their employment contracts.

This change only affects new hires going forward. Current DIRE holders will continue to use their DIRE until their current work visa expires. Also note that this change only applies to the work visa holder, and dependent family members of work visa holders are still required to obtain a DIRE.

 

SOUTH AFRICA & ANGOLA | New Reciprocal Visa Waiver
Effective December 1, the South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will implement a reciprocal visa waiver for Angolan citizens for stays of up to 30, to a maximum of 90 days per year. Angolan passport holders will no longer require Port of Entry Visas in advance of travel to South Africa for the purposes of general business, tourism, or family visits and will be issued a 30-day Visitor’s Visa at the Port of Entry upon arrival in South Africa. Reciprocally, Angolan authorities are expected to no longer require visas for South African citizens to enter Angola for the same purposes and periods of stay.

Note, however, that this visa waiver does not include visits for the purposes of work, study, or self-employment. Angolan nationals who are conducting short-term work in South Africa are still required to obtain a Port of Entry Visa with authorization to conduct work under Section 11(2) of the Immigration Act prior to travel. These may be applied for at the VFS Visa Application Centers of the South African Embassy in Angola or at the appropriate South African overseas diplomatic missions for Angolan citizens residing abroad.

 

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Andrew Stegmann

Johannesburg and Cape Town are voted 2 of the best cities for expats to live and work by Internations

InterNations recently released its 2017 list of the best cities in the world for living and working abroad… and two South African cities feature in the Top 27 Best Places where expats (from other countries obviously!) are happiest. They are Johannesburg and Cape Town… and Joburg actually features way ahead of Cape Town.

The city rankings are based on survey responses from nearly 8,000 expats (7,985 to be exact) in 40 countries. A city had to be mentioned at least 45 times to be included, and rankings were based on the quality and cost of urban living, quality of work life and finances, and ease of settling into the city.

Johannesburg came seventh in the list, with a cost of living apparently 56.9% lower that that of living in New York City.

The site’s respondents say that the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom in the city centre is $480.83, a Cappuccino on average costs $1.67 and local beer $2.07.

Cape Town just made it into the list at number 26. Its cost of living is even better than Joburg’s – 59.1% lower than New York, but the average rent for a one-bedroom in the city centre is set at $716.30. Cappuccino is slightly less at $1.62, and local beer is the same.

The best city for expats from other nations is apparently Manama in Bahrain… followed by Prague (Czech Republic) and Madrid (Spain). Popular South African expat locations Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Amsterdam (Netherlands) are fourth and fifth favourite.

Manama is apparently easy to settle in and 92% of respondents said you can live there without speaking Arabic.

Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on the other hand came second to last – apparently not easy to feel at at home there. Paris came third to last with expats also finding it hard to settle into the French capital. Nigeria’s Lagos came last with many complaints, including terrible medical care…

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Andrew Stegmann
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SARA Conference 2017

Relocation Africa has returned from a successful SARA Conference 2017. We exhibited over two days – 2 and 3 November 2017 – at the Wanderers Club in Illovo, Johannesburg.

The annual conference, hosted by the South African Rewards Association, kicked off with an AGM, followed by two days of insightful talks from members the industry, and ended with a prize giving ceremony.

Relocation Africa valued the opportunity to exhibit at a stand, meeting with delegates from some of South Africa’s most successful companies, to determine how best we could help them.

To arrange a meeting with Relocation Africa Director Rene Stegmann, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call +27 21 763 4240.

Andrew Stegmann

Immigration changes in Tanzania and Tunisia

TANZANIA | November 4 Audit Deadline to Verify Residence Status Approaching
Foreign nationals and their employers in Tanzania are reminded that they have until November 4 to verify the foreign national’s residence status. The requirement applies to all foreign nationals in the country – including foreign workers, business owners, students, and family members. Ongoing since October 5, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Immigration Service Department (ISD) is conducting an audit of the residence status of all foreign nationals in the country.

Foreign employees and their employers have a joint responsibility to ensure that the employee completes this process. Failure to do so before the deadline may result in fines and imprisonment.

Both foreign nationals and Tanzanian sponsoring companies should note the following:

  • The employer must provide the foreign employee with a letter confirming their employment;
  • The employer or employee must download the confirmation page of the employee’s work permit from the online Permit Information Verification System (PIVS);
  • On or before November 4, the employee must appear in person at the nearest Immigration Service Department office with the confirmation letter from the employer, the confirmation page from the PIVS, and their original work and residence permits; and
  • The employee or employer should pick-up the ISD confirmation documents one-day after submission and retain them for their records.

The current residence audit is part of ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Home Affairs to prevent employers from employing foreign nationals without proper documentation. A similar audit was conducted in March of this year as well. In addition, all companies employing foreign nationals should be aware that this emphasis on immigration enforcement will be ongoing. Companies should be prepared for increased workplace inspections and ensure that all documents are in order for their foreign employees.

 

TUNISIA | Expats in GCC Countries Now Eligible for Visa-on-Arrival
Effective immediately, foreign nationals holding residence visas from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries no longer require consular visas to enter Tunisia and are now eligible for visas-on-arrival valid for stays of up to 15 days. Visas-on-arrival are reportedly now available to GCC expats at all Tunisian airports and border crossings.

To qualify, foreign nationals must present the following documents to border authorities upon arrival:

  • Valid passport;
  • Residence visa/permit issued by one of the GCC member nations valid for six months from the date of entry into Tunisia; and
  • Hotel reservations or other proof of accommodation in Tunisia.

The measure now allows an estimated 25 million foreign residents of GCC countries to enter Tunisia without first obtaining a consular visa prior to travel. GCC nations include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Tunisia has thus far maintained its neutrality in the recent boycott of Qatar. Thus, the present measure includes foreign nationals residing in Qatar. However, given the ongoing boycott, expats in Qatar are encouraged to reach out to their Immigration Specialists prior to any travel to other Middle Eastern and North African nations to confirm that entry requirements have not changed.

 

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