Visa applicants might hear of repatriation fees when looking into visas for South Africa.
The purpose of this deposit is the reassurance for the Republic that a foreigner can always return to their home country even if he/she has no available funds when this may be necessary. The amount of the repatriation fee is therefore fixed by the authorities but varies, depending on the home country of the applicant(s). For example, if you are from the US, the repatriation fee is R15,800 . If you are from Namibia, it is only R 3000.00.
Determining whether you need to pay the repatriation fee or not depends on how long you plan to stay in South Africa and what type of visa you will be on. If you hold a return ticket, this can effect whether you pay the repatriation fee or not as well.

The good news is that it is refundable. Once you leave South Africa, you need to lodge a refund request through Home Affairs.

You need:

(a)Original receipt issued to you after paying the repatriation deposit.
(b) Letter of request to refund the deposit.
(c) Passport – if your visa/permit is still valid. The said visa/permit will have to be cancelled;
(d) Sworn affidavit explaining circumstances surround the loss of the repatriation deposit receipt. This must be provided ONLY by applicants who have lost their original receipts. If you need assistance with any repatriation fee questions or with your visa application, we are ready to help.

Sarah Farthing
27-021-555-0951

We are passionate in what we do and really care about our clients at the end of the day. Call us and you will see we waste no time, we get to the point, and we offer no frilly sales language to lure you into making use of our services. We work hard and take our work very seriously. We make sure you qualify for our services and typically bill 25% less than the current market.  We will always be direct and transparent with our costs and give you realistic time-frames.

You will notice our personalized service and will never get passed around to 10 different consultants who do not know your situation. We know each of our clients by name and will assign you one caseworker who works with you throughout your visa process.  Dedication to being accountable, service excellence, passion, and integrity are just some reasons for us holding a 100 % success rate thus far.  So please call us or use our online enquiry form today!

 *27-021-555-0951
sarah@nwisouthafrica.co.za

Workers in the Australian oil and gas industry apparently are the highest paid in the world, according to a recent survey by Hays Recruiting Experts Worldwide. The research shows that Australian workers in natural gas fields and at offshore drilling rigs are paid about $163,000 a year. This is roughly 25 percent more than U.S. workers in the industry.

Foreign skilled workers, who are brought in to help the natural gas industry are also in demand to help with other mining projects like pipe layers, welders and engineers, and are paid even more. These workers receive about $171,000 a year, the survey said. Another example is the shortage of welders in North Western Australia is so severe that an experienced metal worker can make well over $250,000 a year.
The oil and gas sector in Australia is booming and is expected to overtake Qatar as the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2020, the article stated. However, the continent's population of about 23 million people, which is nearly 10 times smaller than the US, so there is enormous pressure on management to keep the foreign workers coming in.  Some larger oil and gas companies operating there are: Oil Search Ltd, Santos, Chevron Australia, and Inpex to name a few.  Operators in Australia must seek out foreign workers to keep up with the demand for oil and gas exploration. 

Foreigners must qualify first for the skilled visas and this takes some time and planning. The large salaries are probably the most luring of reasons to work in Australia, but Australia itself is a wonderful country to take your family to and start a new life.  If you are in one of these industries, are under the age of 50, have your trade test or higher degree, and are proficient in English, then you should seriously consider your opportunities to immigrate to Australia using the skilled migration route.
Your skills are high in demand and it’s only going to get better. Please contact us at New World Immigration to see if you qualify.

Sarah Farthing
Email: sarah@nwisouthafrica.co.za
Tel:     +2721 555 0951

Home Affairs recently has proposed a new set of rules for foreign couples who want to wed in South Africa due to the high number of fraudulent marriages being reported each year. The Cape Times reported on Monday that in the five years until January 2012, there were about 8,883 fraudulent marriages. The plan suggests that foreign couples will now need be interviewed by an immigration officer. These questions would relate to how long the foreigner had been in the country and whether they had a valid permit, and how long they had been in the relationship.

Now if you look at the Home Affairs Site in their marriage section is states: If you are planning on getting married, you must:

•    ensure that you are legally allowed to marry
•    understand the legal consequences of a marriage, particularly that marriages in South Africa are automatically in community of property, unless a valid ante-nuptial contract has been entered into before the marriage, and
•    make sure that your marriage will comply with all the legal requirements for a valid marriage

Should you be unsure of any of these, legal counsel should be sought before the marriage is entered into. Then there is a section that says due to the large # of fraudulent marriages being reported each year, one must check the status of their marriage. “Due to the large number of fraudulent marriages reported to the Department of Home Affairs every year, a facility has been created for you to check your marital status at any time.” You will need your South African ID number in order to use this facility.” One must pay 10 rand each time they wish to check the status via SMS. Please contact us at New World Immigration if you have concerns and would like to make sure you hold the valid permits. We will keep up to date with any rule changes.

Sarah Farthing
021-555-0951

The General Work Permit is not for “general” work at all. You need a job offer from a registered company in a niche position that you qualify for.  You will need to show that you possess the qualifications for the position and the company needs to show that they attempted to hire an SA Citizen first and could not fill the position. 5 years on a General Work Permit makes you eligible to apply for Permanent Residency.

Similar is the Corporate Work Permit but it is the Employer who holds this permit and can hire MANY foreign workers and put them on this permit.  If one holds the Corporate Permit for 5 years and the company offers a permanent position, then one can apply for Permanent Residency.

Quota Work Permits require 5 years of relevant work experience in your field and you must be on the current Quota Skills Shortage list. If you receive a permanent job offer from the company, you can apply for Permanent Residency immediately. Once awarded this visa, you are given 90 days to find work.

Exceptional Skills Permits require you to have publications in your name within your field of study. You can apply for Permanent Residency if you qualify for this permit and you can change jobs on the same permit.

Intra Company Work Permits require a company branch overseas and a branch in South Africa. These are more short term for 2 years and cannot be renewed one after the other.  These will not lead to Permanent Residency.

Contact New World Immigration so we can put you on the right path to finding the suitable work permit for you or your potential employees.  There are other ways to obtain working rights if you hold a Spousal or Life Partner visa. Give us a ring and we will walk you through the process.

Sarah Farthing
SA Work Permit Specialist

(021) 555 0951 or sarah(a)nwisouthafrica.co.za

President Jacob Zuma offered his congratulations to the new Venezuelan President, Mr, Nicolas Maduro this Monday.  Zuma is focused on strengthening ties between the two countries. What does this mean for each country? Venezuela is interested in joining up with South Africa to participate in the BRICS summit. This is the group of upcoming countries Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa that look for ways to grow business ties among the countries. If Venezuela could be involved, they would look primarily at the mining industry, technology, and cultural relations. This would bring more jobs to South Africa and be beneficial to both parties. In the past South Africa and Venezuela have worked together in the Petroleum belt of the Orinoco River. Their focus was on upstream oil, energy, and gas.

Back in 2008, the South African president at the time Thabo Mbeki stated that relations with Venezuela had   "taken on a strategic character ... The relationship is real, actual and practical. We spoke of a strategic partnership, which means we will learn from each other."

It is hopeful to see that President Zuma is taking on a similar role to strengthen the relationship. If you are considering coming to South Africa to start a business or work as a skilled worker here, you should have confidence in this country that is trying to do the right thing and have more opportunities available by reaching out to countries with new representation like Venezuela.

One of the concerns for expat parents is the social life of their children and the adjustment of moving. Do remember that children need time to adjust and be able to make new friends in their new home. Once given the opportunity to integrate with their peers, they can easily make friends and get easily acclimatized to the new country.

Get your kids out to explore their new territory and also get them involved with their fellow expat communities. Kids make new friends easily are adaptive. But they should go at their own pace. When in another country, where you set up your residence, will have an impact. It is pivotal for the adjustment of your children to feel comfortable and to feel safe. Bring some things from the old home into the new home and keep up old traditions. Like pizza and a movie on a Friday night or game night. Kids and many adults even, do not always welcome change and  the thought of being in a whole new country can be scary and frustrating. Involve them in decisions, such as how they will decorate their room and what subjects they want to take at school. Give them a diary or disposable camera to record every detail of the trip and any other details.

It is up to you to ensure that they see all of the positive aspects about the move and that they understand they will still be coming back for holidays and can keep in touch with their friends through the internet and over the phone. Provide them with an email address and, if they are old enough, set them up on a social networking and instant messenger site. It is also a good idea to get them to research their new country and find out as many interesting facts as they can. It will also help if you enroll them in a club or group that offers activities they have always wanted to try.

Be honest with your kids and give them a free rein to experience the country with you keeping a watchful eye over them. Moving overseas should be seen as an adventure. It is a great opportunity that many families only dream of. The reality is with the new global marketplace, opportunities are opening up. Companies like New World Immigration make it easier for families to set up residence in a new country. It is an exciting time.

South Africans love a good braai as it’s not just about the fantastic food, but usually a chance to chat about the epic game that was just on, and an excuse to socialise with friends. Preferred choices of meat are steak, lamb, boerewors sausage, fish, and chicken.  They take great pride in the fact our South African men (and women!) can hold their own in this department, but let’s not leave out the Australia Barbie.

The Australian term for braai is barbie, short for barbecue. The Australian government is supportive of this fantastic pastime and have installed free public access barbies (some coin-operated ones as well) at most beaches, camping sites, and parks around the country. The free public barbies tend to be either a hot-plate/grill combination, or only a hotplate – they are electric and turn off after 15 minutes so keep a close eye on your meats. Preferred choices for meats to throw on the Barbie include kangaroo, shrimp, emu, and steak.

I suppose the main difference is the fire. The South African braai needs a wood burning fire done the old fashioned way. There is a special mood that is set when the logs crackle and the meat spits and the sun sets. You don’t get that from a gas grill. Gas barbeques are not braaing. Grilling maybe, but not braaing.

Gas may be faster, cleaner and better for the environment, but cannot compare to the flavour of the meat you get from wood.

And hey, let's be honest, who wants to stand around a gas barbie and have a chat? It’s just not right.

Australia is known for their rugby. For expats from South Africa living in Australia lately, the buzz has been focused on the Cheetahs. The Toyota Free State Cheetahs won their first Super Rugby match in Western Australia when they beat the Force 10-19 in Perth on Saturday. Riaan Smit kicked four penalties and converted Willie Le Roux's late try to seal the South Africans third victory out of four on their Super Rugby tour of Australasia. These are now names that you hear about in Australia. They have taken notice. "We committed a lot of errors and made mistakes, but I am thrilled with the victory," said Cheetahs hooker and skipper Adriaan Strauss after the win before a small holiday crowd.

"Equalling the record of four consecutive wins is tremendous and a tribute to the spirit between the experienced and young players in the squad. The older ones are bringing out the best in the youngsters and vice versa."The result is the Cheetahs third successive victory over the Western Force and the Cheetahs third victory on tour. This weekend the Cheetahs are back home and will face the Stormers. The Cheetahs have now beaten the Highlanders, Waratahs and the Force on tour and only lost to the current Super Rugby champions the Chiefs on their away leg.  The Stormers need to be on their top form. South Africans are very passionate about their rugby. If group of South African expats get together in Australia, chances are rugby will be on the agenda. It must have made them proud to see the Cheetahs do so well there.

If you are new to South Africa and want to learn how to surf, then you must check out Surfers Corner in Cape Town. Situated in the corner where the rather wild northern shore meets the rocky but well populated eastern side of the peninsula, is a long family-friendly beach where almost every Cape Town surfer learned to catch a wave. Recently awarded Blue Flag Beach status, Muizenberg Beach is one of the most popular Cape Town beaches.  Muizenberg Station is conveniently situated right on Muizenberg Corner. The whole beachfront is pretty crowded with loads of kids, families, surfers and tourists, and it’s a friendly crowd. Muizenberg Beach has all the usual facilities, like showers, surf schools, a couple of nice restaurants and coffee shops on the beachfront and parking close by.

Muizenberg is a place that’s forgiving of middle-age spread.  It’s not the crowd you would find at Clifton or Camp’s Bay. No Porches or Ferraris here, but more likely beat up old Subaru wagons with a roof rack and surf boards on top.  Surfers corner has its own charm. Nostalgic childhood summer meets gritty surfer culture. Somehow, Muizenberg evokes memories and nostalgia. It smacks of childhood summers walking along the boardwalk with your ice cream watching everything going on. 

Chill with your family or maybe build a sandcastle.  And at one stage certainly take a surfing lesson. Surfer’s Corner in Muizenberg is the United Nations of Surfing. Here you find every age, every colour, level of skill and language emanating from the wave.  Waves are fickle along with the South-easter wind.  It will either be perfect for surfing or a bit harsh, but the cool thing about surfer’s corner is you will always see surfers out there no matter what the conditions. It is always worth the visit and might even make you want to move to the area.