The Quota Work Permit is approved for a pre-determined numbers of foreign workers who have the required qualifications and at least 5 years of experience in a specific position. In applying for this permit, the prospective employer in South Africa is under no obligation to advertise the vacancy and the skilled worker does not need a job offer to obtain this permit. The first step is checking the current list to see if your profession is scarce. See www.nwisouthafrica.co.za .

If you are on the list and have at least 5 years of experience, then you can apply. These are typically valid for 5 years and are renewable. If offered a permanent position while on this permit, one may apply for Permanent Residency.  A Quota work permit has an indefinite duration as it remains valid as long as the person stays employed within the same category or profession it was applied and approved for. Within 90 days of admission, the holder of a quota work permit shall submit to the Department of Home Affairs confirmation of having secured employment within the category or class contemplated and, within every 12 months thereafter, confirmation of continued employment within that category or class. The holder of a quota work permit may change employer provided he or she remains employed in the same occupational category. If you hold these skills and would love to live and work in sunny South Africa, contact us.

sarah@nwisouthafrica.co.za

If you are starting your research about wanting to move to Australia in order to seek employment for the long term, you do not need a company offering a job, but need to prove that you have the skills and qualifications necessary to work in an occupation on the Australian Skilled Occupations List. This skilled list is updated and displays the most in demand professions at the top of the list and classifies them into schedule 1 or schedule 2 professions. 

There are other criteria as well. If you possess skills currently in demand on the Australian labor market, you also need to pass a test by scoring a minimum number of points. Points are awarded based on your level of English language skills, age must be under 44 for points, work experience, and level of qualifications, and skills that your partner might bring to the country can also add to your points. You need 60 points to qualify.

We recommend contacting a company like New World Immigration www.nwiaustralia.co.za , to find out if you qualify. If you do qualify based on the points system, you must next complete a Skills Assessment.  Your skills will be assessed either using a paper based system or a practical exam or sometimes both. You are showing that your qualifications and experience match their criteria for that profession.  Once your assessment is approved, you are put into a pooling system and the Australian government then invites the candidates with the highest number of points to lodge a visa application. A normal application should take about a year to a year and a half to process.

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

It is often confusing as to the difference between the 190 State Sponsorship Skilled Visa and the 489 Regional Sponsorship visas .If you could not pass the points test by achieving a points score of at least 60 then these routes will give you the extra points.  State will give you 5 extra points and Regional will give you 10 extra points. You will still need to nominate an occupation included in the skilled occupation list; to have your skill assessed by a qualified assessing authority to determine if one’s skill is suitable for the nominated occupation; and meet the English language requirements, and to be less than 50 years old at the time of the SkillSelect invitation issuance.

The main difference with these visas is location and time of obtaining permanent residency. Holders of Subclass 190 State Sponsorship visa can live and work in any part of the state in Australia where they need your skills. With the 489 Regional visas, one needs to live and work in the designated post codes in the Region where your skills are in highest demand.

To obtain Permanent Residence, the holder of the State Sponsor visa receives Permanent Residence as soon as they enter Australia. They just need to live and work in that state for 2 years time. For Regional Sponsorship, you agree to live and work in that region for a minimum of 2 years and are then able to apply for Permanent Residency under the 887 visa.

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

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.