DA: New immigration regulations a threat to tourism and investment

Democratic Alliance Member of Parliament Manny de Freitas in a press statement said, new immigration regulations pose a threat to tourism and investment.

According to de Freitas, the Department of Home Affairs’ recently gazetted immigration regulations are nothing short of xenophobic and will surely curb tourism, investment and kill jobs.

“A speculative analysis of these regulations would suggest that Home Affairs is trying to remedy or rather, cover-up its rampant permit backlogs by imposing potentially detrimental legislation, instead of addressing the mismanagement issues within the department,” he said.

The Namibian born politician said, “a main concern with these regulations is that all mention of fees, fines, investment, financial means or income criteria, as well as critical skills list, and lists of industries that are in the national interest, are excluded. They have also not been subject to public comment and scrutiny.”

De Freitas said, he will write to the new Home Affairs Minister, Malusi Gigaba, and request a formal meeting to discuss the detrimental impact of these regulations as soon as possible because investors, tourists, students and potentially skilled immigrants are likely to be dissuaded by these stringent regulations, in turn jeopardising much needed job creation and foreign investment.

Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba’s comment on the amendments

“We are trying to balance between the security needs of the country and the needs of the economy; how far one should go in either direction is always a balancing act, and I think it will always depend on a number of variables,” commented Gigaba.

“What one cannot afford to do is to take into consideration only the needs and interests of the economy and neglects the needs of security or move to the other extreme and address only the needs of security, neglecting those of the economy.”

The department will give foreigners with critical skills a temporary work visa that will last for four years or for the duration of the project.

With regards to what constitutes critical skills, Gigaba said he means artisans that are required by Eskom to build power stations; Transnet around rail and the pipelines; Sanral in relation to the construction of roads.

Gigaba is set to talk to the Minister of Trade and Industry to identify these critical skills.

In response to those who think the changes being made are unconstitutional, Gigaba said “We believe this is constitutional; we have not only tested it in both the National Assembly and the NCOP, we have also consulted senior counsels to ascertain the constitutionality of both the legislation and the regulations”.

On Zimbabwean special permits

Concerning the expiring Zimbabwean permits – now visas – the Minister said, “We will come back to talk about what will happen with regard to Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa. The permit – now visa – which they were granted, expires this year. We now need to decide on what shall happen going forward”.

“We cannot promise that it will be in the next week or two or even three, because a lot of work needs to go into that thinking, and a lot of thinking needs to go into that work,” Gigaba added.

According to Gigaba one of the biggest challenges South Africa faces is that economic migrants have no other avenue of entering South Africa, so they come into the country from countries where there is no violence and say, “I am an asylum seeker”, therefore such problems have to be considered.

Click here to read reactions on the changes by immigrants who live in Johannesburg.