It seems South Africans are as adamant as ever to leave the country as statistics show a 70% increase in enquiries on the process. This according to immigration experts Sable International, who said they have seen a 45% increase in completed emigrations over the past year.
“The reasons vary tremendously, from concerns about our country’s policies, to wanting to school children abroad, to wanting to diversify their investments offshore or simply wanting to travel more easily without challenging travel visa requirements – they want to become global citizens,” Andrew Rissik, Group Commercial Director at Sable International, told News24.
A common myth is also being debunked that mostly white people are leaving the country. “Black emigrants exceed the tally of white South Africans leaving the country,” Trevor Thomas, a Director at Induku Consulting Group told Traveller24 in August last year.
This is a cause for concern as the largest part of South Africans moving abroad are skilled workers, leaving their home turf with an immense shortage of much-needed professionals. “For every one professional immigrating to South Africa, eight are emigrating,” he added.
The countries South Africans emigrate to vary greatly but the most popular destinations are the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Others move to the US, Canada, Asia, the rest of Africa and parts of the Middle East, reports a 2019 article in City Press.
However, social media groups like #Imstaying on Facebook show a number of citizens actively choosing not to move overseas and this particular group has recently reached 1-million members.
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