Minister of Home Affair Aaron Motsoaledi recently released new statistics that highlight the number of people who have been denied a visa to South Africa.
According to Motsoaledi, a total of 27 772 South African visas were denied, while 36 452 were denied in 2018.
The highest number of visas were denied from Nigeria, while the second-highest number came from Zimbabwe. Pakistan comes in at third with its number of visa denials.
However, he did not provide statistics for the number of total applicants from each country.
Motsoaledi also did not provide the reason for these visa denials, but has indicated that the Department is working on a number of changes to the country’s current visa regime to make South Africa more accessible to visitors.
The Minister added that the country is also becoming more attractive to investors, and people with skills entering the country are vital to building and boosting the economy.
During the monthly Presidential Working Committee on Monday, October 7, Motsoaledi said that his department has lowered turnaround times for critical work skills visas.
Business and general work visas are also issued within eight weeks in 98% of applications.
“In November, the Department of Home Affairs will embark on a pilot scheme for the issuing of e-visas, which applicants will be able to access online, eliminating the need for applicants to visit South African missions abroad,” he said. “The department has also located visa services within the offices of various investment facilitation agencies around the country. In addition, visa requirements have been simplified for countries such as China and India, which are key markets for tourism to South Africa.”
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