Home Affairs issued over 4,900 visas for critical skills jobs since 2020

South Africa has a list of almost 150 jobs considered by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) to be in short supply.

This list goes a long way in determining the outcome of critical skills visa applications processed by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

In response to a parliamentary question, the DHA revealed that it has approved 4,913 of these critical skills visas since 2020.

142 jobs on critical skills list

During the sixth administration, the previous Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi gazetted this list of 142 job titles that the government deemed to be of high value.

Based on the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) of 2021, Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) helped identify professionals who were needed in their sectors.

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The full list of 142 professions includes 35 different medical practitioner classifications and at least 70 jobs that require an NQF level eight or higher.

It includes millwrights, air-conditioning technicians, forensic accountants, agricultural scientists and call centre managers, among a host of others.

Visas not for job seekers

Those applying for a critical skills visa may not do so while seeking employment but must have their application accompanied by a letter of employment from a legitimate employer with a DEL track record.  

Asked whether the department had prioritised South Africans and permanent residents, the DHA responded that they had “thoroughly exhausted all efforts” before approving the visas for foreign nationals.

“This was done in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).

“The methodology used to determine the critical skills is detailed in a technical report on critical skills published on the website DHET,” stated Home Affairs’ response.

Nations with the most approved skills visas

Zimbabweans and Indians have been the most frequent recipients of the critical skills visas, with 1,794 and 918 approvals, respectively.

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The DHA provided a full breakdown of the amount of visas approved to each country, as well as the relevant professions. The nations ranked third to tenth are:

• Democratic Republic of Congo: 295
• Nigeria: 286
• Cameroon: 90
• Germany: 85
• China: 84
• United Kingdom: 82
• United States: 75
• Kenya: 75

 The DHA has a detailed explanation of how to apply for a critical skills visa here.