March 23, 2023 2023-0552 South Africa announces upcoming changes to address visa application backlogs and processing times On March 14, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) presented an update to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs regarding the current backlogs in visa application processing and issuance. They also announced upcoming changes to the South African immigration framework and regulations to address the backlogs. The DHA attributed the backlog in visa processing, which dates as far back as 2016, to several factors, including a shortage of adequately trained resources, an exercise by the DHA to curb corruption, a complex visa application process which involves five stages of review, and travel restrictions imposed following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Tax Alert prepared by EY's People Advisory Services group, and attached below, provides additional details. ——————————————— ATTACHMENT Full text of Tax Alert
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