SA Migration International

South Africa`s Home Affairs fails court order, leaving 700,000 IDs blocked amid fraud suspicions unresolved.
The department of home affairs (DHA) has failed to implement a court ruling instructing it to release some of the identity documents (ID) that were blocked on suspicions of fraud.
In January, a judgment was handed down by the high court stating home affairs blocking more than 700 000 IDs was unlawful as the department had not followed proper procedure.
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), which represented more than 100 people, claimed none of its clients’ IDs had been unblocked in the stipulated 90 days.
As part of the administrative process, the department was ordered to obtain a court order to block the IDs which were suspected to be fraudulent. Read more…

Key Takeaways
• Canada is planning to limit the number of temporary residents to five percent of the population, compared to the current 6.2 percent.
• Authorities claim this move aims to guarantee a “sustainable” increase in the number of temporary residents coming into the country.
• Foreign workers in construction and healthcare will be exempted from the new rule the rule, due to the country’s labor shortage in these sectors.
Canada intends to impose caps on the number of temporary residents it accepts, as announced by Immigration Minister Marc Miller.
In accordance with the new decision, the number will decrease over the next three years, with the first cap being set in September, VisaGuide.World reports.
Such a policy will be applied to foreign students, foreign workers, and asylum seekers, as reported by BBC. Read more…

Here`s where SA ranks according to the Henley & Partners passport index. Image: canva
The latest Henley & Partners Passport Index for 2024 lists the 108 countries that South African passport holders can travel to without requiring a visa.
The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations, ranking them in terms of travel power.
Each passport was scored on the total number of destinations that the holder can access visa-free.
South Africa placed 52nd with a visa-free score of 108. Read more…

While much has been made about the impact of Airbnb on South Africa’s traditional accommodation sector, the biggest thing holding back local tourism is the struggles overseas visitors face to get a visa to visit the country.
That is according to Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (FEDHASA), recognised by the government as the main representative of the hospitality industry.
FEDHASA previously called for urgent regulation of short-term rental platforms like Airbnb in 2017.
It called on the government to ensure that these platforms met the same operational requirements as traditional accommodation operators and that they ensured the safety of their users.
The Department of Tourism subsequently revealed its intention to regulate Airbnb and other home-sharing apps in April 2019 through the Tourism Amendment Bill. Read more…