Pretoria - The Department of Home Affairs believes that the Immigration Amendment Bill will help weed out those foreigners who attempt to abuse the country's immigration system.
Apart from targeting those who take advantage of the system, according to Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the Bill will also facilitate the processes needed to be followed by foreigners who enter South Africa to study, visit, invest or offer critical skills.
"We would like to make easy the process for those people coming into South Africa as tourists, those who have critical skills and investors - people who are coming to add value to economic, social and cultural development," the minister said.
Checks and balances would also be put in place to safeguard against criminals and people who want to take advantage of South Africa's immigration system, Dlamini Zuma added.
"We are targeting people who come here and abuse the system," she warned.
According to the department, the Bill seeks to rationalise the permit system by changing certain categories of temporary residence permits to visas.
Changes in conditions and status may only be made in exceptional circumstances with the minister's approval.
Further, the bill seeks to revise the types of work permits being issued, creating a new category of permit for critical skills.
According to Dlamini Zuma, companies that bring people with critical skills into the country will also be expected to play a part by "taking responsibility" for the people they bring and by doing some of the necessary checks.
Stricter controls were needed to address problematic areas, such as foreigners coming into the country as tourists and then wanting to change their status.
The minister cited examples where foreigners entered the country as tourists and within a short space of time got married to a South African citizen and then sought a spousal permit.
She added that many foreigners were entering the country illegally and then asking to be issued with all sorts of permits.
"That is why we are saying in this law that if you come to South Africa as a tourist and you want to stay forever it must be an exceptional case, not a norm.
"We want to know why you are changing your status and what benefit you will add to South Africa by changing your status," Dlamini Zuma added.
