Johannesburg – The Department of Home Affairs is to open a new facility for its corporate account clients at the Gauteng Investment Centre in Sandton.
“We hope that the facility will assist you on the many issues that you have raised today at a practical level,” Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said.
The Minister on Wednesday met with the department’s corporate account clients as part of National Imbizo Focus Week, in Johannesburg.
The Department of Home Affairs, through its directorate of Corporate Accounts, has established a partnership with the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency, the Gauteng Investment Centre and VFS Global, which renders visa facilitation services (VFS).
The purpose of the partnership is to establish a premium one-stop shop for visa and permit renewals and put in place a shorter, more efficient process for visa applications for foreign nationals employed by corporate companies.
The department says the benefits at the facility will include immigration advice for applicants and enhanced management of stakeholder relations.
“We have said to the teams working on the visas that we want convenience as a philosophy, convenience for clients… that is why we are launching this service at the Gauteng Investment Centre in Sandton on Friday,” Minister Gigaba said.
He said his department was reviewing its corporate client desk to improve its services.
“Soon we will be taking a national road show to different clients in the country to talk to them directly about their challenges, how we think we should improve the package of services, and also how they think we can improve the package of services we are offering them,” he said.
Minister Gigaba said his department wanted to render a professional service. He announced that he has established a panel to review the way visas are issued in the country. The department is also reviewing the International Migration Policy.
“It’s a comprehensive review, nothing will remain untouched… We are going to embed deeply into the new policy the principle and culture of management.
“No longer will international migration become a nuisance to which we react with irritation as it happens… because it’s dynamic, it’s growing all the time but we want to be in the driving seat,” Minister Gigaba said.
Department of Home Affairs Deputy Director Jackson McKay addressed some of the concerns raised by the corporate account clients during the engagement with the department.
The engagement was aimed at assessing services offered by Home Affairs to corporate account clients, challenges and areas of improvement by both parties in line with the Immigration Act and regulations.
McKay assured the corporate clients that the department would look at how best it can improve communication with its clients.
He said the department is looking at increasing the capacity of staff to deal with appeals done following the rejection of a visa.
“We hope to move more people to the appeals section,” McKay said.
He encouraged companies that hire foreign nationals to work in the country to apply for the correct visa as the Intra Company Transfer (ICT) visa cannot be renewed.
The visa allows non-South Africans to work in the country for a period of four years. A plan is developed for the transfer of skills to a South African citizen or a permanent resident. – SAnews.gov.za
