Today, Permits Foundation responded to the South Africa Draft Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection.
The White Paper states that: “To ensure they are not locked out of the labour market, spouses of skilled worker visa holders should be allowed to apply through the PBS immigration channel with certain requirements being relaxed.”
Permits Foundation commended the government of South Africa for recognising that accompanying spouses of skilled international employees should have access to the labour market. The Foundation’s submission made several further recommendations as to how spouse and partner work authorisation could be achieved, while maintaining the points-based system for principal applicants.
Key recommendations:
- Enable spouses/partners of skilled work visa holders to receive direct work authorisation without having to satisfy points-based tests themselves.
- Ensure spouses/partners of intra-company transferees (ICTs) also receive direct work authorisation.
- Ensure that in both cases, family member status is retained.
Providing supporting evidence, Permits Foundation highlighted that this approach would align the Draft Revised White Paper with the 2025 National Labour Migration Policy while simplifying the administrative process, helping to attract and retain needed skills, providing clarity and certainty for accompanying family members, and without negatively impacting the local labour market. The Foundation also showed where this policy has been successfully implemented in other countries around the world.
Should the government choose to allow spouses/partners of skilled worker visa holders to apply through the points-based immigration channel themselves, Permits Foundation recommended that points awarded should represent a meaningful offering, enabling South Africa to capitalise on this talent pool that is often already in country. Measures for spouses/partners of ICTs should also be considered.
You can read the Permits Foundation submission including supporting evidence, in full here.
Permits Foundation’s prior submissions to the South African government can all be found on the South Africa page of our World Map. South Africa’s Draft Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection can be accessed here.