Time to take a safari
If Europe and America are proving a problem, South Africa is opening its doors to professionals.
By Ishani Duttagupta, TNN |
It's not just North America and Europe, Indians with special skills, students and entrepreneurs can now look to South Africa, too, as an immigration destination.
In fact, increasingly, South African colleges, universities and technikons are wooing Indian students in areas such as IT, hospitality management and tourism. The South African government is also geared up towards attracting more skilled people from overseas to fill up gaps in the local job market of highly skilled individuals.
Historically, Indians have been an important ethnic community in South Africa ever since they landed there as indentured labourers. Currently, the Indian population in SA is about 1.2 million. Says Govin Reddy, country manager, India, International Marketing Council of SA: “The trading class followed the indentured labourers, but for the most part remained below 20% of the Indian population in SA. In the past 25 years, and particularly since the advent of democracy in 1994, more Indians from the once indentured class have gone into business.
As a conservative guesstimate, the Indian business community totals over 200,000. South Africa is currently experiencing it’s best economic growth in 35 years. Business is booming and the number of Indian businesses are bound to grow in the midst of this boom.” Mr Reddy, a well known media personality in South Africa, was recently appointed by the IMC for the position in India to brand South Africa and promote investment, trade and tourism.
Around 50 Indian companies have a presence in South Africa, including major players such as the Tatas, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ranbaxy, Godrej, Aurobindo Pharma, Ramco Systems and the Sahara group. Conversely, about 25 South African companies have set up shop in India.
“Following of the legacy of the discriminatory policies under apartheid, South Africa does suffer from a shortage of skills in several sectors. Government policy is geared towards attracting skills from overseas. With South Africa scheduled to host the 2010 Football World Cup, the country is undergoing a massive upgrade of almost everything from new stadiums and rail links to airports and public transport systems. South Africa is an extremely attractive country for new immigrants. It’s a multi-racial and multi-cultural country with a wonderful temperate climate, superb scenic beauty and world class infrastructure in areas like banking, road systems, shopping malls and telecommunications. In addition, it is a stable and vibrant democracy with a free press,” Mr Reddy says.
“There are sectors in SA, where Indian expertise can be used to offset the skills shortages such as ITES / BPO and health. Professionals from these sectors would be able to contribute significantly in SA. Further, the quality of life in South Africa, offers an immigrant much more compared to other countries,” agrees Sudhir Mannie, consul, economic at the South African Consulate-General in Mumbai.
South Africa is, in fact, opening up to skilled immigrants in a big way and the government has created a list of quota work permits for selected professions, which means foreign nationals with the required qualifications and experience will be allowed to enter the country without first having secured employment. This policy is in keeping with countries such as Canada and Australia, which welcome skilled immigrants. The new immigration policy in South Africa is designed to attract the foreign skills and investment necessary for South Africa’s economic growth and also reflects the country’s commitment to human rights and the security of those living within the country’s borders. The new laws also discourage illegal migration by creating a wider array of permits to legalise entry. Like many western countries, South Africa is moving towards facilitating movement of people and services into and outside its borders.
The work permits in SA are issued according to a yearly quota, determined by the National Critical Skills list, depending on how scarce or essential a particular skill is in South Africa. The regulations are designed to raise skills levels in the country, as part of the broad government initiative to boost economic growth to 6% by 2010 and halve poverty and unemployment by 2014. The quotas are worked out in consultation with the departments of trade and industry and labour.
Unlike other work permits, quota work permits are issued to applicants before they have secured employment. Holders are allowed into to South Africa so that they can look for jobs in specific professions. The permits don’t guarantee employment; rather, they give skilled foreigners the opportunity to compete for work in the country on an equal footing with South Africans. This is a major departure from the previous system, which required proof that a South African could not have filled the post. Fifty-six occupations have been identified, with the requirement that the potential job seeker should have at least five years experience.
Foreign nationals who are already in the country and possess the needed skills may also apply for work quota permits and they do not only apply to those outside the country. The full list of the annual quotas for each profession is available online and registration with the relevant professional body is necessary, where applicable.
The historic links between India and South Africa also help immigrants to settle down better. “Both South African and Indian companies and individuals are leveraging the historic links between both the countries. A lot of Indian companies are exploring the ethnic Indian population in South Africa as a huge customer base,” feels Mr Mannie.
“There are plenty of Indian restaurants, temples, mosques and organisations representing language and religion. Durban, until recently, had the highest concentration of Indian people outside India. Indian South Africans are prominent in all walks of life and always willing to assist new Indian immigrants settle as comfortably and smoothly as possible. Indian immigrants will certainly experience very little culture shock,” adds Mr Reddy. In South Africa, the department of home affairs aims to process immigration applications within six to 12 months. However, problematic applications can take up to 18 months to process. This timeframe is less than many other western countries where the processing of immigrant applications could take up to several years.
In fact, increasingly, South African colleges, universities and technikons are wooing Indian students in areas such as IT, hospitality management and tourism. The South African government is also geared up towards attracting more skilled people from overseas to fill up gaps in the local job market of highly skilled individuals.
Historically, Indians have been an important ethnic community in South Africa ever since they landed there as indentured labourers. Currently, the Indian population in SA is about 1.2 million. Says Govin Reddy, country manager, India, International Marketing Council of SA: “The trading class followed the indentured labourers, but for the most part remained below 20% of the Indian population in SA. In the past 25 years, and particularly since the advent of democracy in 1994, more Indians from the once indentured class have gone into business.
As a conservative guesstimate, the Indian business community totals over 200,000. South Africa is currently experiencing it’s best economic growth in 35 years. Business is booming and the number of Indian businesses are bound to grow in the midst of this boom.” Mr Reddy, a well known media personality in South Africa, was recently appointed by the IMC for the position in India to brand South Africa and promote investment, trade and tourism.
Around 50 Indian companies have a presence in South Africa, including major players such as the Tatas, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ranbaxy, Godrej, Aurobindo Pharma, Ramco Systems and the Sahara group. Conversely, about 25 South African companies have set up shop in India.
“Following of the legacy of the discriminatory policies under apartheid, South Africa does suffer from a shortage of skills in several sectors. Government policy is geared towards attracting skills from overseas. With South Africa scheduled to host the 2010 Football World Cup, the country is undergoing a massive upgrade of almost everything from new stadiums and rail links to airports and public transport systems. South Africa is an extremely attractive country for new immigrants. It’s a multi-racial and multi-cultural country with a wonderful temperate climate, superb scenic beauty and world class infrastructure in areas like banking, road systems, shopping malls and telecommunications. In addition, it is a stable and vibrant democracy with a free press,” Mr Reddy says.
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“There are sectors in SA, where Indian expertise can be used to offset the skills shortages such as ITES / BPO and health. Professionals from these sectors would be able to contribute significantly in SA. Further, the quality of life in South Africa, offers an immigrant much more compared to other countries,” agrees Sudhir Mannie, consul, economic at the South African Consulate-General in Mumbai.
South Africa is, in fact, opening up to skilled immigrants in a big way and the government has created a list of quota work permits for selected professions, which means foreign nationals with the required qualifications and experience will be allowed to enter the country without first having secured employment. This policy is in keeping with countries such as Canada and Australia, which welcome skilled immigrants. The new immigration policy in South Africa is designed to attract the foreign skills and investment necessary for South Africa’s economic growth and also reflects the country’s commitment to human rights and the security of those living within the country’s borders. The new laws also discourage illegal migration by creating a wider array of permits to legalise entry. Like many western countries, South Africa is moving towards facilitating movement of people and services into and outside its borders.
The work permits in SA are issued according to a yearly quota, determined by the National Critical Skills list, depending on how scarce or essential a particular skill is in South Africa. The regulations are designed to raise skills levels in the country, as part of the broad government initiative to boost economic growth to 6% by 2010 and halve poverty and unemployment by 2014. The quotas are worked out in consultation with the departments of trade and industry and labour.
Unlike other work permits, quota work permits are issued to applicants before they have secured employment. Holders are allowed into to South Africa so that they can look for jobs in specific professions. The permits don’t guarantee employment; rather, they give skilled foreigners the opportunity to compete for work in the country on an equal footing with South Africans. This is a major departure from the previous system, which required proof that a South African could not have filled the post. Fifty-six occupations have been identified, with the requirement that the potential job seeker should have at least five years experience.
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Foreign nationals who are already in the country and possess the needed skills may also apply for work quota permits and they do not only apply to those outside the country. The full list of the annual quotas for each profession is available online and registration with the relevant professional body is necessary, where applicable.
The historic links between India and South Africa also help immigrants to settle down better. “Both South African and Indian companies and individuals are leveraging the historic links between both the countries. A lot of Indian companies are exploring the ethnic Indian population in South Africa as a huge customer base,” feels Mr Mannie.
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Areas such as Durban - which have a huge Indian population - are culturally very comfortable for new Indian immigrants to fit in.“There are plenty of Indian restaurants, temples, mosques and organisations representing language and religion. Durban, until recently, had the highest concentration of Indian people outside India. Indian South Africans are prominent in all walks of life and always willing to assist new Indian immigrants settle as comfortably and smoothly as possible. Indian immigrants will certainly experience very little culture shock,” adds Mr Reddy. In South Africa, the department of home affairs aims to process immigration applications within six to 12 months. However, problematic applications can take up to 18 months to process. This timeframe is less than many other western countries where the processing of immigrant applications could take up to several years.
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