In our monthly Immigration News from Africa, we update you on important changes in African Immigration.
At IBN Immigration Solutions, we strive to deliver the most important Immigration News from Africa, on a Monthly Basis.
This edition covers news in the following countries:
- South Africa
- Kenya
- Namibia
- Nigeria
- Zambia
South Africa
SA’s Centralisation of Visa Adjudication – More Harm than Good?
In April, we reported on the initial backlog caused by the long-term visa adjudication process. As explained by leading commercial law firm Webber Wentzel in this article from BusinessTech:
“Visa submissions by this group previously went through Visa and Permit Facilitation Centres (VFS Centres) or through South African Missions. Then, one of the two centres would process applications and send the outcomes directly to the foreign national.
“Going forward, these visa applications will be processed through a centralised adjudication system to achieve consistency and uniformity in the visa adjudication process.”
Two months after our initial post on this issue, our immigration consultants have witnessed an unprecedented increase in lead times. In May, SA’s Department of Home Affairs released a blanket waiver to mitigate this backlog until September of this year. We urge our clients to begin applications for long-term visas as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Home Affairs Cracks Down on Fraudulent Visa Processing
On the 12th of July, Business Day’s Linda Ensor reported that SA’S Department of Home Affairs awarded around 45 000 fraudulent visas and permits to applicants in the seven years between 2014 and June of 2021.
Minister Aaron Motsoaledi appointed a panel in February 2021 led by former director-general in the Presidency, Cassius Lubisi, to uncover fraud linked to visa processing. Lubisi presented the panel’s initial findings to the Home Affairs Committee in Parliament in July, stating that disciplinary action would be taken against the corrupt officials who awarded these fraudulent visas and that foreign nationals in possession of these visas would have them revoked and be deported as a result.
Kenya Braces for August Election
Kenya Braces for August Elections as Class Tensions Rise
On the 9th of August 2022, Kenya will hold general and presidential elections. These elections will allow voters determine the sitting president of the country, the members of the National Assembly and Senate, county governors of the 47 counties and the assembly members of said counties.
In 2007 and 2017, Kenya saw horrific ethnic violence take place as a result of historical class tensions between current President Kenyatta and the opposition, Raila Odinga. We will report on the election results in more detail in the next edition of the Newsletter.
Namibia
Green Hydrogen Imports – EU in Talks With Namibia
On the 4th of July, BusinessDay reported that the EU is in talks with Namibia to support the country’s green hydrogen projects and increase hydrogen imports to offset its current dependency on Russia for fuel. The EU plans to import around 10 tons of green hydrogen fuel by 2030.
Nigeria
VFS SA Resumes Applications in Lagos and Port Harcourt
On the 9th of July, VFS.Global announced that their South African Application Centres in Lagos and Port Harcourt, Nigeria, will resume services for all visa types. For more information on this, please contact the centres here.
Zambia
Zambia’s President Works to Position the Country for Foreign Investors
President Hakainde Hichilema took office on 24 August 2021 and in the 11 months since, has been working tirelessly to position Zambia as an attractive investment destination for foreign nationals, as reported by BusinessLive. He has named himself Zambia’s “Chief of Marketing” jokingly but his efforts are not to be scoffed at, having travelled all over the EU and US to meet potential investors. If you would like more information about investing in Zambia as a foreign national, contact us today to enquire about the applicable visa options.
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