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Subscribe to our
bi-monthly
HPASA newsletter. |
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December/January 2011
CORPORATE
PERMITS - BULK EMPLOYMENT MADE
EASY
By Dirk Meissner, IBN |
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The Immigration Act of 2002 introduced
“Corporate Permits” as a new
way of easing the facilitation of insufficient
and scarce skills into South Africa.
Call Centres
This type of permit is very popular with
call centres like Lufthansa, Swiss, Amazon,
etc.
A “large account unit” has been
set up for assistance within Home Affair’s
head office in Pretoria and is proving to
be competent and helpful.
Hospitality Corporate Permits
A Corporate Permit can be very attractive
for the hospitality industry as staff turnover
is often higher than in other sectors and
foreign skills are regularly needed to complement
local staff, particularly during high season.
The Process
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Effectively, a company
needs to apply for a Corporate Permit
based on a business plan that includes
a defined staff structure outlining
South Africans as well as foreigners’
positions within the operation. |
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This needs to be in reasonable proportion
because training and thereby transfer
of skills is important. |
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Each position the employer wishes
to fulfil with a foreigner needs a
specific job description and motivation.
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For example,
a hotel could apply for:
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1 General Manager |
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1 Personal Assistant |
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2 Front of House |
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2 Reservations |
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1 Head Chef |
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1 Souse Chef |
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1 Sommelier |
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3 Waiters |
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Issuing of the Permit
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Home Affairs will then
issue a Corporate Permit in the name
of the applicable company, typically
valid for 5 years. |
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These permits, called
“Corporate Worker’s Certificates”,
are issued and can be used like “tickets”
to employ individual applicants. |
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If a staff member resigns,
the position can be filled by the
next candidate. |
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Many of the normal requirements
for a General Work permit are waived,
such as SAQA, advertising, benchmarking,
etc. – a much easier and simplified
process. |
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Typically a company should receive
a Corporate Permit within 30 days
like any other temporary residence
permit. |
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However, due to the
complexity of the initial application,
this may take longer. |
Abuse Issues
There have been some abuse issues in the
past especially by labour brokers who saw
a gap in the market. Home Affairs is currently
studying the Corporate Permit system and
may enforce changes to the Immigration Amendment
Act expected in 2011.
| Should
you have any questions, please feel
free to contact our dedicated staff
at our IBN offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg
and Stellenbosch. |
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