Immigration Consultants In South Africa

IBN Consulting are a reputable team of professionals who work with HPASA as our chosen immigration consultants in South Africa. Any and all queries relating to the immigration process and the implications thereto can be directed to IBN Consulting at any time. Feel free to get in touch with IBN here.

IBN Consulting & Immigration offer integrated, comprehensive, multi-sector assistance and practical advice for any business activity in South Africa. Whether your needs be for work permits in South Africa, or simple advice; IBN Consulting can assist you with the utmost efficiency, integrity and transparency.

For more than 10 years, IBN Consulting has been forging the path as one of the leading group of immigration consultants in South Africa, but have also complemented their repertoire with international experience of many years.

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October 2011 SA IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENTS STEP UP THEIR GAME By Dirk Meissner, IBN Consulting & Immigration   We have noted recently that certain processes have become more formal and strict. While it feels, at times, as if this is new red tape, it is merely the current laws being put into practice. Maybe we had it too easy before. Various Sectors The strict protocols apply to various sectors pertinent to investors, such as the South African Revenue Services (SARS), the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), the Registrar of Companies and the Department of Home Affairs. Accountability, Reliability, Predictability While the implementation of the current laws can cause delays and frustration, the reason behind the drive to formalisation is to counter any personal influence-making on government officials – corruption - and to achieve quality and performance standards, ultimately leading to accountability, reliability and predictability. Dirk Meissner IBN Consulting & Immigration

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August 2011 IMMIGRATION EXPERTS ACHIEVE POSITIVE OUTCOMES By Andreas Krensel, Managing Director, IBN Consulting & Immigration   Despite all the justifiable complaints towards the current state of the Department of Home Affairs, there is also several good immigration stories that come out of having experts assist in the immigration process. THE SWISS FAMILY A Swiss family approached us in May 2011 intending to purchase a farm in the Eastern Cape in order to open a Guesthouse, a Conference Centre and a Mountain Bike Park. An appointment was set up in June whilst the family were visiting Cape Town prior to travelling to the Eastern Cape to look for suitable properties.

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June 2011 IMMIGRATION AMENDMENT ACT - MINIMAL IMPACT ON HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY By Dirk Meissner, IBN Consulting and Immigration   Although the Immigration Amendment Act is still not formally in place and a great level of uncertainty remains, in this article we would like to focus on changes relevant to the tourism and hospitality industry. The latest estimates are that the President will sign the new Immigration Amendment Act into law within the next 2 months. Investing in Sectors of National Interest Investors will only be welcome if they invest into sectors of national interest. We understand that the South African government fully appreciates tourism as one of the biggest contributors to economic stability in the country; we are therefore optimistic that there will be no negative consequences for any foreign investor wishing to apply for a Business Permit. Increased Investment However, the minimum investment by a foreigner, according to the current draft version, must now be at least R2.5 million. If the investment includes a business property, this is typically not an issue, but it becomes problematic if there are more partners involved and the investment is split between them.

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April 2011 IMMIGRATION AMENDMENT ACT PASSED BY PARLIAMENT By Dirk Meissner, IBN Consulting and Immigration   Dirk Meissner, IBN Consulting and Immigration For the last 6 months experts debated the controversial Immigration Amendment Act (IAA) proposed by the South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA). In spite of heavy protest, from refugee organisations to business associations and law firms, the ANC majority pushed the amendments through Parliament at the end of March 2011. The IAA still needs to pass the National Council of Provinces, and get signed by President Zuma, before it can be gazetted. We expect various legal action against the new law, especially once the Immigration Regulations are published, which will give more operational detail on what foreigners can expect to deal with in future when wishing to immigrate to South Africa. Concerns There are a number of concerns in our opinion. South Africa has one of the highest numbers of immigrants in the world, mainly from other African countries, who want to live in the powerhouse of the African continent. However, there is a lack of greater vision on who we want in the country and in what numbers.

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February/March 2011 PERMANENT RESIDENCY - ON WHAT GROUNDS CAN I OBTAIN IT? By Andreas Krensel, Managing Director, IBN Consulting & Immigration   Permanent Residency (PR) is the status most foreigners who decided to stay in South Africa aim for. It does not only offer security for future planning but also a certain level of flexibility at a later stage. The current legislation allows for foreigners to apply for permanent residence on the following grounds: 1. Own business: If an investor has invested more than R2.5 million into the book value of the business and has employed as least 5 locals, he/she will qualify for permanent residence based on own business. 2. Five year work permit: If the foreigner has worked for more than 5 years in South Africa and was in possession of work permits for these 5 years, she/he may apply for direct residence. In addition he or she must be in possession of an offer of permanent employment at the moment of application for the direct residence.

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December/January 2011 CORPORATE PERMITS - BULK EMPLOYMENT MADE EASY By Dirk Meissner, IBN Consulting and Immigration   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.

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October 2010 BUSINESS PERMITS By Dirk Meissner, IBN Consulting and Immigration   Any foreign, direct investor wishing to run a business in the tourism and hospitality industry in South Africa is, in principle, welcomed by the government. Foreign Investment The South African government is well aware of the importance of foreign investment as well as job creation in this sector as all their official policies engage investors facilitating tourism into the country. Immigration Requirements The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has defined the requirements to obtain a business in the Immigration Act of 2002, which has been unchanged since July 2005. Amendments are in the pipeline and we will advise on any changes when the become law.

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August 2010 PERMIT PROCESSING IMPROVEMENTS AT HOME AFFAIRS By Dirk Meissner at IBN Consulting & Immigration   As many of you are aware, Permanent Residence applications are centrally processed at Home Affair’s head office in Pretoria. Inconsistent and Unpredictable This process, whereby the applications are handed in at a regional office, was introduced in June 2005 and initially caused many frustrations. In effect, the processing time doubled from 1 year to 2 years. Also, many applications were lost in the post or delayed in the regional office, resulting in an inconsistent and unpredictable processing timeframe, ranging anything from 6 to 8 weeks.

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RECRUITMENT – MUCH MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE Recruitment is all about human dynamics, and as such is a challenging and exciting game.   Look Out Like all relationships, it can be fraught with pitfalls, but knowing what to look out for can make life a lot easier and painless for all parties involved. This is where a recruitment agent’s expertise comes in. Matching Requirements A recruitment agent works closely with both the employer and selected candidates. Extreme care is taken to match the experience and abilities of an individual to the job requirements of a particular position. Mutually Beneficial The agent has a responsibility to ensure that the needs and expectations of both the employer and candidate are met; only in this way can a successful, mutually beneficial relationship be guaranteed.

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FOREIGN INVESTMENT - IMMIGRATION MATTERS   South Africa has proved to be a very popular investment not only for South Africans but also for many foreigners. A particular focus has been the tourism and hospitality industry. Permission All foreigners who wish to stay in South Africa require permission to do so by the Department of Home Affairs. In case of a business such as running a boutique hotel, guesthouse, B&B or a restaurant a business permit is normally the best option.

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WORK PERMITS FOR FOREIGNERS IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY   The hospitality industry is continually improving service standards and in this context it is always interesting for hotels, restaurants or other business in the hospitality service to have input from abroad, for example from Europe. European Flavour If you succeed in recruiting a person from perhaps one of the renowned European hotel schools or a person from abroad with provable and extensive hospitality experience, then this knowledge transfer and heightened motivation are guaranteed in your business. Foreigner Shy Often businesses shy away from employing foreigners as they are unsure about the legal options of employing a foreigner and unsure of the process, but seeking assistance from experts can make this an easy and worthwhile process.