Finding a job in South Africa might not be as easy as it seems if you’re a foreigner, but if you go about it the right way, you could see yourself living and working in South Africa in the near future. In this post, we’ll be highlighting everything a foreigner needs to know about working in South Africa, what the application process entails, and also giving you some advice on the current job market.
Can Foreigners Easily Find a Job in South Africa?
Generally speaking, non-SA citizens need to have job offers in hand from South African companies before they’re able to secure working visas in the country. This does not apply to professionals working in selected industries (where there is a shortage of supply as far as talent is concerned). If you have formal qualifications and at least five years of relevant work experience, you may be eligible to enter the country for a period of one year in order to find suitable employment.
What Does South Africa’s Job Market Look Like?
South Africa’s unemployment rate is considerably high (it hit a 13-year high in July 2017 at 27.7%), and with the amount of semi-skilled and unqualified workers in the labor force, it’s hard to think that things will start looking better within the next year.
Due to the high level of unemployment in the country, employers who choose to employ foreign candidates must prove that they were not able to fill the position with a South African citizen.
But it’s not all bad news: thanks to the government’s Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGI-SA), companies are now being encouraged to recruit professional candidates (non-SA citizens) that have a set of key skills. These candidates may be offered employment if they have at least five years of experience in the industry and have formal qualifications.
With about 35,000 jobs spanning across 53 different industries, there are quite a lot of opportunities for foreigners to apply for critical skills visas.
What Industries Form Part of the Critical Skills List?
Although the full list of critical skills can be found on the Department of Home Affairs’ Government Gazette, here’s a look at what skills are in critical supply. Industries that form part of the critical skills list include:
- Life/earth sciences
- Communication and technology
- Agriculture
- Architecture
- Economics and management
- Business
- Engineering
- Health and medical sciences
What Visas and Permits Will I Need to Live and Work in South Africa?
Applying for a work visa is essential if you plan on living and working in South Africa. Your work visas will serve as a temporary resident visa. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to travel to South Africa under a tourist visa and apply for a work visa.
Applications for a work visa can be made once you have a job offer in hand (or if your skills form part of the critical skills list) and should be done at the South African embassy or consulate in your area. Be sure to lodge applications at least six weeks before you intend to travel to South Africa.
What Kind of Visas Are Available to Non-SA Residents?
- General Work Visa – this visa applies to people with general qualifications and is generally valid for the period of your employment contract. If applying for a general work visa, you’ll need a job offer in hand, or proof of your qualifications and a letter from the employer proving that the position could not be filled by a South African citizen.
- Critical Skills Work Visa – this visa is for highly skilled professionals with formal qualifications and at least five years of working experience. You may be granted a critical skills visa if you work in the critical skills industries and although you do not need a job offer to apply for this visa, you have to find employment within a year as the visa is only valid for one year. Once you have the visa, you may be able to apply for a five-year working visa and eventually, permanent residency.
- Intra-transfer Work Visa – this visa is issued to a foreign employee who is being transferred from a multi-national company’s branch abroad to the South African offices.
Due to South Africa’s shortage of skills, the opportunities for foreigners to live and work in the country are on the rise. We hope this post has shed a little light on how foreigners can go about the task of applying for jobs in South Africa, and possibly seeing their dream of living in the country on a permanent basis come true!