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Children travelling to RSA and Birth Certs - UPDATE


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CHILDREN TRAVELLING TO SOUTH AFRICA - UPDATE

Statement by the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Malusi Gigaba MP, on 16 September 2014

"...It was put to the Department, that while the new regulations are accepted as necessary and are fully supported, due to these challenges mentioned above, and particularly in light of the upcoming peak travel periods for families – that is, December / January for the festive season and April for Easter – a postponement would greatly assist travellers and the sectors as a whole.
The Department has taken this input into consideration, along with our obligation to ensure the safety of children entering and exiting the country.
Having taken all of this into account, we have granted a postponement of these two particular requirements – the Unabridged Birth Certificate and written permission to June 1st 2015.
...
To ensure that the security of children is not undermined during this period, our officials will be on heightened alert, and will use other means, including additional screening, vetting and interviews as necessary, to ensure all travelling children are authorized to do so."

Full statement at http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/index.php/statements-speeches/522-statement-by-the-minister-of-home-affairs-mr-malusi-gigaba-mp-in-relation-to-the-implementation-of-new-immigration-regulations-on-16-september-2014-in-cape-town

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Well, "additional screening, vetting and interviewing" is all that is needed to combat child trafficking. Not these stupid additional forms which can be forged anyway!!

Stupid.

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Why is it they always put the cart before the horse??

Could they not have thought of this beforehand!!

Could you believe that people have to travel all the way to Canberra to submit their RSA visitor visa applications in person. Other countries only require applicants to present themselves to the nearest counsel office.

So if you are a large family, living in (say) the Gold Cost, hope you have the time and the money for the trip.

Edited by zamunda
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Because that would mean they behave like, chacharag, colonial, imperialist pigs and think things through! Perish the thought old boy, what! LOL.

By June this malarkey still wont be sored out. Glad I am not going back to Africa.

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Unfortunately, this is merely a temporary reprieve, and come June next year, these new immigration regulations will most likely be introduced.

Although the problem of unabridged birth certificates appears to be top of mind for most people, this is merely one of a number of new regulations being introduced. Others include the need to prove a marital/partner relationship of at least at two years in order to acquire a spousal visa, and for existing visa holders to return home in order to change their visa status.

The real issue here is that the SA Government enforces consensus through regulation. Only when things go pear-shaped, and it is opposed through legal action or civil disobedience, does it then engage in consultation with stakeholders. This is exactly what has happened here.

Gigaba took over the Home Affairs ministry after the May elections, having spent a disastrous stint as the Public Enterprises Minister overseeing our rapidly haemorrhaging state enterprises, such as SAA and Eskom. Although he inherited these new immigration proposals, he immediately went on the defensive, insisting that these would be implemented, and "rejecting with contempt" opposition to these plans while threatening to defend these in court. In June he pooh-poohed the concerns of visa agents, and in July he rejected a written submission from 20 airlines, retorting that "visitors will just have to bear the new visa rules" .

Only now, less than two weeks before these regulations are due to be introduced, has he recognised the "challenges" to implementation (we don't have "problems" in South Africa!). Among which are that it routinely takes up to one year to get Home Affairs to issue an unabridged birth certificate, the critical skills list has yet to be published, there is no schedule of visa fees, spousal visa application forms are not available, and the need to appear in person at one of the few SA consulates outside the country.

We now have a task force looking into this whole sorry mess, but don't hold out any hopes for a change of heart, as this is merely window-dressing. For the sake of controlling 1% of dodgy visas, the Government is prepared to inconvenience the other 99%, as well as putting the R10bn per annum tourism industry at risk.

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I think the visa application out of country is good thing because it will help to fight corruption for example. We know there a problem with corruption and by stopping people from applying in country may help in this regard.

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To my mind it's not the South African Home affairs that is the only problem. It's the airline telling the British tourist that they need to go to Sommerset House to get copies of birth certificates, that will make a holiday to South Africa fall into the to hard basket.

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