“South Africa is a dynamic country with fantastic job opportunities as its economy is on the rise”.

South Africa is expanding the jobs to different and diverse sectors. With a relaxed lifestyle, South Africa is also offering so much in terms of entertainment and free time. With more than one type of South African visas available, including medical and short-term.

South Africa also offers working visas for people interested in long-term employment in the country. We will be providing you with all the information regarding a long-term visa that will allow travellers to earn and work in the country according to their respective set of skills. It is called a Critical Skills Work Visa.

The Critical Skill Visa for South Africa

This visa replaced the former exceptional visa and was recently introduced by the name of critical skill visa.

The critical skill visa's top goal is to assist the Industry and Trade departments of South African in achieving programs objectives like:

• NDP (The National Development Plan)
• IPAP ( The Industrial Policy Action Plan)
• NGP ( The New Growth Plan)

Under the system of SCWV, all foreigners with exceptional qualifications and skills that are guaranteed scarce in the country will be allowed to work and move to South Africa. The high demanding skills and occupations were identified by DHET ( South African Department of Higher Education and Training).

South Africa Critical Skills Visa: Validity

The critical skill visa is a long-term visa and not a permanent one. You won't be able to live in South Africa permanently, but you will be able to work and enter the country.

An applicant is issued with a CSWV for up to 5 years. The validity of a critical skills visa depends on the specific circumstances of the applicant. The validity of this visa can be one year (set by CSWV) if there are no job offers for the applicant or if they haven't secured any jobs.

This visa also allows the dependent children and spouse of the visa holders to obtain the permit. The family members of such applicants can stay as long as the CSWV is valid

You can renew a critical skills visa if all the requirements are met. There is a relevant fee that foreigners must pay to renew their visas.

Critical Skills considered for the visa

The Department of Higher Education and Training published the official critical skills list in June of 2018 in the department's official Gazette.

Following are the sectors which are most sought-after professional figures:

• Agricultural Skills
  • Forestry Technician
  • Agricultural Engineer & Scientist
  • Sheep Shearer
• Construction
  • Construction Project Manager & Architect
  • Quantity and Land Surveyor
  • Regional and Urban Planner
• Economics, Management, and Business
  • Risk and Actuaries Assessors
  • External Auditor
  • Financial Investment Advisor
  • Corporate General Manager
• Traders
  • Moulder
  • Millwright
  • Pipe Fitter
  • Industrial Machinery Mechanic
  • Raise-bore Operators
  • Double Coded Welder
• Business process outsourcing
  • Team Lead/ Customer Service Manager
  • Business & Quality Analyst
  • Quality Assurance Specialist/ Auditor
  • Software Development Managers and Engineers
  • System Engineers, Architects, and Managers
• Academics and Research
  • Galaxy Structure and Dynamics
  • Pulsar and Black holes
  • VLBI Operations
• Communication and Information Technology
  • Network
• Engineering
  • Chemical Engineer
  • Civil Engineer
• Health Professionals and Clinical related sciences
  • Public Health Physician
  • Hospital Pharmacist
  • Nursing Professionals
• Life and Earth Sciences
  • Biochemist More…
• Professional and associate professionals
  • Technologist More…

How to get a critical skills Permit for South Africa

• To get a critical skill permit, you will need to visit the South African embassy or consulate and apply in person. After that, you will have to fill the application form as accurately as possible.
• It is not as simple as putting in or applying for a simple eVisa for people travelling to the country for the purpose of tourism.
• Make sure you bring all of the supporting documents for proving that you are eligible for a critical work permit for South Africa.

South Africa Critical Skills Visa: requirements

You must meet all the requirements set for a critical skills visa to obtain this type of permit. It will also be made sure that all of the terms and conditions are respected regarding the validity period of the visa.

In addition, submitting the supporting documents is a part of the applicant's application. CSWV asks for the following supporting documents:

• A passport with a minimum of 30 days of validity after the expiry of intended travel. Applicable fee payment proof.
• Applicable fee payment proof.
• A health certificate & radiological report recently obtained.
• Proof of union or marriage if the applicants want their families to join them in the country
• Police clearance certificate(s).
• Where applicable, a proof of yellow fever vaccination.
• A letter written by the employer proves that they are responsible for all of the costs regarding the applicant's deportation if necessary.
• Proof that the applicant meets all the requirements regarding the critical skills category
• Evaluation proof of the foreign qualification.
• Depending on the applicant's specific condition, further documents.