South Africa plans to introduce digital nomad visas

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has initiated plans to offer digital nomad visas, targeting highly skilled tech workers for potential long-term stays in the country. These visas, first introduced by Estonia and Portugal in 2017, would allow remote workers to live in South Africa, earn income from abroad, and enjoy local amenities.

If successful, South Africa would become the fifth African country to provide this visa, joining Namibia, Cape Verde, Mauritius, and Seychelles.

The proposed visa programme involves a points system similar to those used worldwide. It would assess factors such as the applicant’s age, qualifications, language proficiency, professional background, and potential job opportunities in South Africa.

South Africa, as a favored tourist destination, has ample opportunities to draw remote workers and individuals with essential skills. In addition to enriching the professional environment, these individuals can boost the local economy by spending their foreign-earned income with local businesses.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his regularly weekly newsletter on Monday;

To succeed in an ever-changing global economy, our country needs far more people with the right skills. This is so that our economy can be competitive, grow and create employment. A remote worker who wants to work in South Africa while being employed by a foreign company will be able to receive such a visa.

President Ramaphosa recommended companies seeking to import skills from the critical skills list to consider the Trusted Employer Scheme introduced by the Department of Home Affairs in October 2023. This programme enables companies to apply for trusted employer status, greatly simplifying the visa process for incoming employees.

This initiative is crucial as Africa is experiencing a “brain drain” of skilled tech workers, who are often enticed by opportunities in the UK and other developed nations. In 2022 alone, 40,000 tech professionals left South Africa in search of better career prospects and living conditions.

Thus, the digital nomad visa aims to keep African talent in Africa and attract skilled workers who can contribute to South Africa’s economic development.