After many months of waiting, the Department of Home Affairs finally gazetted the new Critical Skills list for South Africa on 2nd February 2022.
The Department of Home Affairs appears to have gone through an engagement and evaluation process. The full details of the assessment process are available for those who may be interested 2022-Technical-Report-Finalisation-of-the-Critical-Skills-List-compressed.pdf (dha.gov.za)
Important things to note:
- The list has been reduced to only 101 roles. Many of the roles on the previous list have been excluded. Many of the roles that were on the draft list have been excluded, and in some cases, whole industries have been excluded.
- The descriptions have been more clearly defined.
- The qualification requirements have been defined at a NQF level.
- The revised list applies with immediate effect.
Link here to view the gazetted critical skills list
Gazetted_Critical_Skills_List_2022-compressed.pdf (dha.gov.za)
While we welcome the clarity that the gazetted list provides, we know that many of our clients who currently hold critical skills visas will no longer be eligible when their current visas expire.
The gazetted list further limits the immigration options for many Zimbabwean applicants seeking alternatives to the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit.