South Africa is preparing the most sweeping overhaul of its migration laws in three decades in a bid to attract skilled migrants as part of efforts to boost moribund growth in Africa’s biggest economy.
The country’s cabinet endorsed folding three separate laws into a single statute, a move officials say will make it easier to attract skills, speed up visa processing, and reduce long-standing administrative backlogs. The rewrite, which seeks to attract so-called “designer migrants,” reflects growing pressure to address labor shortages in sectors such as health care, engineering, and technology, which persist despite an official unemployment rate of around 30% — one of the highest in the world. Government officials say targeted migration can support investment and tax revenues in an economy grappling with years of weak growth.
South Africa remains a major destination for migrants and asylum seekers, mainly from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and DR Congo, drawn by its relatively large economy and access to jobs and services. That role has fueled periodic outbreaks of xenophobia and violence over the last decade and driven political pressure to tighten controls.
