Foreign work permit deadlock

The Department of Home
Affairs’ (DHA’s) continued
inability to process work
permit applications within its
previously promised 30-day
deadline is causing growing
concern for the trucking
industry.
The issue started in May
when the DHA threatened
to prevent foreign drivers
employed by SA truckers
from crossing he border unless
they had SA work permits.
And while truckers had
no objection to the need for
permits, they objected to the
DHA’s inability to process
them in the 30-day time limit.
Leon Isaacson, MD
of Global Migration and
chairman of the Forum of
Immigration Practitioners
of SA (Fipsa), told FTW
that the department had
a statutory obligation to
process work permit and
other temporary residence
applications within that
30-day timespan.
“But,” he added, “although
we met with the DHA on
August 18 and September 1,
we were informed that the
backlog in the processing of
all work permit applications
continued.
“Unless something radical
is done the backlog will
mount and the processing
times will increase.”
Fipsa is currently
consulting with its members
and its attorneys on the
Home Affairs matter, and
further court action is still
on the table.
“One alternative would
be an urgent application
for the courts to compel
the department to issue the
permits,” Isaacson added,
“some of which have
been pending for nine or
10 months.
“We are busy deciding
how to proceed, as this state
of affairs cannot continue.
We have clients who are
being prejudiced daily in
various ways – including
jobs being lost and bank
accounts being closed.”