The Department of Home Affairs has approved 71 companies under the second phase of its Trusted Employer Scheme, Minister Leon Schreiber said. The scheme gives approved employers simpler visa steps when they hire foreign workers with critical skills.
A total of 138 companies applied to join the scheme. The 71 that were approved will get less paperwork and more predictable processing times, the department said.
“With 71 more companies now part of the Trusted Employer Scheme, we are taking another important step towards positioning Home Affairs as an enabler of economic growth,” Schreiber said, according to IOL.
“Cutting red tape and making it easier for businesses to access critical skills is essential to attracting investment, growing our economy and creating jobs for South Africans,” he said.
The second phase of the scheme was launched on 20 July 2026. It opened the scheme to strategic infrastructure projects, regional and global headquarters, and qualifying financial institutions.
The department said the scheme is part of wider immigration reforms. It said these reforms aim to grow the economy while also making border security stronger and stopping fraud.
According to the department, the changes will help qualifying businesses meet immigration rules faster. It said this would cut the delays that can slow down access to specialist skills.
Schreiber said the scheme forms part of a government plan to modernise immigration services. He said the aim is to make South Africa more attractive to foreign investors.
The reforms also include a wider rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system. The department said the ETA is meant to replace slow manual immigration processes with digital ones.
“Together with the expansion of our Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, the Trusted Employer Scheme forms part of our broader reforms to build a fundamentally different immigration system that serves South Africa’s interests,” Schreiber said.
The minister said faster immigration services did not have to come at the cost of national security. “We are demonstrating that stronger immigration security and economic growth can, and must, go hand in hand,” he said.
Home Affairs said it is also moving ahead with digital changes to fight fraud and check people’s identity more carefully. Schreiber said secure digital systems and biometric checks would close gaps in the system.
“By replacing manual processes with secure digital systems and biometric verification, we are closing the loopholes that enable fraud and abuse,” he said.
He said the same changes would make it easier for real investors and skilled people to work in South Africa.
Schreiber said the government wants an immigration system that balances security with economic opportunity. “Our vision is clear: an immigration system that is harder to abuse, but easier to access for those who contribute to South Africa’s growth and prosperity,” he said.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.