Schreiber says changes to visa application system to bring influx of tourists from China, India to SA
From 12 February, vetted tour operators from India and China will be able to submit group visa applications for their clients online and expect them to be issued within three days.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber during debate on the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on 11 February 2025. Picture: GCIS
CAPE TOWN - From 12 February, vetted tour operators from India and China will be able to submit group visa applications for their clients online and expect them to be issued within three days.
It’s one of the pledges made by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber during debate on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Tuesday.
Schreiber said that one of his top priorities this year will be to develop a single, biometrically digital identity for all citizens to eliminate fraud in financial aid sectors.
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The home affairs minister said that the department needed to be at the heart of government re-engineering itself to eliminate paperwork and queues.
He said it was time that national documents were delivered to homes in the same way banks delivered their cards.
Schreiber said that by the end of the year, he hopes to have rectified the IT system that currently doesn’t allow naturalised citizens and permanent residents to obtain a smart ID.
He also wants to increase access to application services in banks to over 1,000 branches.
"At the heart of these reforms is a mindset shift, that recognises that data is the currency of the future and that it’s the individual that owns their own data."
Schreiber said that changes to the visa application system should soon see an influx of tourists from China and India.
"This is home affairs demonstrating the power of digital transformation to create jobs. Our commitment is to delivering dignity for all, both by giving people access to services and by driving job creation through visa reform."
He said that while the changes won't happen overnight, they were aimed at eliminating fraud and strengthening the power of the South African passport.