Business has welcomed the admission of an additional 71 companies to South Africa’s Trusted Employer Scheme (TES) under Phase II, extending the benefits of faster work visa processing and reduced administrative burdens to more qualifying employers that regularly recruit skilled foreign professionals for their South African operations.

The outcome of the second round of TES applications was communicated by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on 5 November 2026.

Dr Leon Schreiber, Minister of Home Affairs, 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. 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.”

A total of 138 companies applied to join the scheme under Phase II.

Marisa Jacobs, Managing Director at Xpatweb and Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) representative on immigration matters at NEDLAC, says the second phase is building on the success of the first, which saw over 70 companies becoming part of the TES in 2023.

“The expansion is another positive development towards making it easier for businesses to access the international skills needed to strengthen their operations, drive innovation and enhance South Africa’s competitiveness as an investment destination,” she notes.

According to DHA the TES is designed to allow South Africa to attract scarce skills in an increasingly competitive global market and manage immigration while supporting government initiatives to boost investment and create jobs.

Companies demonstrating specified eligibility criteria, including meaningful investment in South Africa, employing predominantly South African citizens or permanent residents, investing in skills development and operating in qualifying sectors, can become TES members.

The expanded scheme now includes companies involved in strategic infrastructure projects, businesses establishing regional and global headquarters in South Africa, and qualifying entities in the financial sector.

Talent Mobility Drives Investment, Competitiveness and Job Creation

In July 2026, shortly after applications for TES Phase II opened, BUSA CEO Khulekani Mathe told the Xpatweb Global Mobility Conference that the extended categories recognised that mobility reform was not an administrative side issue, but one directly connected to investment, infrastructure delivery, competitiveness and job creation.

Mathe emphasised that talent mobility should not be understood narrowly as the movement of people across borders, but as an economic strategy and a developmental instrument. Ultimately, it should be treated as a competitiveness issue.

Jacobs says the further roll out of the TES represents part of the modern, more efficient and predictable immigration system essential for companies that need to bring specialised international talent into South Africa. 

DHA has reiterated the value of simplified visa processes, reduced paperwork and more predictable processing times, making it easier to access the critical international skills that businesses need. These benefits are of strategic value when recruiting senior executives, technical personnel, corporate employees, and attracting investors, it said. 

What Participating Trusted Employers Value Most About the Scheme

The Xpatweb 2026 Critical Skills Survey, released on 28 October 2026, speaks to the tangible benefits of the TES. For 91% of the TES members who participated in the survey, the scheme had made a meaningful difference in their business. 

Some 84% reported that work visa applications which took weeks to months to finalise prior to TES, are now processed within approximately 20 business days.

Beyond faster processing, respondents identified several other gains:

• Improved workforce planning (45%)
• Better ability to attract and retain talent (31%)
• Reduced documentation requirement (27%)
• Greater consistency and predictability (25%)

The benefits extend beyond the primary applicant. Home Affairs highlighted that the expedited visa process also includes applications by family members of the main applicant. Permanent residence applications submitted through the scheme are expected to be processed within a predictable eight-month timeframe.

Together, these benefits offer employers greater certainty when planning international recruitment, deploying specialist personnel and managing business expansion.

Part of Broader Immigration Reform

The TES was introduced to give effect to a recommendation from the Operation Vulindlela work visa review, which identified systemic delays in South Africa’s immigration system. The scheme established a fast-track pathway for qualifying, high-impact businesses to attract critical international skills into the South African economy.

The scheme’s practical value was highlighted by Minister Schreiber in his June 2025 Budget Vote, when he cited TES-supported recruitment of hundreds of engineers, including 246 software engineers and 147 nuclear engineers for Eskom.

Jacobs says the need for an efficient, responsive immigration system is reinforced by findings from the Xpatweb Survey, in which 67% of participating employers indicated that they need to recruit internationally to find the skills required to operate effectively.

By simplifying visa applications for accredited employers and streamlining processes through digitalisation, the TES goes a long way in promoting South Africa as a more attractive base from which to manage regional operations, establish new investments and deploy specialised personnel.

“South Africa is building on the progress achieved through the first phase of the TES and demonstrates that immigration reform can contribute to meaningful local skills development, as well as delivering practical benefits for business and the broader economy,” says Jacobs.

Written by XpatWeb