South Africa is experiencing a veterinarian and veterinary nurse shortage, which threatens the profession, food security, public health, and animal welfare.

According to a recent report by GroundUp, South Africa has nearly 4 000 registered veterinarians, with approximately 230 of them being specialists. This equates to just over 60 veterinarians for every million people. The South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) oversees the profession and indicates that the international benchmark is between 200 and 400 veterinarians per million people. This shortage has been exacerbated by the removal of veterinarians from the Critical Skills List in 2022, leading to a potential crisis in the agricultural sector. To address this, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) then reinstated veterinarians and veterinary nurses to South Africa’s Critical Skills List on 3 October 2023.

The Critical Skills List is in place to identify and attract highly skilled foreign nationals in scarce skill occupations where there is a shortage in certain areas of expertise, such as information technology, engineering, education, business process outsourcing, medicine and the like, provided that they meet the prescribed requirements. The Critical Skills List must be updated as the need for scarce skills arises. The determination of skills or qualifications which are critical for South Africa is vital for assessing the eligibility of individuals who wish to apply for critical skills work visas. 

The SAVC has been working closely with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) as well as with the DHA to address this pressing issue. According to recent DALRRD figures, about 100 veterinarians emigrate from South Africa while only 140 qualify on an annual basis. 

Without qualified veterinarians and veterinary nurses, food safety may be threatened, and the South African population may face a higher risk of exposure to dangerous infectious diseases. The reinstatement of veterinarians and veterinary nurses on the Critical Skills List will help employ qualified foreign national veterinarians and veterinary nurses who wish to practice in South Africa and require the necessary work permits to do so.

Foreign veterinarians seeking a critical skills work visa in South Africa must, at a minimum have at least a Bachelor's Degree in Veterinary Science or Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (NQF Level 8). Veterinary nurses need a National Diploma or a Bachelor's Degree in Veterinary Nursing (NQF Level 6 or 7). These are the minimum prescribed requirements foreign nationals must comply with. 

Despite previous concerns about the DHA's visa applications backlog, the Minister of the DHA (Minister) has stated that 30% of the backlog has been resolved, and the goal is to complete the remaining applications by the end of 2024. This indicates that employers should be able to recruit foreign workers without excessive delays.

Considering the current shortage of qualified veterinarians and veterinary nurses in the agricultural sector, employers operating in this sector should consider incentivising South African veterinarians and veterinary nurses to work in the country so that they are dissuaded from emigrating. Furthermore, employers in the agriculture sector could capitalise on this gap in the market by hiring qualified foreign national veterinarians and veterinary nurses, as critical skills work visas are easier to obtain than general work visas. If foreign national veterinarians and veterinary nurses are employed under critical skills work visas, the public's access to veterinary services may improve, ensuring that veterinary care for domestic animals is maintained, while also reducing exposure to dangerous infectious diseases. 

Our expert team of immigration law specialists continuously monitor these changes to ensure that our clients are informed and are kept up to date on the latest developments in this regard and are advised accordingly.

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Written By Nivaani Moodley, Associate Director, Jamie Jacobs, Associate & Bianca Rutherfoord-Jones, Immigration Specialist from Webber Wentzel