Xpatweb recently hosted the first Global Mobility Management conference themed as Reinventing Mobility – A New Roadmap. 

The purpose of the conference was to unpack the current landscape of immigration and mobility in South Africa and the wider African markets, which hosted professionals from across the board providing insight into the new way of working.

Who is Sonwabo Sibayi?

With over 20 years of experience in the United Kingdom, based at the High Commission at Trafalgar Square, Sonwabo is one of the most respected and recognised officials for service to his country. Mr Sibayi shared from his personal perspective his journey, his personal account of his experiences in London over the last decades. 

Sonwabo provided insight into the new manner of working at the Consulate, specifically with regards to the new centralised adjudication system taking place within South Africa as well as life as a South African living abroad. Mr Sibayi discussed the challenges that skilled British citizens are currently facing when applying for work permits for South Africa, due to the new processes implemented and provided his view as a Department of Home Affairs official. 

He unpacked how visa applications from London are facilitated through a 3rd party service provider, VFS (Visa Facilitation Centre), whereby staff review the application pack in line with the Immigration Laws. This ensures smooth processing by the Consulate officials, before the applications are forwarded to the Department of Home Affairs Head Office in Pretoria for final adjudication. 

Mr Sibayi further detailed the new processes for South Africans living abroad and needing civic services completed, i.e. renewing of passports. The officials have developed a smoother strategy to ensure that expats who have immigrated feel secure abroad throughout their length of residence in the UK. 

What can we learn from this information?

Xpatweb has taken the above information and decided to use same to our advantage, by ensuring that all our expats originating from the United Kingdom have a smooth submission process.

We are thankful that Mr Sibayi took the time to explain the current processes and share his insights to the current immigration matters at hand.

Written by Shule Shuller, Immigration Support Specialist, Xpatweb