Heads-up: New SA Immigration rules for kids
Jul 11, 2015, 1:50 am
#136
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A good reputation is so easily damaged or destroyed, and so hard to reestablish.
Johan
Jul 11, 2015, 2:18 am
#137
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Regs not enough to combat child trafficking - Child advocacy groups
"Unicef said it is possible that South Africa is the only country on the continent that requires an unabridged birth certificate.
“At Childline SA, we had to think of the children who are travelling in and out of South Africa and we believe the requirements, which have been put out by the Department of Home Affairs, will help greatly. We feel that this measure will ensure that people cannot take children in and out of the country without the necessary documentation.”"
Source
Johan
“At Childline SA, we had to think of the children who are travelling in and out of South Africa and we believe the requirements, which have been put out by the Department of Home Affairs, will help greatly. We feel that this measure will ensure that people cannot take children in and out of the country without the necessary documentation.”"
Source
Johan
Jul 11, 2015, 1:30 pm
#138
Join Date: Aug 2000
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Tourism aside, business is also suffering. My company has decided to move the work from our South African subsidiary to Uganda instead. The final straw was the new visa regulations which basically made it impractical for staff from our Head Office in Dubai to get business visas for SA in less than a month due to the biometrics, personal interview and other requirements. All of which have to be repeated every 6 months.
Jul 12, 2015, 2:45 am
#139
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Gigaba admits that new SA visa rules will dent tourism at first
""We don't think we should be so ambitious as not to expect a drop," [Home Affairs Minister Malusi] Gigaba told reporters.
"Every country balances its voracious desire for tourists with the desire to secure the country. That is what we are trying to do - to balance the economic and the security imperative," he added.
The minister said Air China was considering suspending flights to South Africa because of the visa requirements."
Source
The security imperative? How about focusing on domestic crime first?
Johan
"Every country balances its voracious desire for tourists with the desire to secure the country. That is what we are trying to do - to balance the economic and the security imperative," he added.
The minister said Air China was considering suspending flights to South Africa because of the visa requirements."
Source
The security imperative? How about focusing on domestic crime first?
Johan
Jul 13, 2015, 6:56 am
#140
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Officials create confusion around new regulations
"US-based Steve Turner, of Travel with Guns, reported that two separate groups had been asked to produce a copy of the absent parent’s passport. He raised this with the Department of Home Affairs Customer Service Centre, which first said the copy was not required but when confronted with the second case, said that it was required.
“Kindly be advised that a parent who will be travelling with a minor is required to be in possession of a passport copy and the Parent consent affidavit of the parent who is not present,” the centre responded to one of Turner’s queries.
Department of Home Affairs spokesperson, Mayihlome Tshwete, confirmed to Tourism Update that the copy of the passport was not required under the new regulations and downplayed the incidents."
Source
Probably a lot easier to enter SA with guns than with kids.
Johan
“Kindly be advised that a parent who will be travelling with a minor is required to be in possession of a passport copy and the Parent consent affidavit of the parent who is not present,” the centre responded to one of Turner’s queries.
Department of Home Affairs spokesperson, Mayihlome Tshwete, confirmed to Tourism Update that the copy of the passport was not required under the new regulations and downplayed the incidents."
Source
Probably a lot easier to enter SA with guns than with kids.
Johan
Jul 13, 2015, 7:22 am
#141
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"[W]hen travelling back from Germany to South Africa, I took the opportunity to talk to one of the SAA check-in staff in Frankfurt, who confirmed to me that they had been sending numerous families away as they did not have the correct documents to allow them to board. She said that in the beginning, airlines still rebooked families free of charge who did not have the correct paperwork, arranging new flights for them once the documentation had been obtained. This has changed, and now the airline charges extra for any flight changes. She says that judging by these families’ reactions, they would not be travelling to South Africa again any time soon.
Upon arrival at OR Tambo International Airport, I had a similar conversation with the gentleman at passport control. He also checked all my paperwork and commented that he wished all tourists would use the “proposed” affidavit form provided by the DHA as this would make his life much easier. He said that most tourists just drafted their own affidavit forms, which are missing important information and result in their being denied access into the country. He also confirmed that they had turned away and denied entry to numerous families on a daily basis – most of which originated from Asian countries. "
Source
Johan
Upon arrival at OR Tambo International Airport, I had a similar conversation with the gentleman at passport control. He also checked all my paperwork and commented that he wished all tourists would use the “proposed” affidavit form provided by the DHA as this would make his life much easier. He said that most tourists just drafted their own affidavit forms, which are missing important information and result in their being denied access into the country. He also confirmed that they had turned away and denied entry to numerous families on a daily basis – most of which originated from Asian countries. "
Source
Johan
Jul 13, 2015, 8:45 am
#142
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And if the parent not on the trip does not have a passport to be photocopied? (I can see it easily happening with Americans or Canadians where one spouse does international business travel, and the other one is a homebody sort who just says 'have fun going on safari with junior without me.') Okay, add another cost to going to or transiting the country.
Jul 13, 2015, 10:31 am
#143
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"I have had massive problems - my son's father and I spilt up shortly after his birth and when we got divorced a year later he moved to the UK and we have since lost contact with him. I have a work project in Croatia later this year which will require me to take my son out of the country with me, yet we cannot get a passport for him because his father has to be present at the application. I have been told that his father has to go do the SA Home office in London to sign a permission letter, but as we don't know where he is this is impossible. Home office staff aren't helpful at all and it seems I'm locked in a stale mate situation where I cannot get a passport without the father, but cannot locate the father to get a passport. Whomever proposed this legislation or allowed it to be passed should be fired."
Source
Johan
Jul 14, 2015, 8:33 am
#144
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Or, even worse:
"I have had massive problems - my son's father and I spilt up shortly after his birth and when we got divorced a year later he moved to the UK and we have since lost contact with him. I have a work project in Croatia later this year which will require me to take my son out of the country with me, yet we cannot get a passport for him because his father has to be present at the application. I have been told that his father has to go do the SA Home office in London to sign a permission letter, but as we don't know where he is this is impossible. Home office staff aren't helpful at all and it seems I'm locked in a stale mate situation where I cannot get a passport without the father, but cannot locate the father to get a passport. Whomever proposed this legislation or allowed it to be passed should be fired."
Source
Johan
"I have had massive problems - my son's father and I spilt up shortly after his birth and when we got divorced a year later he moved to the UK and we have since lost contact with him. I have a work project in Croatia later this year which will require me to take my son out of the country with me, yet we cannot get a passport for him because his father has to be present at the application. I have been told that his father has to go do the SA Home office in London to sign a permission letter, but as we don't know where he is this is impossible. Home office staff aren't helpful at all and it seems I'm locked in a stale mate situation where I cannot get a passport without the father, but cannot locate the father to get a passport. Whomever proposed this legislation or allowed it to be passed should be fired."
Source
Johan
Jul 14, 2015, 11:02 am
#145
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,077
There's a solution
"If a parent cannot be located or refuses to consent, or a dispute concerning consent arises, the matter should be referred to the Children’s Court. The Court’s decision must be submitted with the application for the passport."
See, http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/index...avel-documents
I'm not saying it's pleasant, easy or quick. But, there's the option.
"If a parent cannot be located or refuses to consent, or a dispute concerning consent arises, the matter should be referred to the Children’s Court. The Court’s decision must be submitted with the application for the passport."
See, http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/index...avel-documents
I'm not saying it's pleasant, easy or quick. But, there's the option.
Jul 14, 2015, 11:41 am
#146
Join Date: Mar 2004
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There's a solution
"If a parent cannot be located or refuses to consent, or a dispute concerning consent arises, the matter should be referred to the Children’s Court. The Court’s decision must be submitted with the application for the passport."
See, http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/index...avel-documents
I'm not saying it's pleasant, easy or quick. But, there's the option.
"If a parent cannot be located or refuses to consent, or a dispute concerning consent arises, the matter should be referred to the Children’s Court. The Court’s decision must be submitted with the application for the passport."
See, http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/index...avel-documents
I'm not saying it's pleasant, easy or quick. But, there's the option.
Another nail in the coffin of our vanishing Runt. Which is ironic: even the exchange rate won't persuade people with children to visit.
Jul 16, 2015, 4:48 am
#147
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Home Affairs official arrested for corruption
"Elisha Matsipa, 43, who is the Assistant Director at the Immigration Office, was arrested on Monday after he allegedly assisted a Pakistani national, Wahdat Hussain, 30, to fraudulently obtain a South African passport, Identity Document and a marriage certificate. Initial investigations have revealed that Matsipa received an amount of R23 000 from Hussain, the Hawks said."
Source
Johan
Source
Johan
Jul 16, 2015, 4:51 am
#148
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Jul 16, 2015, 6:10 am
#149
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It wasn't a serendipitous autocorrect, I'm afraid. It's an old joke among South Africans based on the fact that it resembles the Afrikaans pronunciation of rand and describes the pedigree of our pathetic currency.
Jul 16, 2015, 8:17 am
#150
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And for clarity, I'm not taking pleasure in your misfortune, but your loss is, in this case, my gain