Are you a ZEP Business Permit holder, and are battling to migrate to the mainstream business visa maybe because:
- You have not invested R5 million into the country which is required for a mainstream business visa, or
- You do not have all the necessary documents needed for a business visa application, such as your statutory registration requirements (UIF, COIDA, etc); or maybe
- You do not meet the minimum threshold of 60% SA citizen/permanent residents employees?
Well, the good news is that, as a person who has been legally operating a business in SA on a ZEP Business Permit over the years, you have a good chance to apply for a mainstream business visa, without necessarily proving the R5 million capital requirement, but still being able to comply with the other requirements. This is done by way of a waiver request to the DTI and Home Affairs.
But now, one would ask, what makes a successful waiver application? How do you ensure that you get the application right the first time in order to get a positive recommendation from DTI plus the R5 million waiver, which then gives you a better chance at getting a business visa?
Below are some tips on how you can ensure to get a positive recommendation from DTI as well as the waiver of the R5 million capital requirement, which is considered a stumbling block by many ZEP Business Permit holders.
- Show how your business has been contributing to the economy/national interest over the years
- Indicate how feasible it is to continue operating your business beyond the ZEP Business Permit
- You have local SA citizen/permanent residents employees. The minimum requirement is 60% of your staff complement need to be SA citizens or permanent residents.
- All your statutory registrations are up to date
- You have at least the preceding financial year financials
- Submit all required documents.
Even though you are requesting for a waiver of the R5 million capital requirement, all other requirements need to be met, and this is still very possible for ZEP Business Permit holders migrating to the mainstream business visa.
If you would like more insight on how you can motivate your application based on the above tips, please feel free to contact us on +27 73 554 6567 or send an email to info@prestige-immigraiton.co.za and one of our consultants will contact you.
It is important to take action now as a business owner on a ZEP permit, because not having a valid visa as a business owner who has been legitimately operating in SA over the years, it means that:
- You will no longer be able to independently run your business
- You may even have to eventually shut down your business and seek employment needing to actually apply for a work visa as a foreign national wanting to work in SA
- You may resort to the use of third parties as fronts to continue operations going, placing yourself at risk of losing your investments and profits made over the years
- You will not be able to comply with statutory regulations which negatively impacts the business, causing you to lose everything you have worked so hard for. Already, some ZEP business permit holders are battling to register for COIDA and UIF because of the limited time on their ZEP permits, which then also impacts their chances of a successful application for the recommendation and waiver of the R5 million requirement. Without complying with the statutory registration requirements, it will be difficult to even motivate for a waiver of the R5 million capital requirement.
It is therefore important to take action now, apply for your Business Visa and ensure that you comply fully with all necessary requirements, even with the waiver request.
If you would like to understand how best to migrate from your ZEP Business Permit to a mainstream business visa, get in touch below and provide us with your information.
