PRETORIA, South Africa – South Africa has launched Phase II of its Trusted Employer Scheme, placing local employment, investment and skills transfer at the centre of faster work visa processing for selected companies.
The policy seeks to resolve a difficult national problem. South Africa needs engineers, executives, technicians and financial specialists for major projects. At the same time, millions of citizens remain unemployed and public anger over foreign labour keeps rising.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber gazetted the expanded scheme on July 20. Applications opened on the same day and close on September 4. An interdepartmental committee will assess each company, while Home Affairs will make the final decision.
The scheme does not introduce a blanket ban on foreign workers. Nor does the programme order every employer in South Africa to replace foreign staff. TES offers accredited companies faster visa processing when they meet strict investment, employment, sector and training conditions.
This distinction matters. Social media posts have described the measure as a universal “South Africans first” employment law. The official gazette describes a targeted immigration channel for corporate employers, infrastructure firms, regional headquarters and selected financial institutions.
Under the main pathway for South African-based companies, an applicant needs at least 60 percent of its workforce to consist of South African citizens or permanent residents. A company with fewer than 100 employees receives no employment points. A company with at least 100 workers, including the 60 percent local threshold, receives 20 points. More than 150 employees under the same local ratio earns 25 points.
The scorecard also rewards investment. A company receives 20 points for qualifying investment between R100 million and R200 million. Investment above R200 million earns 30 points. Historical investment below R100 million earns no points.
Priority sectors include manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, services, resource-based industries, energy and strategic infrastructure. Projects in power generation, renewable energy, transport, water management and digital communications receive stronger weighting.
Companies must also provide proof of active skills transfer, bursary or graduate development programmes for South African citizens and permanent residents. Employers without such programmes lose 20 points under the first pathway.
The second route serves companies operating, or planning to establish, regional or global headquarters in South Africa. Infrastructure companies also fall under this route. Applicants need a strong local presence, large financial contributions, local employment and approved economic activity.
Such companies receive employment points when at least 60 percent of permanent staff are citizens or permanent residents. New entrants also qualify through a binding undertaking to reach the same ratio within 12 months of receiving TES status.
The third pathway targets synthetic financial centres. These specialist entities face different requirements due to lower staffing levels and high-value financial roles. They need regulatory approval, market infrastructure commitments, visa facilitation controls and a plan to employ at least five citizens or permanent residents within 24 months.
Every applicant under the three scorecards needs at least 80 points. Home Affairs, Employment and Labour, Trade, Industry and Competition, plus other relevant departments, will review submissions. Approved companies must sign a memorandum of agreement with Home Affairs.
TES gives successful employers reduced paperwork and priority visa handling for foreign specialists. The gazette states clearly: TES does not serve unskilled or low-wage recruitment. The programme focuses on senior executives, technical personnel, corporate employees and investors.
Schreiber said the expanded programme showed Home Affairs working “as an economic enabler, rather than as a constraint.” He linked the reform to the Government of National Unity’s goal of economic growth and job creation.
The first TES phase started in 2024 after Home Affairs selected 70 companies from 108 applicants. The government said the programme reduced average work visa processing from about 22 weeks to roughly 20 days for qualifying employers.
Faster visas matter for companies building power stations, factories, data networks and transport systems. Delayed specialist appointments hold back projects, raise costs and weaken investor confidence. A credible fast-track route helps employers bring rare expertise into South Africa while local teams receive training.
Yet public trust will depend on enforcement. Employers must not use critical-skills visas to fill routine jobs available to citizens. Home Affairs and labour inspectors need strong audits, payroll checks and workplace inspections. Companies submitting false staff ratios or fake training plans should lose TES status and face prosecution.
South Africa’s labour crisis explains the political pressure. Statistics South Africa placed official unemployment at 32.7 percent in the first quarter of 2026. The number of unemployed people rose to 8.1 million, while total employment fell to 16.8 million. Discouraged job seekers reached 3.9 million.
Those figures demand a local employment strategy. They do not support attacks against foreign workers or collective blame against African migrants. Government holds responsibility for border management, visa enforcement and labour inspections. Employers hold responsibility for lawful recruitment and equal wages.
Foreign specialists also play a legitimate economic role. A mining engineer, renewable-energy technician or financial systems expert often supports projects employing hundreds of local workers. Blocking all foreign expertise would damage investment and delay skills transfer. Uncontrolled recruitment of low-paid foreign labour would deepen unemployment, wage abuse and public anger.
TES therefore attempts a controlled balance. Foreign expertise receives faster entry only through employers with substantial investment, local-majority workforces and measurable development programmes. Citizens receive stronger protection through employment ratios and training obligations.
You should still watch the implementation closely. A 60 percent local threshold means four out of every ten workers in some accredited firms might still hold foreign nationality. Government should explain which roles those workers occupy, why local candidates were unavailable and how each company will transfer knowledge.
Transparency will decide whether citizens accept the scheme. Home Affairs should publish the names of successful employers, their sector, investment value, workforce size and compliance record. Annual reports should show visas issued, jobs created, citizens trained and companies removed for misconduct.
South Africa needs investment and scarce expertise. South Africans also deserve first access to jobs where local skills exist. TES Phase II gives the government a structured mechanism for both objectives.
Success will not come from slogans. Success will come from factories built, projects completed, salaries paid, citizens trained and visa abuse punished. If officials enforce every condition, the scheme offers a disciplined answer to one of South Africa’s hardest economic and political questions.
