South African Visas For IT Professionals
On August 19, 2014 / Leave a comment
Are you an Information Technology professional? Coding and programming makes you happy? Have you always dreamed about moving to sunny South Africa, but you don’t know where to begin looking for a job or applying for a visa? Lucky for you, Initiate International specialises in recruiting for Information Technology AND has its very own in-house immigration service, Initiate Immigration. Initiate is the one-stop-shop to a brighter future in South Africa.
South Africa has a great shortage of skilled workers in Information Technology and Analytics, which is why as many as 15 IT careers are on the South African Critical Skills List. Careers listed on the Critical Skills List are careers that have been deemed scarce and critical in South Africa. Foreign professionals who fall into any of the categories mentioned on the list are in great demand and can thus apply for a Critical Skills Work Visa to move to South Africa.
Critical Skills Work Visas are valid for 5 years and do not require secured employment in South Africa prior to application. Holders of these visas are free to travel to South Africa and experience and explore all of its glories for up to 12 months before having to start work. It is the best work visa the country has to offer and it is available for 15 careers in IT, which are as follows:
- AV Specialists (Anti-virus)
- CISCO engineers
- CISCO solutions specialist
- Data Centre Operations
- Database Specialists
- Desktop support Engineer
- Enterprise Architecture
- Integrated Developers(PHP, Perl, Java )
- IT Security Specialist
- Microsoft System Engineers
- Network Analyst
- Network Controllers
- Network Specialists (Security)
- Solution architects in Telecommunications and ICT
- System Integration Specialist
If you recognise your specialisation in the list above, you can start with your application for a Critical Skills Work Visa. In order to apply for a Critical Skills Work Visa, you need to provide proof that your career field is on the Critical Skills List. The proof that is needed for this, requires that the following:
- A confirmation, in writing, from the professional body, council or board recognised by the South African Qualifications Association (SAQA) or any relevant government department confirming the skills or qualifications of the applicant and the appropriate post qualification experience
- Proof of application for a certificate of registration with the professional body, council or board recognised by SAQA
- Proof of evaluation of the foreign qualification by SAQA and translated by a sworn translator into one of the official languages of the Republic
- Proof of employment within 12 months after obtaining the Critical Skills Work Visa in the form of an employment contract
- Proof of post qualification experience i.e testimonials or reference letters
Initiate Immigration will guide you through the entire immigration process and will make sure that no stone is left un-turned. Once you have your Critical Skills Work Visa sorted, you can speak to our specialist IT recruiters and start looking for the perfect IT job in South Africa. Our recruiters will ensure that you get the best salary possible, the most comfortable culture fit and the greatest job benefits.
With an immigration and recruitment consultancy in one, immigrating to South Africa has never been this easy. Let us do the paperwork and you do the travelling. Contact Initiate Immigration to start your immigration process.
Lara Horne
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