On 11 October 2023, South Africa's Department of Home Affairs (DHA) began accepting applications for the Trusted Employers Scheme (TES) pilot program. The TES is aimed at easing the immigration process for eligible employers that hire foreign nationals. The DHA initially proposed the TES in its 2017 White Paper to attract skilled labor and foreign investment. Under the TES, companies will be assigned points based on whether (and to what extent) they meet specific requirements. To qualify, they must score a minimum of 80 points out of 100 across applicable categories. Qualifying companies will benefit from simplified immigration application requirements and priority processing of applications, among other things. From 25 April 2023 until 19 May 2023, the DHA invited public comments on a planned pilot of the TES.
A Tax Alert prepared by EY's People Advisory Services group, and attached below, provides additional details.
