South Africa has issued 4,913 critical skills visas since 2020 to nationals from over 100 countries, with more than half (55%) of those going to people from Zimbabwe and India.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber revealed the information in a recent parliamentary Q&A, where he noted that the department exhausted “all efforts” to determine that no South African citizens or permanent residents had the necessary skills and qualifications to fill the positions before issuing the visas to foreign nationals.
“This was done in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education and Training. The methodology used to determine the critical skills is detailed in a Technical Report on Critical Skills published on the website DHET,” he said.
Out of the 4,913 visas issued since 1 January 2020, 1,794 were issued to Zimbabwean nationals for hundreds of different jobs.
The biggest job category for which Zimbabwean nationals were issued a critical skills visa was trainee auditors, followed by integrated development, software developers, nursing, and ICT systems analysts.
After Zimbabwe, the second biggest import country for critical skills in South Africa is India, where 918 visas have been issued.
The table below outlines the top 20 countries that have been issued critical skills visas to South Africa:
| # | Country | Visas |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zimbabwe | 1,794 |
| 2 | India | 918 |
| 3 | The Democratic Republic of Congo | 295 |
| 4 | Nigeria | 286 |
| 5 | Cameroon | 90 |
| 6 | Germany | 85 |
| 7 | China | 84 |
| 8 | The United Kingdom | 82 |
| 9 | Kenya | 75 |
| 9 | The USA | 75 |
| 11 | Lesotho | 63 |
| 12 | France | 62 |
| 13 | Pakistan | 58 |
| 14 | Zambia | 50 |
| 15 | Swaziland | 48 |
| 16 | Angola | 45 |
| 17 | Uganda | 41 |
| 18 | The Netherlands | 39 |
| 19 | Ghana | 36 |
| 20 | Botswana | 35 |
Critical skills
South Africa’s critical skills list was updated for the first time since 2014 in February 2022, sparking controversy in the medical field at the time as most of the jobs cut from the list came from that sector.
In response to this, the list was updated again in August 2022, where 39 more occupations—largely from the medical field—were added to the list.
The last time the list was updated was in October 2023, when vets were added to the growing number of scarce skills in the country—however, general practitioners and doctors remain off the list.
The department previously acknowledged that there has been “fierce criticism” of the critical skills list, mainly emanating from the professions that were cut.
It said that the Critical Skills List ought to be updated every four years due to the ever-changing skills shortage in South Africa.
In lieu of more regular updated to the critical skills list, the department is engaging in other ways to make it easier for the country to draw in the skills it needs.
The department is forging ahead with the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES), which should help businesses acquire international workers to address their skill shortages.
The country has also moved to implement a remote working visa, which should draw additional skills into the country.
International workers are seen as a short- and medium-term solution to the current skills shortage that many corporations in South Africa face, with skilled workers – especially those with STEM and IT skills – often heading in the other direction.
South Africa’s battle with skills is happening on all fronts.
Within the country itself, there is a dearth of skills that match the growing needs of businesses—and the skills that are present are either snapped up by companies, head for the exit due to various ‘push’ factors, or are working remotely for international companies.
Other countries outside of South Africa are also looking for skills, and local talent is ripe for the picking.
Countries like Australia, Canada, Germany and the UK have all pointed to dire shortages of skills in certain fields and expressed a willingness to draw these skills to their shores—and for South African talent with itchy feet, the prospects are often too inviting to ignore.
The critical skills list is pivotal to applicants being able to make an application under the critical skills visa or permit work category.
The list is broken down into three requirement areas:
- The classification regarding the education subject matter (what you are qualified in);
- The relevant Occupation/Critical Skill;
- The Requirements pertaining to such things as memberships, experience and qualifications.
Only applicants who meet all three criteria will be successful in their application.
There are 12 educational subject matters:
- Agriculture, Agricultural Operations and Related Sciences
- Architecture and the Built Environment
- Business, Economics and Management Studies
- Information Communication & Technology
- Engineering
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences
- Life and Earth Sciences
- Professionals and Associate Professionals
- Trades
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
- Academics and Researchers
- Post-Graduates
Below we list all the occupations that exist on the critical skills list.
- Agriculture, Agricultural Operations and Related Sciences
- Agricultural Engineer
- Agricultural Scientist
- Forestry Technician
- Sheep Shearer
- Architecture and the Built Environment
- Architect
- Construction Project Manager
- Land Surveyor
- Quantity Surveyor
- Urban and Regional Planner
- Business, Economics and Management Studies
- Actuaries and Risk Assessors
- Corporate General Manager
- External Auditor
- Financial Investment Advisor
- Information Communication & Technology
- CISCO Solution Specialist
- CISCO Engineers
- Solutions Architects in Telecommunications and ICT
- Integrated Developers (PHP, PERL, JAVA)
- Network Analyst
- IT Security Specialist
- System Integration Specialist
- Enterprise Architects
- Data Centre Operations
- Network Specialist (Security)
- Database Specialist
- Microsoft System Engineers
- Network Controllers
- AV Specialist (Anti-virus)
- Desktop Support Engineer
- Engineering
- Energy Engineer
- Metallurgical Engineer
- Chemical Engineer
- Civil Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Electrical Installation Inspector
- Electronics Engineer
- Geologist
- Industrial and Production Engineers
- Industrial Designer
- Manufacturing Managers
- Materials Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Mining Engineer
- Production/Operations Manager
- Quality System Manager
- Research and Development Manager
- Ship’s Engineer
- Telecommunications Engineers
- Electrical Engineering Technologist
- Energy Engineering Technologist
- Mechanical Engineering Technologist
- Metallurgical Engineering Technologist
- Mining Engineering Technologist
- Air Conditioning and Mechanical Services Plumber
- Automotive Electrician
- Automotive Motor Mechanic
- Boiler Maker
- Chemical Engineering Technologist
- Civil Engineering Technologist
- Diesel Mechanic
- Electronics Engineering Technologist
- Fitter and Turner
- Materials Engineering Technologist
- Mechatronics Technician
- Metal Fabricator
- Physical and Engineering Science Technicians
- Pressure Welder
- Structural Plaster
- Toolmaker
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences
- Medical Superintendant/Public Health Manager
- Public Health Physician
- General and Specialist Medical Practitioner
- Hospital Pharmacist
- Nursing Professionals
- Veterinarian
- Registered Nurse (child and family health)
- Retail Pharmacist
- Life and Earth Sciences
- Environmental Engineers
- Environmental Manager
- Industrial Pharmacist
- Aquatic Scientist
- Animal Scientist
- Advanced Composites Engineering
- Archaeological/Paleontological Specialist
- Bioeconomist
- Biochemists
- Bioinformatician
- Bioinformaticist
- Biological Scientist
- Botanical Scientist
- Chemical Scientist
- Computational Biologist
- Environmental Scientist
- Ecological Scientist
- Food Scientist
- Engineering Geologist
- Geochemist
- Geohazards Specialist
- Geologist
- Geophycist
- Laboratory Technologist and Technician
- Marine Bioscientist
- Materials Scientist
- Metallurgical Scientist
- Metrology
- Microbiological Scientist
- Polymer Scientist
- Protein Scientist
- Seismologist
- Soil Scientist
- Toxicology Scientist
- Water Resource Scientist
- Professionals and Associate Professionals
- Land and Engineering Surveyors
- Electronic Engineering Technician
- Materials Engineering Technologist
- Electrical Engineering Technician
- Safety, Health, Environment and Quality Practitioner
- Draughtsperson
- Mechanical Engineering Technician
- Chemical Engineering Technician
- Organisation and Methods Analyst (Incl. scheduler, estimator)
- Surveying Technician
- Geomatics Technician
- Quantity Surveying Technician
- Civil Engineering Technician
- Materials Engineer Non-destructive Testing (NDT)
- Materials Engineering Technician – Road materials
- Materials Tester
- Construction Safety, Health, Environment an
- Quality (SHEQ) Agent/Manager/Officer
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Architectural Senior Technologist
- Architectural Draughtsperson
- Astronomer
- Physicist (SKA)
- Geomagnetic Physicist
- Solar Physicist
- Space Physicist
- Plasma Physicist
- Space Technologist
- Space Weather Specialist
- Magnetic Technology Specialist
- Radar Engineering
- Radio Frequency Engineering
- Environmental Technologist
- Industrial Engineer
- Industrial Engineering Technologist
- Industrial Engineering Technician
- Landscape Architect
- Landscape Contract Manager
- Landscape Horticulturist
- Mining Technician
- Trades
- Millwright
- Boilermaker (For Strategic Infrastructure Projects)
- Industrial Machinery Mechanic
- Pipe Fitter
- Double Coded Welder
- Rigger
- Moulder
- Raise-bore Operators
- Raise-bore Foreman
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
- Software Development Engineers and Managers
- Systems Architects, Engineers and Managers
- Foreign Language speakers for specialist language support and technical or sales support (German, Swiss German, Flemish, Greek, Swedish, Danish, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and French)
- Business Analyst
- Quality Analyst
- Quality Assurance Specialist/Auditor
- Customer Service Manager/Team Lead
- Academics and Researchers
- Doctoral Graduates (Acquired Abroad)
- Research in any of the following areas;
- Galaxy Formation and Evolution
- Galaxy Structure and Dynamics
- Pulsars and Black Holes
- Pulsars and Black Holes
- Pulsars and Gravitational Waves
- Deep Observations of the earliest Radio Galaxies
- Dynamic and Transient Burst
- VLBI Operations
- Search for CO to investigate role of Molecular Hydrogen
- Deep Surveyors of Neutral Hydrogen Gas in the Early Universe
- Cosmology and Dark Energy
- Cosmic Magnetism
- Calibration and Imaging of Radio Interferometer data
- Pulsar Research
- Pulsar and Gravitational Waves
- VLBI Operations
- Signal Processing
- Observational Radio Astronomy in General
- Algorithm for Radio Astronomy
- Signal Processing for Radio Astronomy
- Supercomputing for Radio Astronomy
- Software Development for Radio Astronomy
- Data and Streaming- Real-Time Processing of Massive Data Amounts
- Green Computing- Extreme Performance at Minor Energy Cost
- Performance at Minor Energy Costs
- EMC and Spectrum Management
- Beam Modelling
- Antenna Modelling
- Feeds for Radio Astronomy Systems
- Receivers for Radio Astronomy Systems
- Signal Processing for Radio Astronomy
- High Speed Data Transport
- Nano-photonics-Data Transport Power
- Nanotechnology
- Palaeosciences
- Reduction over Short and Long Distances
- Antenna Design
- Antenna Foundation Design
- RFI Shielded Buildings and Facilities
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Space Science and Technology
- Global Change
- Energy Security
- Information Communication Technology
- Earth Observation
- Natural and Applied Sciences
- Post-Graduates
- Doctoral Graduates (Acquired in RSA)
You can view South Africa’s full Critical Skills List here.
