SA to set all-time emigration record this year
Almost one million people have left South Africa since 1990 - while four million have moved to our country
EXPERTS have seen a 22% increase in South Africans interested in relocating to the United Kingdom (UK) over the past two years.
That figure is expected to increase dramatically on the back of the recent announcement regarding significant changes to the constitution, which will allow for land expropriation without compensation.
Ryan Rennison, UK visa solution professional, lists the strength of the pound sterling, access to cheaper travel opportunities, a high-functioning government and political stability as the main reasons South Africans cite for wanting to relocate.
‘Job opportunities, increased earning potential and access to better government education for children are other factors at play in most people’s decision to move,’ he said.
The last record-breaking year for emigration in South Africa was 2015
According to the latest available statistics published in The Telegraph in 2016, the UK is ranked fifth in the world for its number of immigrant citizens.
Rennison has worked with over 3,400 emigrating South Africans over the last 10 years.
He says that while changes to immigration legislation in the UK occur frequently, without the correct documentation and know-how, applying for the correct visa can be a cumbersome and frustrating process to undertake.
But the total number of visa applications his company, Move Up, has processed over the last year has also increased by 42%.
‘The total number of cases I’ve represented during the 12-month period from October 2016 to September 2017 has already been met in the last 8 months, being October 2017 to June 2018,’ he said.
The UK government recently expressed interest in attracting people with special skills into the country including doctors, nurses, fashion designers and film and television professionals.
Highly skilled individuals in the fields of science, humanities, engineering, digital technology and the arts are already on their priority list.
In and out stats
American think tank, the PEW Institute, reports that over 900,000 people have left South Africa since 1990.
But in the same time over four million people have immigrated to South Africa, mostly from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya and the DRC.
According to the StatsSA’s Community Survey 2016, while Australia was the number one destination for South African emigrants (26%), the UK came a close second with 25% of all South African emigrants heading to the British islands between 2006 and 2016.
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