CDE says South African immigration policy needs adjustment
October 23 2009 by Liam Clifford
CDE says government should change the South African immigration policy.
The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) has stated that the South
African immigration system should concentrate on attracting more skilled
migrants to live in South Africa as they greatly benefit the local economy and
boost the workforce.
The think tank, which organised a workshop this week
for migration experts and business and government representatives, says South
African visas need to be given to immigrants who will benefit the country the
most.
Ann Bernstein, the CDE’s executive director, said, “[immigration]
flows must be managed with simple, flexible, humane and intelligent polices.”
She added, “the job of government is to manage the benefits and costs of
migration in the national interest. The national interest is not just economic,
it includes the right to protect the nation's values and sense of
itself."
Bernstein believes that South Africa could benefit from
migration in the same way as Australia and Canada do.
She suggested that
a simple points-based system could be adopted to ensure people applying for
South African work permits are skilled. She explained, “it would need to be
realistic. The system would have to be much simpler than the elaborate
Australian or Canadian approach, and be a lot less picky."
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