Q&A: Employing foreigners in South Africa

Getting information on employing foreigners in South Africa is not always an easy task. It’s exactly what drove us to start this blog for South African employers.

This struggle for information is also the reason behind today’s blog post. It has all the most frequently asked questions from our clients complete with answers.

Read more Q&A: Employing foreigners in South Africa

Incoming search terms:

The Reverse Culture Shock Phenomenon

reverse culture shockWe’re all familiar with the concept of culture shock. Not many of us, however, are aware of reverse culture shock. This is the shock experienced by someone returning to their home country after a number of years overseas.

As explained by Investopedia, “In the business context, the advent of globalisation has resulted in more and more employees being sent on lengthy assignments to other countries. With the number of expatriates who live and work in countries other than their own having increased in recent years, reverse culture shock is a phenomenon that is on the rise.”

Read more The Reverse Culture Shock Phenomenon

Need to have a foreign employee audit done? We’ll come to you to do it!

foreign employee audit intergateYou might have seen us mention foreign employee audits before – or perhaps you have not. And in this case you’re perhaps asking yourself what this is and why you would need one.

Let us explain…

Our foreign employee audit is a process by which we check that your foreign employees are employed in accordance with South Africa’s immigration act and have up-to-date documents.

This is to help you avoid stiff fines from the Department of Home Affairs!

The great thing about Intergate’s employee audit (apart from potentially saving you thousands of rands) is this – it’s free and our team will come to your office to do the audit. All you have to do is give us a call to book your audit.

Read more Need to have a foreign employee audit done? We’ll come to you to do it!

Start the Year Off Right with a Foreign Employee Audit

foreign employee auditYou want to get 2016 off to a great start for your business, don’t you? Then we suggest you include a foreign employee audit in your plans for the start of the year.

What is a foreign employee audit?

A foreign employee audit is a service Intergate Immigration offer to South African employers with foreign staff members.

As part of the audit, we check that your foreign employees are employed legally. Foreigners must have visas and are only permitted to conduct work activities allowed by the visa.

Read more Start the Year Off Right with a Foreign Employee Audit

Company Registrations in South Africa

company registrations south africaBranches, affiliates or subsidiaries of multinational companies in South Africa are subject to the same registrations as South African companies.

The four most notable company registrations are:

  • Value Added Tax (VAT)
  • Pay-As-You-Earn Tax (PAYE)
  • UIF (Unemployed Insurance Fund)
  • SDL (Skills Development Levy)

South Africans are familiar with these, but foreign nationals setting up companies in South Africa might now know what each of these taxes refer to or cover.

The best time to familiarise yourself with these would be in the planning stages of setting up the branch, subsidiary or affiliate of your company.

Read more Company Registrations in South Africa

Your Role in the Intra-company Transfer Work Visa Application

intra-company transfer work visaAn intra-company transfer work visa is used to transfer an employee from an international company to a South African one. The South African company has to be a subsidiary, affiliate or branch of the company sending the employee.

Due to how this process works, both the multinational company and the South African company each has a list of responsibilities. It’s vital to meet these, as the visa might not be approved otherwise.

Read more Your Role in the Intra-company Transfer Work Visa Application

The Importance of Keeping Foreign Employee Records

foreign employee recordsAs an employer, you know the Basic Conditions of Employment Act prescribes that employee information must be kept on record. For example, the name, occupation and salary of each employee.

It is fairly certain that your HR department are aware of this too. It can also be assumed that HR personnel are keeping records diligently.

But are the HR department aware of the additional documentation for foreign workers? It must be possible to prove, at any time, that foreign workers in your employment are legal.

Read more The Importance of Keeping Foreign Employee Records

Do You Comply with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act?

basic conditions of employment actThe Department of Home Affairs demand that a foreign staff member is treated the same as a South African. The Department don’t want South African employers to take advantage of foreigners. As such, South African employers must prove that foreigners are employed within the regulations of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

Why is it important to comply with the Act?

As an employer of foreigners, proof of compliance with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act is required as part of certain visa applications. Should you, as the employer, not be compliant, the application could be rejected.

Read more Do You Comply with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act?

Incoming search terms: