Scarce Skills and Work Permit Quota Statistics

 http://www.pmg.org.za/node/29273
QUESTION 712 / NW765E

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 04 March 2011

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 4 of 2011
Dr C P Mulder (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:†



(1)        How many permits have been issued (a) for (i) scarce skills and (ii) work in terms of the scarce skills and work permit quota list for each year since the announcement of the list and (b) in each category;



(2)        what is the country of origin of each expert who has received a work permit in terms of this list;



(3)        how many of the work permits were issued to persons in the (a) private sector, (b) public sector and (c) non-governmental organisations;



(4)        (a) how many permits were extended for an additional period of time (i) for each category and (ii) in total and (b) how many persons who had entered the country in this manner have obtained citizenship and (c) what country each originates from?

NW765E



REPLY:



(1)(a)&(b)           The Department of Home Affairs is, only, able to provide statistics for the Specific Professional Category / Specific Occupational Class of quota work permits issued for the following periods:



·                     January 2007 to March 2008; and

·                     April 2008 to May 2009



                        For the numbers issued under each category, please refer to Annexures 1 and 2 respectively:



(2)                    Before the centralisation of all temporary residence applications, the Department’s Regional Offices did not keep statistics, in respect of the country of origin, of each expert, in the category, under which the permits were issued. After the implementation of the Track & Trace System, the Department can provide statistics for the country of origin of each expert, but not the category. Please refer to Annexure 3.



(3)(a) to (c)        The Department does not keep record of the number of permits issued to persons in the Private Sector, Public Sector and Non-Governmental Organisations. The reason being that quota work permits are regarded as open ended. This means that a quota work permit holder may change from employer, as long as he, or  she stays employed in the same occupational field, under which his, or  her quota work permit was issued.



(4)(a) to (c)        Again it needs to be stated that the Department does not keep record of the number of permits that were extended for an additional period of time for each category, and in total, how many persons who had entered the country in this manner have obtained citizenship, and what country each originates from.