‘Investors may get permanent residence’
Reading Time: 2 minutesForeign investors and individuals with scarce skills could soon have a new route to settling permanently in the country without necessarily becoming citizens. This follows plans to introduce permanent residence and permanent residence-by-investment visas under the proposed Immigration Bill, which acting Minister of Home Affairs Pholile Shakantu said must be expedited. Ministry of Home Affairs Principal Secretary Nhlanhla Nxumalo said the proposed changes could provide an alternative for some foreign nationals who currently apply for citizenship, but may be better suited to permanent residence because of their investment footprint, economic contribution or specialised skills. He said the issue emerged during a meeting between Shakantu and the Citizenship Board at the…