South Africa officially rolls out 'locals first' hiring, rewards compliant employers with fast-track visas

South Africa has formally embraced a "locals first" approach to employment, introducing new rules that require participating employers to prioritise South African citizens and permanent residents while offering faster visa processing to businesses that meet strict government criteria for recruiting foreign talent.

• South Africa has introduced new employment rules prioritizing citizens and permanent residents, requiring employers to hire locals first.
• The Trusted Employer Scheme (TES) provides expedited visa processing only to accredited companies investing meaningfully in South Africa.
• Participating employers must have at least 60% of their workforce made up of South African citizens or permanent residents.
• The scheme targets companies in strategic sectors and aims to attract investment and critical skills while addressing public concerns about foreign labor.

Building on a pilot that fast-tracked visas for a select group of trusted employers, the second phase of the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES) expands the programme to more sectors while tying faster visa processing to stronger commitments on local hiring, investment and skills development.

The scheme allows accredited employers to benefit from expedited visa processing, but only if they demonstrate meaningful investment in South Africa, employ predominantly local workers and invest in skills development.

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The announcement comes weeks after anti-immigration protests and growing public pressure over the employment of foreign nationals reignited debate over South Africa's labour market.

While the government has presented the reforms as part of its broader immigration modernisation agenda, the new hiring requirements mirror one of the central demands of recent anti-immigration campaigns: that South Africans should be given priority in the country's workforce.

Employers must prioritise South Africans

Under the new framework, only accredited employers will be allowed to benefit from the Trusted Employer Scheme.

To qualify, companies must demonstrate "meaningful investment" in South Africa, employ predominantly South African citizens or permanent residents, invest in local skills development and operate in priority sectors of the economy.

The Department of Home Affairs said businesses seeking membership must first submit an expression of interest, after which the department reserves "the right to grant or refuse membership status of any company."

"The Department of Home Affairs will make the final selection, and applicants will be advised of the outcome," the official gazette states.

Successful companies will then enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with the department before accessing the programme's immigration benefits.

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One of the scheme's key conditions is that participating employers must ensure at least 60% of their workforce consists of South African citizens or permanent residents, reinforcing the government's push to place local employment at the centre of its immigration reforms.

The department has also clarified that the programme is not intended for low-wage labour or unemployed foreign nationals, but is specifically designed to help businesses recruit specialised talent where critical skills are unavailable locally.

Faster visas for strategic investors

The second phase expands the programme beyond its initial rollout to include companies involved in strategic infrastructure projects as well as firms establishing or operating regional and global headquarters in South Africa.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, the overarching objective of TES Phase II is to support government efforts to position South Africa as Africa's premier investment destination.

Approved employers will benefit from simplified visa requirements and priority processing for applications involving senior executives, technical specialists, corporate professionals and investors, reducing administrative delays that have long been cited as a barrier to investment.

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The government said the expansion follows the success of the programme's first phase and forms part of broader reforms to make South Africa's immigration system more efficient while supporting economic growth.

At the same time, the stricter eligibility criteria reflect Pretoria's attempt to respond to mounting domestic pressure over unemployment by ensuring that foreign recruitment complements—rather than displaces—the local workforce.

With immigration and job creation increasingly dominating public discourse, the Trusted Employer Scheme illustrates South Africa's effort to reconcile two competing priorities: attracting the global skills and capital needed to grow the economy while safeguarding employment opportunities for its own citizens.