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The Department of Home Affairs approves 71 companies under Phase II of the Trusted Employer Scheme

5 November 2026

Seventy-one firms have been cleared by South Africa's Department of Home Affairs in Phase II of its Trusted Employer Scheme. A total of 138 companies applied, and the department has now finished assessing them. Phase II was launched on 20 July 2026 and widened the scheme to strategic infrastructure projects, regional and global headquarters, and qualifying financial institutions. Approved employers get simplified visa processes, less paperwork and more predictable processing times when they bring in skilled staff from abroad. Minister Schreiber linked the scheme to the expansion of the country's Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system and to biometric verification, describing them as part of a wider effort to replace manual immigration processes with digital ones. The stated aim is an immigration system that is harder to abuse but easier for investors and skilled workers to use.

Companies approved: 71 companies approved under Phase II of the scheme Applications received: 138 companies applied Phase II launch: 20 July 2026

Why it matters for exams: The Trusted Employer Scheme and the Electronic Travel Authorisation are named instruments of South Africa's immigration policy under its Department of Home Affairs, the kind of scheme-and-ministry pairing examiners ask for.

Kerala PSCUPSC

5 November 2026 Source: South African Government (gov.za)

In plain words

ETA Electronic Travel Authorisation — South Africa's digital travel permission system, run by Home Affairs.