South Africa Opens Trusted Employer Scheme Phase II for Companies

South African employers and international companies planning to bring skilled foreign professionals into the country have a time-sensitive immigration opportunity.

The Department of Home Affairs opened Phase II of the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES) on 20 July 2026, with expressions of interest closing on 4 September 2026.

The expanded scheme is designed to give qualifying employers a more streamlined immigration route when they need to recruit senior executives, technical specialists, corporate employees, investors and other skilled foreign personnel.

But TES Phase II is not a work visa and it is not an application that an individual foreign worker submits for themselves.

It is an employer-accreditation programme.

A company must first qualify as a trusted employer under one of the official scorecards. Once admitted, the employer can benefit from priority processing and reduced documentary requirements when sponsoring qualifying visa applications.

Home Affairs says applicants need a minimum score of 80 points out of 100 and must select only one of the three available pathways.

Submitting under more than one pathway can lead to disqualification.

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