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CAPE TOWN Devonta Freeman Hat , July 15 (Xinhua) -- Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba on Tuesday rejected with contempt any suggestion that the new immigration regulations are part of an Afrophobic agenda to keep Africans or any nationality out of South Africa.


"Opportunistically, South Africa is being advised to drop or relax visa requirements in a world where they are required of South Africans when travelling abroad and where security has become a matter of global concern," Gigaba said in his Budget Vote speech in Parliament.


He was responding to mounting criticism against the new immigration regulations, implemented in late May.


The new regulations distinguish between short-stay visas and long-stay permits.


One of the most significant changes is that visa applications or extensions can now only be made at missions abroad where details are biometrically captured and visas collected in person.


Anyone traveling with a minor will also now need to be in possession of the child's unabridged birth certificate and, in some cases Calvin Ridley Hat , affidavits by missing parents as well as translations of birth certificates issued in other languages.


Tourism agencies and the opposition maintain that the new immigration regulations are poorly conceived, prematurely implemented and will have a profoundly negative impact on jobs and the economy.


But Gigaba brushed aside the concerns, saying the country's immigration management "enables us to bring in workers and investors who contribute to economic growth".


"Our staff have done well to eliminate visa and permit backlogs, and proactively assist businesses with immigration issues," he said.


He argued that the new immigration regulations will make it easier to source critical skills from overseas.


Foreign nationals possessing critical skills Julio Jones Hat , he said, can now apply for and be granted a critical skills visa, even without a job, allowing them to enter the country and seek work for a period of up to 12 months.


Gigaba announced that all 11 Visa Facilitation Centres are now operational throughout South Africa and results have begun to show in the sense that 4,000 applications were received in June alone and the turnaround time for adjudication has already been reduced.


"We must manage immigration securely and effectively in a way which benefits our economy and society Qadree Ollison Hat , heeds our international obligations and manages risks to national security," Gigaba noted.


During the previous year, the Department of Home Affairs facilitated the movement of 39 million travellers in and out of South Africa, demonstrating that the department's ability to manage the flow of people in and out of the country is becoming increasingly efficient and robust, said Gigaba.


He also assured African immigrants living in South Africa or others who want to come to the country John Cominsky Hat , saying his country's commitment to African unity and development is resolute, and its track record in this regard speaks for itself.


"South Africa cannot be separated from Africa and hence we can neither shut ourselves off Africa nor can we shut our eyes to the enormous risks that the new world possesses in abundance," he said.


He said South Africa values the contribution of fellow Africans from across the continent living in South Africa.


"That is why we have continued to support the AU (African Union) and SADC (Southern African Development Community) initiatives to free human movement, but this cannot happen haphazardly, unilaterally or to the exclusion of security concerns Kendall Sheffield Hat , and neither can it happen without standardising population registration and immigration legislation and addressing development challenges everywhere".


Risks to any country on the continent have a direct impact on South Africa, he said.