Question NW1611 to the Minister of Home Affairs
24 June 2021 - NW1611
Roos, Mr AC to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
In light of the fact that his department extended the contract of VFS Global to administer the issuing of visas in December 2018 until December 2020 and then further extended the contract, and given that the extensions were on the basis that the development of internal capacity will be expedited, what is the status (a) on the establishment of the Central Adjudication Hub and (b) of the model and the associated bid process?
Reply:
The Service Level Agreement with the VFS global company to provide visa front desk services has been extended until 31 December 2022. (a) The eVisa pilot process has been concluded and rollout is envisaged to commence in the second quarter of this financial year 2021/22 for short-term visitor’s visa applications. The eVisa adjudication hub has been identified and the staff for the eVisa adjudication hub are currently in their final stages of training. (b) the Public-Private Partnership process is underway. The Department consulted with the National Treasury and the Department was advised to recruit a Transactional Advisor and Project Manager to lead the process and ensure that activities and timelines are adhered to. The Department is currently busy with the Supply Chain processes for the appointment of the Transactional Advisor and Project Manager.
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