Marisa Jacobs
Marisa Jacobs is the Managing Director of Xpatweb, a South African immigration and corporate visa services firm. In this role she oversees the company's annual Critical Skills Survey, widely cited as South Africa's largest employer-led assessment of skills shortages, which informs government departments on immigration policy and the national Critical Skills List. Jacobs regularly comments on developments affecting business mobility, including the Department of Home Affairs' Trusted Employer Scheme, the Electronic Travel Authorisation system, visa backlogs and appeal processing, and broader immigration reform. She is a frequent speaker and panellist at Xpatweb's Global Mobility Conference, where she has engaged directly with Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber and senior department officials on streamlining work visa and permanent residence processes for multinational and large corporate employers. Jacobs advocates for aligning South Africa's immigration framework with the real-world needs of business, particularly in recruiting scarce skills such as engineers, ICT specialists, artisans and, more recently, artificial intelligence and emerging-technology professionals, from international markets.
Marisa Jacobs Updates
AI specialists and senior project managers now among South Africa’s top 10 hard-to-fill skills
22nd September 2026 For the first time in almost a decade, two new occupational categories feature among South Africa’s 10 hardest-to-fill skills. Artificial... →
No more paper files stacked to the roof: Home Affairs steps up processing of waiver and appeal applications
18th September 2026 Not too long ago, when visiting a Department of Home Affairs (DHA) office you could find a room stacked to the roof with files and paperwork... →
The visa backlog is back. But this time, Home Affairs has practical steps to tackle it head-on
14th September 2026 A renewed backlog of overdue visa applications which has built up over the past few months, prompted the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to step... →
Engineering loses its top spot as South Africa’s most in-demand skills shift
3rd September 2026 Give us engineers. Over the past five years, that has been the constant refrain from companies across South Africa. According to findings from... →
Time is money: Participating Companies agree the Trusted Employer Scheme delivers real business benefits
27th August 2026 Who better to ask whether the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES) is achieving its aim of providing pre-vetted employers with a more streamlined... →
Expanded Trusted Employer Scheme fast-tracks global skills into South Africa, but it must also bring the right skills
24th August 2026 The recently launched second phase of the Department of Home Affairs' Trusted Employer Scheme (TES) marks another significant step towards making... →
Trusted Employer Scheme Phase II sees surge in interest as fast-track work visa programme reopens
5th August 2026 Within days of the Department of Home Affairs launching the second phase of the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES), it is already seeing strong interest... →
Home Affairs @ home gathers pace as smart id access surges 250%, with more digital firsts on the way
27th July 2026 The Department of Home Affairs has expanded South Africans’ access to Smart ID services by an impressive 250% in just 19 weeks, compelling evidence... →
SA: Dr Leon Schreiber: Address by Home Affair Minister, at Xpatweb Annual Global Mobility Conference (21/07/2026)
24th July 2026 At the time, I argued that Home Affairs should no longer be viewed merely as an administrative department responsible for issuing documents and... →
Home Affairs expands Trusted Employer Scheme, winning business support for its economic enablement agenda
23rd July 2026 The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, has described the expanded Trusted Employer Scheme (TES) as the latest milestone in the Department... →
