Lydia Kandetu

Immigration Control in Namibia: a Namibian Case Study on the Immigration Selection Board in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration Lydia Kandetu

The Ministry of Home Affairs and Immmigrtion(MHAI) is the first institution met by any foreigner who wishes to enter Namibia for investment, work or other purposes. To a large extent the public image of Namibia depends on the proffessional manners in which domestic and immigration affairs such as visas and permits are handled. This includes the roles that Embassies and High Commissions play where applications for visa and permits originate. The MHAI has taken note of the concerns of the public about the perceived professional conduct in the part of the Ministry that is believed to scare off investors with its percieved inefficient and cumbersome processing of visas and permits. Given the situation as stated above, the book looks into the problems and potential solutions. This process uses research, case studies of other countries in the Southern African Development Community and relevant literature. It looks into the experiences of other countries that have grappled with similar problems, such as Botswana, Mauritius and South Africa. These countries have gone through some of the throes that Namibia experiences currently.