Hindu Maha Sabha seeks official role in foreign priest visa vetting

THE South African Hindu Maha Sabha (SAHMS) has proposed becoming a designated reviewing authority for foreign Hindu priest visas to combat fraud and protect local employment opportunities. The proposal aligns with the Department of Home Affairs' 2025 Draft Revised White Paper on immigration reform.

The sabha said this was aimed at protecting local employment, ensuring proper vetting and qualifications, preventing the abuse of religious work visas and to curb and reduce fraudulent submissions.

Brij Maharaj, deputy president of the SAHMS, said the recommendation was aligned with the 2025 Draft Revised White Paper’s call for strengthened pre-vetting by recognised sector bodies, improved integrity of visa streams, and the prioritisation of local skills.

In December, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, published the Draft Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection in the Government Gazette for public comment. 

The Draft Revised White Paper is designed to clamp down on fraud and abuse, enhance national security, improve service delivery, and promote economic development.

“The sabha, which was established in 1912, is a nationally recognised umbrella body representing Hindu religious institutions in South Africa. We submitted the motivation regarding the regulated issuance of special work visas for foreign Hindu priests serving Hindu temples and religious institutions within South Africa.

“While South Africa has a growing pool of locally trained Hindu priests, there are circumstances in which suitably qualified local candidates are unavailable to meet the specific liturgical, linguistic, or traditional requirements of certain temples.

“In such exceptional instances, limited recruitment of foreign Hindu priests is necessary to ensure the continuity of religious practice and service to the Hindu community.

“Visas should be issued only after a rigorous, standardised vetting process led by SAHMS in partnership with the relevant temple boards to ensure integrity, compliance, and protection of national interests.

“This proposal supports the national immigration reform agenda and seeks to protect local employment with emphasis on prioritising South African citizens and permanent residents for employment opportunities.

“We will ensure proper vetting and qualifications, where foreign religious workers must undergo complete verification to meet national integrity and security standards.

“This is aligned with the White Paper’s sector partnership model, which encourages professional bodies and faith-based organisations to assist DHA through verification, reduction of fraudulent submissions, and improved quality and completeness of visa applications before submission.

“SAHMS would ensure that only legitimate, necessary and qualified appointments proceed to DHA,” Maharaj said.

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