The need for an organisation of immigrant workers in South Africa.

MBA 2013ABSTRACTABSTRACTABSTRACTABSTRACT ABSTRACTABSTRACTABSTRACT The South African immigration policy has been blamed for the influx of undocumented immigrants in SA. For almost a decade after apartheid ended the SA immigration policy was based on the Aliens Control Act of 1991. In 2002 the New Immigration Act was introduced to abolish the Aliens Control Act. However, even that Act has been criticised for being restrictive. The literature review showed that immigrant organisations in other parts of the world have played a huge role in influencing immigration policy changes amongst other things. The research primarily sought to determine why there is a need for an organisation of immigrant workers in South Africa. Qualitative research was done in the form of focus groups with the aid of voice and video recording equipment. The data was gathered using a 3 pronged process of data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing. The findings showed that at face value there is a need for a political immigrant organisation to engage the government on the difficulty of getting work permits amongst other things. However, deeper analysis showed that in terms of importance, illegal immigrants want a cultural organisation focussed on providing the transitioning need of help with applying for a work permit. The immigrant organisation that is needed in South Africa is therefore one that will marry the transitioning need for help in applying for a work permit with the ability to actively engage the SA government on a host of difficulties