The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security’s Public Relations Officer, Sakeus.Kadhikwa has warned the public about fake agents who claim to be acquaintances of the ministry, aiding with the application of VISA, Work Permit and other documents.
Visas and work permits are in high demand in Namibia and Home Affairs urged members of the public and foreigners to be vigilant as the visa market is a big target for organized crime.
“If at all possible, fill out the application form yourself. If you need help, you can obtain such information from our offices countrywide. Avoid visa consultants who offer to improve your chances of acquiring the documents through us, by charging you lots of money during the application stages. We do not entertain third parties” Kadhikwa said.
In an interview, Kadhikwa told Biashara newsletter that the public should note that service fees for VISA or work permits application are paid to The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security’s offices countrywide or at the time of your application and not to individuals who claim to be associates for the ministry.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security will never send an associate to collect money or ask applicants to send payments in advance by check, money order, or wire transfer; we believe in transparency hence our open-door policy” Kadhikwa insisted.
Kadhikwa said that the Ministry’s offices do not handle applications outside the office and people who want to apply can do so through the offices, but they do not advice people to use agents. The ministry, however, does not restrict the applicants to use agents for applications as long as they do so at their own risk.
“We do not stop people from applying for visas through agents; there are people who are not in the country for example, but they have agents or friends in Namibia, they can send them to apply for them, however, if something goes wrong in the process, the ministry should not be held responsible” He added.
Service fees for Home Affairs are readily available to the public on https://mha.gov.na/fees and the nation is urged to visit the site to avoid losing money.
