South Africa: Further extension of temporary measures for pending long-term applications
The South African Department of Home Affairs has faced a significant backlog in the processing of visa and waiver cases since the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic. The Government, took action in order to try and clear the backlog by June 2024 but utilising temporary measures introduced in September 2022.
The Home Affairs Department has now further extended the temporary measures to address delays in the processing of visa, waiver and appeals applications. The extension will run until 31 December 2024. Visa holders who have applied for a long-term visa or a visa waiver or who have appealed a negative decision on a long-term visa application, and the application is still pending as of 30 June 2024, are granted a further temporary extension until 31 December 2024 of their current visa status.
Applicants should not engage in any activity that goes beyond that which is granted by their current immigration conditions.
Applicants who want to depart
In the event that individual applicants decide to abandon an application and depart South Africa, this will be permitted at a port of entry/exit before or on 31 December 2024 without any negative record of being declared ‘undesirable’.
Visa holder applicants who want to travel
Visa holders who need to travel, but are awaiting the outcome of a waiver application, will be allowed to exit and re-enter at a port of entry up to and including 31 December 2024, without being declared undesirable. But note that non-visa exempt applicants who travel out of the country with a receipt for a waiver, long-term visa or appeals application are required to apply for a port of entry visa to enable them to re-enter South Africa.
Appeal applicants
Appeal applicants should note that they are required to produce a copy of the rejection letter with a receipt for the appeal application on departure and re-entry into South Africa. Exit and re-entry may not difficult or denied without these documents.
Short-Term visa holders
Holders of short-term visas issued under section 11(1)(a) of the Immigration Act, 2002 for 90 days or less, who have applied for a renewal, but have not received their visa renewal outcome by 30 June 2024, must have departed South Africa within 90 calendar days from the date of expiry of the principal visa, to avoid being declared undesirable.
The temporary concessions detailed here apply only to those foreign nationals who have been legally admitted into South Africa and to those applicants who submitted applications via VFS Global and have verifiable receipts for the VFS Global Tracking System.
Should you require assistance with immigration matters for South Africa please contact our Global Team on [email protected] and [email protected]