SOUTH AFRICA: Further extension of the temporary concession for visa, waiver, and appeal applicants.

December 30, 2024

By: Jonathan Fetting, Senior Associate, Newland Chase Advisory

The Department of Home Affairs of South Africa has further extended the temporary concession for foreign nationals awaiting the outcome of visa, waiver, and appeal applications.

This extension protects applicants, including those contributing to South Africa with their scarce skills, from facing negative consequences or being mistakenly declared undesirable while awaiting decisions from the Department.

The processing of these applications has been delayed as the Department continues to reduce persistent backlogs. Despite significant progress in addressing these delays, a backlog remains in various visa and permit categories.

Guidelines for applicants awaiting waiver application outcomes.

Visa holders with pending waiver applications as of December 18, 2024, are granted a further temporary extension until March 31, 2025. This allows the Department time to process applications, and for applicants to receive their outcomes and submit applications for appropriate visas.

Those wishing to abandon their waiver applications and leave South Africa may do so by March 31, 2025, without being declared undesirable under section 30(1)(h) of the Immigration Act. Visa holders needing to travel while awaiting waiver outcomes can exit and re-enter South Africa up to and including March 31, 2025, without being declared undesirable. Non-visa-exempt applicants travelling with a waiver application receipt must apply for a port of entry visa at the South African consular post in their country of citizenship or origin for re-entry.

Guidelines for applicants awaiting visa application outcomes.

Visa holders with pending long-term visa applications (e.g., Visitor’s Visa, Business Visa, Study Visa, Relative’s Visa, or Work Visa) as of December 18, 2024, are granted a temporary extension of their current visa status until March 31, 2025. Applicants must adhere to the conditions of their existing visas and are not allowed to conduct any activities other than those provided for under their visa conditions.

Those who wish to abandon their visa applications can exit South Africa by March 31, 2025, without being declared undesirable. Visa holders awaiting long-term visa outcomes can exit and re-enter South Africa up to and including March 31, 2025, without being declared undesirable. Non-visa-exempt applicants travelling with a long-term visa application receipt must apply for a port of entry visa at the South African consular post in their country of citizenship or origin for re-entry.

Guidelines for applicants awaiting visa appeal application outcomes.

Visa holders appealing negative decisions on long-term visa applications as of December 18, 2024, are granted a temporary extension of their current visa status until March 31, 2025. Applicants must adhere to the conditions of their existing visas.

Those wishing to abandon their visa appeal applications can exit South Africa by March 31, 2025, without being declared undesirable. Visa appeal applicants awaiting outcomes can exit and re-enter South Africa up to and including March 31, 2025, without being declared undesirable. All appeal applicants must present a copy of the rejection letter and appeal application receipt upon departure and re-entry. Non-visa-exempt appeal applicants must apply for a port of entry visa at the South African consular post in their country of citizenship or origin for re-entry.

Guidelines for short-term visa holders.

Holders of short-term visas issued in terms of section 11(1)(a) of the Immigration Act for 90 days or less since 01 October 2024, are granted a blanket extension of 90 days, up to and including March 31, 2025, provided that the cumulative period of their stay from the date of their initial entry until date of their final departure does not exceed a total of 180 days. These visa holders should be allowed to depart from South Africa and re-enter, up to and including 31 March 2025, without being declared undesirable.

This temporary concession applies only to foreign nationals legally admitted to South Africa and to applicants who submitted their applications via VFS Global with a verifiable receipt against the VFS Global tracking system.

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Newland Chase dedicated contact or submit an inquiry here should you have any specific questions regarding this announcement.

This immigration update is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal or scenario-specific advice. Furthermore, it is important to note that immigration announcements are subject to sudden and unexpected changes. Readers are encouraged to reach out to Newland Chase for any case- or company-specific assessments.