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The Department of Home Affairs decided to extend its blanket waiver to applicants who are currently awaiting their outcomes of submitted long-term visa and waiver applications. The surprising factor at play is that the blanket waiver has been extended for a further nine (9) months as opposed to the previous six (6) months. These individuals are now covered until 31 December 2023. This further means applicants may travel, if required, from South Africa between now until 31 December 2023 on expired visas without being declared undesirable. A reminder though, that applicants will be required to present their original VFS receipt upon their departure from and entry into South Africa. Visa exempt nationals may simply enter South Africa again on their usual 30-90 day visas to collect the outcomes of their visa applications. Unfortunately, nationals from visa-restricted countries must apply for and obtain a port of entry visa in order to be re-admitted into South Africa. Shocking news is that short-term visa applicants, who have not received their extension outcomes until 31 March 2023, would have until 30 April 2023 to leave South Africa without being declared undesirable. It is important to note that this blanket waiver ONLY covers applicants who submitted their long-term visa and waiver applications within South Africa and who have been legally admitted into the country. Please feel free to reach out to us via our contact form on www.movingsouthimmigration.com to discuss. Alternatively, you may contact us on +2773 5357 534 or sue@movingsouthimmigration.com.

We have received the disappointing confirmation that ZEP holders are not included in the newly extended blanket waiver. The Department of Home Affairs extended its blanket waiver until 31 December 2023, allowing applicants of pending long-term visa and waiver applications to remain in South Africa or travel out of South Africa without being declared undesirable. It is with the explanation that ZEP holders are already on their own dispensation programme until 30 June 2023, hence the exclusion from the blanket waiver. The question remains - what if a waiver application has not been finalized by 30 June 2023 or such an application was denied with little time to spare? We guess time will tell. For further information regarding the blanket waiver, please reach out to us via our Contact Form on www.movingsouthimmigration.com. We may also be contacted on +2773 5357 534 or sue@movingsouthimmigration.com

On 11 April 2023, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, waived the following requirements for temporary and permanent residence applications - Radiological Reports: Previously a radiological report needed to be obtained to show proof that the applicants' lungs were clear of tuberculosis (TB). This report had to be submitted in original form and could not be older than six (6) months on the day of submission. In some cases, this became a health concern for some as they were of the opinion that too many x-rays could cause cancer. To confirm - a medical certificate must still be obtained from a general practitioner. Police clearance certificates: As per Immigration law, police clearances had to be submitted from every country where the applicant resided for 12 months or longer since his or her 18th birthday. This is still the case, except now, the applicant must only submit a police clearance from countries where he or she resided 12 months and longer for the last five (5) years. This change means if you resided in South Africa for the last 5 or 6 years, you are only required to submit a South African police clearance. NO police clearance from your country of origin would be required as this would have accompanied your first long-term visa application. Police clearance requirements also brought some concern to those who simply could not obtain a police clearance from a country where they (maybe) resided 30 years ago or needed a certain document to apply of which they completely lost. The conditions of this new directive are effective from 11 April 2023. Our advice would be to add a copy of said directive to the visa application just to be safe. Lastly, as the directive also addresses Consular Sections and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the same is applicable to all South African missions abroad and not just the VFS offices in South Africa. Should you require any further information about this new directive, please reach out to us via our Contact Form on www.movingsouthimmigration.com or via telephone / email on +2773 5357 534 and sue@movingsouthimmigration.com

We often hear and see 'I have a work visa for South Africa' when applying for a job. Employers - we are here to advise that unfortunately your company is NOT allowed to employ a foreign national who is in possession of a work visa with a different company name. Work visas for South Africa are not transferrable. Should you wish to employ a foreign national, you will be required to submit an offer of employment to the individual in addition to certain other documents. The individual must apply for and obtain the work authorization / visa first before employment with the company can commence. Recruiters - job advertisements should not entail the words 'must be in possession of a work visa' when placements are done. Applicants for the position must undergo the same process as outlined above. The only non-South African individuals who would not require authorization to work would be asylum seekers, refugee permit holders and permanent residence holders and even then, we strongly recommend checking the validity of their status. Should you require any further information on the employment process from an immigration perspective, please reach out via our Contact Form on www.movingsouthimmigration.com. Alternatively, we may be contacted on +2773 5357 534 or sue@movingsouthimmigration.com

As a Section 11 (6) holder and foreign spouse of a South African citizen or Permanent residence holder - we are here to advise that you need to apply for permanent residence in terms of Section 26 (b) within three (3) months from the date when you qualify. This simply means that as soon as you are five (5) years married or in a spousal relationship for five (5) years, you qualify to apply for permanent residence. To quote the Immigration Act of 2002 as amended - 'the holder of such visa shall apply for permanent residence contemplated in section 26 (b) within three months from the date upon which he or she qualifies to be issued with that visa'. We further wish to reiterate that 'shall' mentioned in the Act means it must be done - otherwise the Act would have made use of the term 'may' leaving this as an option for applicants. Should you require assistance with your permanent residence application, please contact us via our Contact Form on www.movingsouthimmigration.com. Alternatively, we may be reached on +2773 5357 534 or sue@movingsouthimmigration.com We look forward to hearing from you.

The South African licencing system (enatis) does not recognize passport numbers, only identity numbers. Unfortunately, foreign identity numbers, in most cases, are not recognized. Your traffic register is your identity on the enatis system. Why do I need a traffic register? You need a traffic register in order to: Write your learner's licence test Conduct a driving test Register and licence a vehicle in South Africa should you wish to purchase a vehicle What is required to apply for a traffic register? 2 ID colour passport photos Proof of address in South Africa Valid South African visa A letter from the Department of Home Affairs - which can be obtained by your immigration officer confirming that your visa is valid Your original passport - which is required on the day of submission and will be returned to you shortly after submission The ABR form - which needs to be signed by the applicant How long does the process take? The application process takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks. Am I required to appear in person? No, not for the submission process but you are required to collect the traffic register in person. Should you require any further information on a traffic register or the process thereof, please reach out to us via our Contact Form on www.movingsouthimmigration.com. Alternatively, we can be reached on +2773 5357 534 or sue@movingsouthimmigration.com

JUST IN!! All holders of Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEP) have received yet another grace period of six (6) months and until 31 December 2023 to lodge their applications for a mainstream visa or a waiver within South Africa! Prior to this announcement, ZEP holders had until 30 June 2023 to change to mainstream visas. We are sure this news is greatly welcomed by all the ZEP holders who are not yet able and ready to lodge their applications at VFS due to unforeseen circumstances. Although the Department of Home Affairs is committed to afford these ZEP holders the extended opportunity to lodge their applications, we urge these applicants to submit their visa applications as soon as possible and not wait until the 11th hour to do so. There might not be another extension after this one. The Department further advised all relevant stakeholders in terms of immigration and civic services that no holder of a valid ZEP may be arrested, declared undesirable, deported or detained for any reason related to the holder not having a valid ZEP in his or her passport. If you are not sure which visa you qualify for, please feel free to reach out to us on www.movingsouthimmigration.com or alternatively contact us on +2773 5357 534 or sue@movingsouthimmigration.com We look forward to being of assistance!

Australia has become a popular destination for skilled migration and given the benefits this particular migration process offers, we are not surprised. This beautiful country, rich in culture and with its exquisite landscapes, offers three (3) types of skilled migration visas. The 189, 190 and 491 visas are the only long-term visas which form part of skilled immigration. The process is point-based (minimum required points for skilled migration is 65), includes an English language proficiency test and applicants' qualifications, skills, work experience need to align with the Australian Skills Occupation list. Let's briefly unpack these three (3) visas for better understanding - The Subclass 189 visa: The 189 visa is a general skilled visa. This visa is usually issued for five (5) years and applicants are able to settle in Australia for an indefinite period of time as a permanent residence (PR) holder. In addition, you may enrol in Medicare, Australia's publicly funded healthcare insurance scheme. The applicant, as part of the visa process, is selected and nominated by the Federal Government and you may apply for Australian citizenship after four (4) years of living in the country. The Subclass 190 visa: The 190 visa is a State Sponsored visa. Like the 189 visa, this visa is also issued for five (5) years and applicants are able to settle in Australia for an indefinite period of time as a permanent residence (PR) holder. The same enrolment for Medicare applies and you may apply for Australian citizenship after four (4) years of living in the country. The Subclass 491 visa: Unlike the 189 and 190 visas, the subclass 491 visa is a temporary residence visa for three (3) years and applicants are only able to obtain permanent residence after this time period. This visa is sponsored and selected by a Region. You may still enroll with Medicare for healthcare and expenses. The subclass 491 visa does not allow applicants to live and work in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne for the three-year period, but you may do so after this allocated timeframe has passed. Like other countries for skilled migration, the main applicant must undergo a skills assessment process, which can take between 3-6 months. Once the skills have been assessed and positive report issued, the Expression of Interest (EOI) stage will be handled. This process is quite important as this is where the applicant will be selected by either the Federal Government, State or Region. Upon selection in the EOI pool, the applicants visa would now be applied for at and be processed by the Australian Immigration Department. During this process, applicants and dependents must undergo full medical tests and submit police clearances (adults only). Spouses and children of skilled migration applicants are able to work and study in Australia and no further visas need to be applied for and authorized for this purpose. Lastly and the best part of these visas - applicants who are eligible for skilled migration do not require a job offer to apply! Should you require any further information on Australia and its skilled migration process, please reach out to us via our Contact Form on www.movingsouthimmigration.com. Alternatively, you may contact us on +2773 5357 534 or sue@movingsouthimigration.com We look forward to having a chat with you!

A critical skills work visa may be issued to an applicant who possesses the necessary skills, experience and qualifications as set out in the Gazetted Critical skills list. This work visa process includes the evaluation of foreign qualifications by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) which must be aligned to a certain NQF level as well as the written confirmation of skills and membership from a relevant professional body as recognized by SAQA. However, for the occupations of Corporate General Manager and Director, there are additional company requirements which must be adhered to and are listed as follows - Company size confirmation: This requirement includes confirmation from the company on whether the enterprise is considered a medium or large enterprise. The company's accountant or auditor may confirm this as well. Confirmation on economic sector: This information can be derived from the company's Department of Labour Employment Equity document on the economic sector. Employee turnover: This information can be derived from the company's Department of Labour Employment Equity document on the total full-time equivalent of paid employees – must be more than 50 employees. Company total annual turnover: This includes a report from the company’s auditors confirming the total annual turnover of the company – this varies from sector to sector. Should you require any further information on this particular topic, or the critical skills work visa process, please reach out to us via our Contact Form on www.movingsouthimmigration.com. Alternatively, you may contact us on +2773 5357 534 or sue@movingsouthimigration.com We look forward to having a chat with you!

By publishing this blog post, we merely wish to remind individuals, who need to lodge an appeal application, that you may do so within 10 working days of collecting the rejected visa or permanent residence application outcome. We reiterate that the timeline is 10 working days and NOT 10 days - public holidays and weekends are not counted as business days and the first working day starts one day after the outcome was collected. We recommend adding as much supporting documents to your appeal application and concentrate submitting only facts and factual paperwork - even though this is a very emotional experience for many. Lastly, we wish to add that appeal applications must be submitted in person, whether within South Africa or abroad. All appeal applications are processed by the Department of Home Affairs Head Office in Pretoria. Should you require any further information on the appeal process, please reach out to us via our Contact Form on www.movingsouthimmigration.com. Alternatively, you may contact us on +2773 5357 534 or sue@movingsouthimigration.com We look forward to hearing from you!

South Africa's Department of Home Affairs released its latest Critical skills list on 03 October 2023, adding two (2) more occupations of Veterinarian and Veterinary Nurses to the list. This is certainly great news to Veterinarians who were left stunned in 2022 when the occupation was removed from a prior list. The qualifying NQF level for a Veterinarian is a minimum of 8. This means a Vet needs to be in possession of a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) or Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVMCh). A Veterinary Nurse must be in possession of a National Diploma of Veterinary Nursing (DVN) aligned with a NQF level 6 or a Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing (BVN) aligned with a NQF level 7. University Lecturers: In the new critical skills list, the Department of Home Affairs made further mention that university lecturers must specify the classification of education subject matter as per the Critical Skills Technical Report. Candidate Engineers: Perhaps the most exciting news from the new list is the Candidate Engineers will now be considered for a critical skills work visa, providing they meet all the other requirements and that they will be working under the supervision of a qualified professional, where applicable. Previously, applications for Candidate Engineers were declined for lack of obtaining a written confirmation of skills letter - the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) only issued these letters to the professional engineering categories. Lastly, we wish to reiterate that applicants may only apply for a relevant critical skills work visa if the application is accompanied by an offer of employment from South African employers who are verifiable and in good standing with South Africa's Department of Employment and Labour. Should you require any further information on the new critical skills list, please reach out to us via our Contact Form on www.movingsouthimmigration.com. Alternatively, you may contact us on +2773 5357 534 or sue@movingsouthimigration.com We look forward to hearing from you!

It's tourism season in South Africa and we are certainly looking forward to the business and buzz of the holiday period. We have had numerous enquirers stunned as they did not know that they could extend their tourist visas by a further 90 days within South Africa. Our beautiful South Africa has much to offer every tourism season and whilst you are enjoying our wonderful beaches, wine farms, garden routes and wild parks, let us help you extend your visa to ensure you have the maximum time of relaxation and appreciation of what South Africa has to offer. Quintessential documents for the extension process - Passport Proof of valid entry into South Africa Proof of sufficient funds for duration of stay in South Africa Proof of accommodation for duration of stay in South Africa Departure flight back to home country Feel free to speak to us about your extension process. We can be contacted via our website www.movingsouthimmigration.com or alternatively reach out to us via email or telephone on sue@movingsouthimmigration.com or +2773 5357 534. We look forward to hearing from you!