On March 28, 2025, the South Africa Department of Home Affairs issued an extension of its temporary concession granted to foreign nationals affected by delays in the processing of applications for long-term visas, visa waivers and visa appeals. The concession is now extended until September 30, 2025.
The previous temporary concession was published on December 18, 2024, and extended the validity of current visas and visa waivers until March 31, 2025.
The following measures apply under the newly extended concession:
Pending Visa Waiver Applications
- Visa holders, who have applied for a waiver and whose waiver application is still pending as of March 28, 2025, are granted a further temporary extension until September 30, 2025, to enable the Department to process the applications, as well as to allow for applicants to collect their outcomes and submit applications for the appropriate visas.
- Those applicants who wish to abandon their waiver applications and depart from South Africa should be allowed to depart before or on September 30, 2025, without being declared undesirable.
- A visa holder who needs to travel but is awaiting the outcome of a waiver application should be allowed to depart and re-enter the country at a port of entry up to and including September 30, 2025, without being declared undesirable. However, non-visa exempt applicants who travel out of the country with a waiver application receipt are required to apply for a port of entry visa, which would allow them re-entry.
Pending Visa Applications
- Visa holders who have applied for long-term visas as contemplated in terms of section 11(1)(b) of the Immigration Act, up to and including sections 20 and 22 of the said Act, and whose visa application is still pending as of March 28, 2025, are granted a further temporary extension of their current visa status until September 30, 2025. Applicants are not allowed to engage in any activity other than what the visa conditions provide for.
- Visa holders who need to travel, but are awaiting the outcome of a long-term visa. application, should be allowed to depart from and re-enter the country up to and including September 30, 2025, without being declared undesirable.
- However, non-visa exempt applicants who travel out of the country with a long-term visa application receipt are required to apply for a port of entry visa, which would allow them re-entry.
Pending Visa Appeal Applications
- Visa holders who have appealed a negative decision on an application for a long-term visa as contemplated in terms of section 11(1)(b) up to and including sections 20 and 22 of the Immigration Act, are granted a temporary extension of their current visa status until September 30, 2025. Applicants are not allowed to engage in any activity other than what the visa conditions provide for.
- Visa appeal applicants who need to travel but are awaiting the outcome of an appeal application for a long-term visa should be allowed to depart from the country and re-enter up to and including September 30, 2025, without being declared undesirable.
- All appeal applicants are required to produce a copy of the rejection letter, together with a receipt and/or confirmation indicating that such a person has submitted an appeal application, on departure from and re-entry into the country. Non-visa exempt appeal applicants who travel out of the country with an appeal application receipt and/or confirmation, are required to apply for a port of entry visa, which would allow them re-entry.
Erickson Insights and Analysis
The above temporary measures will apply only to those foreigners who have been legally admitted into South Africa. This concession is also only applicable to applicants who have submitted an application via VFS Global and who can produce a verifiable receipt for such application against the VFS Global tracking system.
Applicants awaiting the outcome of an application for a permanent residence permit are required to ensure that their residential status in South Africa is kept valid at all times while waiting for an outcome. Therefore, the above temporary measures will not apply to permanent residence applicants.
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.