SA extends visa, permits processing period

Source: The Herald – Breaking news.

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 The latest development was announced yesterday by South African Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber under Immigration Directive number 4 of 2025 (extension of temporary concession for foreign nationals due to processing delays of appeals and certain manual applications).

Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau

South Africa has extended the visa and permits deadline for migrants that expired at the end of March to September 30.

The latest development was announced yesterday by South African Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber under Immigration Directive number 4 of 2025 (extension of temporary concession for foreign nationals due to processing delays of appeals and certain manual applications).

There are approximately 178 000 Zimbabweans who were entitled to apply for the new exemption permits (Zimbabwe Exemption Permit) subject to a set of conditions that expire at the end of November this year.

“The Department of Home Affairs (the “Department”) has, since issuing Immigration Directive No 16 of 2024 dated 18 December 2024, addressed the backlog in its visa and permitting regime. However, many applications will not be ready for collection prior to the deadline of 31 March 2025 on the previous concession, primarily due to delays in the printing process,” said the Minister.

“Furthermore, the processing of the resultant appeals, as well as some manual category applications, will not be completed by the expiry of the current concession and is now the focus of the Department’s work.

“Visa holders, who have applied for a waiver and whose waiver application is still pending as of the date of signature of this Directive, are granted a further temporary extension until 30 September 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”.

Dr Schreiber said those applicants who wish to abandon their waiver applications and depart from South Africa should be allowed to depart before or on 30 September 2025, without being declared undesirable as contemplated in line with the immigration laws.

He said a visa holder who needs to travel, but is awaiting the outcome of a waiver application should be allowed to depart and re-enter South Africa at a port of entry up to and including 30 September 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 into South Africa.

The Minister added that the extension also applies to 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 at the date of signature of this Directive.

These 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 will be permitted to depart from and re-enter the Republic until September 30, 2025, without being deemed undesirable under section 30(1)(h) of the Immigration Act, along with regulation 27(3) of the Regulations, according to the Minister.

However, non-visa-exempt applicants who leave the country with a receipt for a long-term visa application must apply for a port of entry visa, which will allow them to re-enter the Republic.

These temporary measures will apply only to foreigners who have been legally admitted into South Africa, have submitted their application via VFS Global, and can provide a verifiable receipt for their application according to the VFS Global tracking system.