Permanent residence permits
Applications for permanent residency in South Africa are considered in certain situations. In terms of granting Permanent Residency Permits, emphasis is placed on immigrants who are in a position to make a meaningful contribution to broadening the economic base of South Africa.
In order to make an application for a permanent residency permit, applicants must first submit representation to the Department of Home Affairs motivating why he or she should be declared not to be a prohibited person or an undesirable person.
You may be considered a prohibited person if:
- You are infected with infectious diseases that can spread easily. These diseases include cholera; pestilence, yellow fever and any other diseases as determined by the Department of Health from time to time
- You have a warrant of arrest against you or a conviction for genocide, torture, drug trafficking, money laundering, kidnapping, terrorism, or murder secured in South Africa or any country with which South Africa has regular diplomatic relations
- You are a member or supporter of an organisation practising racial hatred or social violence
- You are a member of an organisation using crime or terrorism to reach its goals
- You have previously been deported and have not been rehabilitated by the Department in the prescribed manner
You may be deemed to be rehabilitated if:
- you submit a sworn affidavit or solemn declaration that you will comply with the Act
- the Department has no reason to believe that you are inclined to violate the Act again
- you have not been inside the Republic of South Africa for a period of 4 years or more
- alternatively, you may be deemed to be rehabilitated by a forfeiture to the State of R50 000 (which may be reduced to R2000 if you paid for the cost of your deportation as well as the related costs).
It may be worthwhile to get certification from your doctor that you carry no communicable diseases
You may be deemed to be an undesirable person if:
- you are or are likely to become a public charge
- you are identified by the Minister (after consultation with the Immigration Advisory Board) as undesirable or you have been judicially declared incompetent
- you are an unrehabilitated insolvent
- you are a fugitive from justice
- you have a previous criminal conviction without the option of a fine for conduct which would be an offence in South Africa (with the exclusion of certain prescribed offences)
It is only after Home Affairs has declared a prospective immigrant not to be a prohibited/undesirable person, that an application for permanent residency status can be submitted.
Once you have received a positive response from the Minister of Home Affairs, you may submit an application for either a Direct Residency Permit or a Residency-on-Other-Grounds Permit.
Direct permanent residence permits
This category of permit is applicable to foreigners who have been residing in South Africa on the basis of their work permits for a minimum period of five years, their spouses and also to dependents of South African citizens/permanent residence permit holders.
To apply for a direct residency permit you need to complete numerous lengthy forms.
Permanent residency permits on other grounds
This category of permits applies to foreigners who:
- are in possession of a permanent work offer in South Africa, or
- have exceptional skills and qualifications
- intend to establish a business in South Africa
- qualify as Refugees in terms of the Refugees Act
- qualify as retired persons
- are financially independent
- are relatives (biologically or judicially adopted) of a South African citizen/permanent residence permit holder
You can apply for all Permanent Residency Permits at the Department of Home Affairs, at the nearest office in the South African province in which you intend to live and work. Alternatively, if you are based overseas, you can apply at your nearest South African embassy, mission or consulate in the country in which you live.
An immigration practitioner can make the application on your behalf.
In addition to completing and submitting the correct form, you must also provide the following documentation:
- A full set of fingerprints
- A marriage certificate / Proof of spousal relationship, if applicable
- A divorce decree / proof of legal separation, if applicable
- Proof of custody of a minor, if applicable
- A death certificate for a late spouse, if applicable
- The consent of parents in the case of minors
- Proof of judicial adoption of a minor, if applicable
- Police clearance certificates for all countries in which you resided for a period of one year or longer since your 18th birthday
- A valid temporary residency permit (if already in South Africa).
Additional documents are applicable to the different immigration categories and these are listed in the permanent residence application forms.
So, as seen, it is possible to apply for Permanent Residence on the basis of holding a Work Permit. Anyone who has held a General Work Permit for a period of five years may apply for Permanent Residence. Holders of an Exceptional Skills Work Permit may also apply. It is very much to the applicant’s advantage to be in possession of a contract of permanent employment, or an offer of permanent employment, at the time of application.
There are many ways to end up a Permanent Resident of South Africa, and ImmigrationSouthAfrica.org can assist and advise you on the right steps to take in your unique South African immigration permit situation.
Good day
Im in the process of applying for my residence permit ( Including for my family). My family is not in South Africa at the moment, I need to know if it is possible for them to do the medical examinations outside SA? If so is there a list of recommended doctors who can do the medicals in Zimbabwe
Thank you
Hi – yes, you can do these medical examinations anywhere in the world, but you’ll have to have the doctor’s certificate translated if it isn’t in English.
if my spouse is south african but i don’t have any blood relatives in south africa, can i still apply for a Permenant Residency on Other Grounds?
Yes, if you have been married for 5 years or more. Send us an email to immigration@immigrationsouthafrica.org.
the abave name has been applied for permit resident on october 2010 and i would have like to know more about it therefore i look forward for a postive responce.
yours faithafully
shafi Ahmed Ali
We are NOT Home Affairs and so we don’t know. We wish you a positive outcome.
Change of status
Does changing from general work permit to quota permit constitute a change in status, if one is still employed in the same profession and by the same employer.
I have been in the country for 10 years and 6 years on work permit. I think according to to the above information I may qualify for the permanent residency.
josephat
I am interested to apply for immigration or work permit in south Africa. I am expecting a positive reply from your side. Please email me the detail information regarding my query. I shall be highly gratified for your consideration.
Regards
Zeeshan Ahmad
how do i get a parmnt parmit
plz provide me a detail that how i apply for permanent residency
I am refugee status and stay in South Africa for more that 5 years. I have applied for permanent residence and did not received a confirmation as yet. How can your service can assist on this.
I am working in financial company in Cape Tow, Have an honours degree from DR Congo and curretly studying CFP via Free State. married with 4 kids( 3 of the kids are born in South Africa).
Please can inform me more how can you assist and what is the charge.
question:
im a Filipino and im married to a south african. i just want to ask my previous boyfriend apply in home affrairs for me to not coming back to south africa?
My husband is disappointed with my ex-boyfriend.
i left my ex because he abused me emotionally and physically .
pls.advise me what to do about clearing my status and name in south frica.
thanks
I have a child who is a citizen of South Africa with documentations should i submit if applying for
permanent residence?
Chris Ndopu
0732149331
hello i will like to ask a question
what visa will be given if i buy a house cash in south africa am a nigeria
i am graduate
age 37
married and 03 childrens
i am computer operatior last 15 years.
i am pakistani [Muslim]
me and my family is intrested to live and work in south africa
and also we are intrested to get the nationality of south africa
Thanks
AHMAR HAFEEZ
ahmarhafeez@yahoo.com
Good Day,
A long story, I live in SA, hold a British passport, a SA ID book, married to a SA citizen,came to SA in 1968 with parents, and work on contract in Sudan. When I left SA on 04/08/2011, they wanted to see my permanent residents permit or stamp to such in my passport which I don’t have. How do I go about getting such a permit, bearing in mind I am here in Sudan for another two to three months. Any help would be appreciated.
Kind regards
Richard Evans
Since you have an ID book, surely they would have accepted this as proof? How is it that you do not have citizenship or at least a Permanent Residence permit in your passport? Perhaps it was in an old passport, in which case you needed to do a “passport landing” from the old to new. Please fill in the Eligibility Assessment.
….very tough indeed…!!!
Good afternoon,
I do have family in SA ( brother and sister of my father) and would need to know if this qualifies me for an application for Permanent residence?
Thanks
You will have to enquire with Home Affairs – but as far as we can tell, the answer is no, since your aunt and uncle are not direct relations.
hi i submitted permannent residence papers they told it is approved but i didnt get any sms.please help i want the PR ststus through sms it will help me lo through job…any solution urgently replty to me….
Hi there,
I am a SA citizen with dual nationality (british) abd currently live in the UK. I have a child that was born in UK and my partner is from the UK. We are looking to immigrate back to SA so how do I go about starting application for my child to get residency and will my partner get this through relative of the child? We are not married and have not been together for 5 years?
hi i wanna know if a person who have been refugee in the past 6years can apply a permanent residence whit out getting certification from the [STANDING COMMITTEE OF REFUGEE AFFAIRS]
hi there i want to know if i can get the temporary resident ,am a malawian male married to a south african woman we have two kids togethe currently am using assylum seeker temporary permit ,i want to change my status.
we the whole family wants to apply for permanent residence in SOUTH AFRICA . We live in PAKISTAN , working here & a passport holders.
now . what should be the first step we have to take to get started the process & any other information plus web links you wish to provide are highly appreciable.
Regards Bilal Qureshi.
My husband for 5years to whom we share a daughter has recently been detained in prison cause they claim he got the permanant residence fraudulently of which when applying through a child, ther is no waiting period. What options do i hav since deportation is the option they have?
That you will unfortunately have to take up with Home Affairs, we cannot assist you there. It seems it is now a criminal matter.
i was live in south africa for past 6 year but still i didnt get permanent residence
I have been in SA for 5 years now for study (with study permit) & my brother is also a permanent residence from Botswana & was wondering if its possible to apply for PR???
Hello,
I have been living in South Africa now for 7 years under a study visa. Last year I married a South African citizen inside the country. I desire to remain in the country permanently to work, and as a result I have been given quite a number of methods for obtaining permanent residency. I have just received a spousal visa, which a work permit can be attached to, but I am still unsure about the achieving the end goal. I wish to learn more because all my job applications have been unsuccessful as of now.
Regards,
Daniel.
Log in on our Forums and ask this question.
good day. i am about to apply for a permanent residency under my refugees status which was been granted 5years ago but since i have to go for at home affairs refugees office in most time there’s chaos, do you have any idea how can do it?
Good Afternoon
hope going well, i am an Iranian vet (DVM) , 30 & single and have 2 years related experience. want to Immigrate to SA.
i have been once there. i have seen in quota permit, veterinary have 250 scores.
how can i apply ? and in your opinion is studying there might be another solution to get permanent residency there ?
Thanks in advance
Best Wishes
Mahmood Reza
i already have PR status in RSA which i have had since 1997. However, when i aplied for naturalization, i was turned down because in 1989, i was deported. How does that deportation aply given the fact that the PR which i have was given to me eight or so years after my deportation? What rights do i have as a pr holder in the work place? Can i be overlooked or discriminated against on the basis that i don’t have SA Citizenship?
IF YOU ARE A PERMANENT RESIDENT OF THE THE REPUBLIC, WHAT RIGHTS DO YOU HAVE IN THE WORK PLACE AND WHAT ARE THE RESTRICTIONS? CAN YOU BE OVERLOOKED FOR A POSITION ON THE BASIS THAT YOU ARE NOT SOUTH AFRICAN?
Yes, you can be overlooked, as in almost any country. However, with PR, your rights are the same as a SA citizen, except regarding your EE status.
please i was deported for overstay and my wife is a south african , does it means i can’t go back to south african again ? because i was given tourist visa for 30 days and after the expiration of the visa i was caught in town and deported , but i bought my own ticket back home although i was caught by the home affairs ….
If you overstayed your VISA, then you have done something illegal. You will need to pay a fine, however you will first need to ask the SA Embassy in your country what to do.
THANK YOU SOO MUCH Immigration South Africa
Hi,
It has come to my attention that, a person can apply for a PR if he has a permanent Job offer and A Quota work Permit regardless of whether the person has been here for 5years. How-far true is this?
Your reply is greatly appreciated.
Not true. With an Exceptional Skills Work Permit, you can apply for PR, but not with a Quota Work Permit, there you will have to work for 5 years in one or more job/s.
If somebody is deported from South Africa when will he or she be able to return? Because i am married , my wife is from south africa and i got deported for overstay… i have the same issue like david kumalu , and also i want to know if after paying my fine i still have to stay in my country for some time before i can be allowed to enter south africa ..?
If somebody is deported from South Africa when will he or she be able to return? Because i am married , my wife is from south africa and i got deported for overstay… i have the same issue like david kumalu , and also i want to know if after paying my fine i still have to stay in my country for some time before i can be allowed to enter south africa ..?
Hi,
I am a south African citizen, holder of an valid South African ID and my parents are South African also. The problem that I have is that I was raised in Lesotho by aunt, attended school in Lesotho and married in Lesotho as well. I have three children aged 18, 14 and 11 who are all born in Lesotho.
My question is that I should I do to secure my children the ID, as me as their mother is a south African who has stayed in a foreign country ?
regards
Tel +266 58760055
Good day
my guardian moved to RSA because he got a job offer at a remarkable company, manufacturin diary products. On top of that He lived in Swaziland with his South African wife with whom he had to kids before moving to RSA. I was never adopted, in essence he is my father’s younger brother, my father died over a decade ago. Since he had moved to South Africa, i was left alone in Swaziland, i have moved to the country as well, do i qualify for any residence permit.
Your response is highly appreciated
If we understand you correctly, only if one of your family was or is South African. Enquire at Home Affairs to be sure.
Im a maths teacher with a quota work permit. This is my third year in South Africa and i want to know if i can apply for a permanent residence to make my financial transactions with the banks easy. Most bbanks do not want to open account or grant loan to a foreigner even if you have the requisite permit to work. Thank you.
Please ask your questions here: http://forum.immigrationsouthafrica.org/
i am resident ofRussian federation and want to resident permit for me and my family to south this cause we need our children to get there english education have some made some investment,can i have agent or organisation to handle this?
Please ask your questions here in our forums: http://forum.immigrationsouthafrica.org/
I am interested to apply for immigration or workpermit in south Africa. I am expecting a positive reply from your side. Please email me the detail information regarding my query shall be highly gratified for your consideration
regards
Md. Hasanuzzaman, Dhaka, Bangladesh
hi,
i have a five year temporary work permit of south africa and my wife is in lesotho,i want to bring her in south africa.what must i do.? thanx
Hi, I was deported from South Africa once for over staying without a Visa. However, I paid for the trip back and now, I plan on going back for holidays. Can I still get a South African Visa and also get entry?
My mother has tried all areas to get attention and speedy results from various South African Home affairs offices regarding my mother’s (Maria Rosa’s) permanent residence application and for myself Freitas Wache. We have now resorted to sending this letter and pray that we will be assisted and have this case closed within this quarter of the year 2012. Please read this carefully and advice; if you were in our shoes, what would you do?
My mom’s first application for her Permanent residence was in the year 2000. For three years they gave her the run around. She would go once every month to the home affairs and they would always tell her that they were busy processing the application and waiting for a certain response from Pretoria. She needs to come again. For three years this went on.
In 2003 she was told that her documents were lost! That was a real shock considering all the lost time and money on her side. Now the question is, had anything really been done prior to the documents ’disappearing’? Anyway the home affairs people obviously knew that there was nothing she could do about that news. They told her to reapply and so she did and for another three years she was on that waiting train again. If it were you what would you have done?
In 2006 she decided to go to the supervisor’s office at the Harrison Street Home Affairs. He called Pretoria and they told him to tell her to call again in that next week….she did so but still, promises after promises, call after call, they just kept telling her to go and check with them month after month until she was referred to a lady by the name of Mavis Mawela whom my mom had to phone and email at [Mavis.Mawela@dha.gov.za]. Mavis Mwela referred us to another lady by the name of Sharon Ramavhoya at (Sharon.Ramavhoya@dha.gov.za) saying “Kindly be informed that Sharon copied above at 012 810 8333 will check our records and update us”.
Then we were referred to another lady called Francinah Matlala at FrancinahMatlala@dha.gov.za in 2008 through till 2009. We didn’t get far with Franchinah Mtlala and we were then referred to Mr Nico Kruger at nico.kruger@dha.gov.za and he told us he will check on the system to see my mom’s process and all the information was there from year 2000, but it was all archived!(but how is something archived if it hasn’t even been processed? To add to that, first her documents were lost then all of a sudden they are all on the system? Please may you tell us what you would do in this instance?
Anyway From 2009 Mr Kruger told us he will check what the problem is since 2000 why her Permanent residence has not come through as he does not understand why it’s been 10 years. He said that an application should not take that long in his own words. Since last year he kept telling us to call week after week and month after month, my mom has called, my brother (Freitas Wache) and I have called.
Now in 2010 we have been calling more often (hoping to irritate them so much that they actually finally work on those documents!). Now here is where we got prove that they are doing nothing about it: We called Mr Kruger on Monday the 15th of June 2010 and he said “call tomorrow”. My mom was shocked! I mean the 16th of June was youth day, A PUBLIC HOLIDAY!!! She asked him “isn’t tomorrow the 16th, a public holiday?” and he said “okay, call on the 17th”…I mean, doesn’t this sound like someone who is doing nothing about this situation? The home affairs are basically treating us like we are nothing, like we have all the time and money to lose on phoning them week after week. What Mr Kruger did just goes to show that the home affairs plans on brushing us off for life…until we give up. Whenever we call they say that they are checking on the system…WHAT ARE THEY CHECKING ON THE SYSTEM? PLEASE MAY YOU ADISE ON THAT? I studied here in South Africa since grade 1 and I matriculated in 2006. I’ve attached my mothers documents.
The Ref. no. for our my mom’s application is JHB 3418-21/03 due to the fact that one of the attached documents with the Ref. no. is not to clear
The above is what led me to write this letter in hope that someone out there is willing to assist us. Looking forward to your reply and closure on this matter.
Many thanks
Freitas Wache
Mobile 076 852 4441
Hello,
I have Permanent residence status on my passport and holder of SA ID. I may require to stay abroad for a year. Do i need to return back within a time period to RSA in order to maintain PR status.Please advice.
W Rgds.
Hi
I am here in south africa on Relative permit (Spouse visa) with my wife who is Non SA ID holder, we got two childerns who born here and having citizen of south africa, i got Full birth certificate of the 1st child (Baby girl) who is now 3 years, Full birth cretificate having my detals and my wife details including child details. now i want to apply for Permanent residence on basis of my child is it possible or not?????? please reply me
I am a permanent residence holder since 2008 on category 26(a),how long i can stay way from South Africa.
I am scottish and immigrating to SA. I am marring a south african, what permits do i need
Hi,
I have applied my permanent residence in Nov – 2011 on my current company permanent offer and Could you please let me know whether i can change from my current company to another company as i got very good offer.
Is there any effect on my Permanent residence application if i join other company as my application status currently in progress.
Thank you
Jeevan
i have 4 childriens who is a citizen of south africa with documentation sould i submit if applaying for permenant resident trouhgt one of my child because i have full birth serteficate of my child and marige sectificat what can i do and what’s the need after what i have?
your response is hiahly appreciated thank you kind regard
Hi, Immigration South Africa….
I am sending you this letter, wishing you could answer my questions.
I’m Indonesian and have been in South Africa for 17 years working for Embassy under Temporary Residence/Working Permit and my two son were born in South Africa and they have SA Birth Certificates from Home Affairs.
I want to apply Permanet Residence next year (should have done it 10 years ago….) for me and my family b’cos I want to start my own business in Tours, Travel and Adventures in South Africa to bring Indonesian travellers to South Africa or vice versa.
With having my two son were born in South Africa and holding SA Birthn Certificates, also I have been under Temporary Residence/Working Permit for 17 years, will I qualify to apply and obtain South African Permanent Residence ? We love this country and want to start business here…….
Your quick answer to my questions will be much appreciated……..
Regards and baie dankie, nyiabonga…….
Djaka “ZULU” Widyatmadja