Please note: Immigration South Africa™ is a private immigration law firm and not VFS. If you are looking for VFS, please contact them on the details given below.
The Department of Home Affairs spokesman, Thabo Makgola, said a private company, VFS Visa Processing SA Pty Ltd (VFS Global), was appointed to receive and manage visa and permit applications in South Africa. He said South Africa is taking immigration issues “seriously”.
VFS – Visa Facilitation Services (South Africa)
VFS Global is a processing operation and therefore will not offer visa seeking immigrants any advice as to the immigration rules. Prospective immigrants will therefore still need to consult with immigration lawyers or gather the rules from the Departments website.
VFS will not make a decision to grant or refuse a Visa. This decision remains with the Department of Home Affairs.
South African immigration lawyers and specialists have recently expressed concern over its weak migration policy saying the government would want to tighten laws to ensure security for the country. Even once the new immigration regulations were published, they and the organisation around how this was done was criticised to the point that certain immigration professionals are considering legal action against the Deaprtment of Home Affairs
The country is home to thousands of refugees from Somalia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of Congo among others. Malusi Gigaba was recently appointed Home Affairs Minister.
South African Home Affairs said that the new Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) centres (called VACs) would open on Thursday (5 June 2014) in an effort to strengthen its immigration policy. Not all VACs have opened yet, depending on the area involved the opening dates are as follows:
• Pretoria VAC, Kimberley, Rustenburg – 02 June 2014
• Durban VAC, Bloemfontein VAC, George VAC – 09 June 2014
• Johannesburg VAC – 18 June 2014
• Cape Town VAC – 20 June 2014
• Polokwane VAC, Nelspruit VAC, Port Elizabeth VAC – 23 June 2014
The VFS South Africa website is already available at the following web address:
http://www.vfsglobal.com/dha/southafrica/
I am Pastor Arrey prudencia Maru a graduate of The Apostolic Bible Institute Buea. I have been employed as a pastor in Live The Word Ministries 3rd Floor Constantia building corner Schoeman and Andris Pretoria Central, South Africa. The Ministries will be responsible for my stay also with my two kids.
Sir, I wish to find out the various documents that i will need in this process.
Thank you,
yours Faithfully.
Pastor Arrey P. Maru
What is the procedure for extension of a visitor’s visa on medical grounds? My cousin came to south Africa on a visitor’s visa.He had a heart attack and was admitted to hospital.His Cardiologist has asked that he does not travel until 10th August 2015.What is the procedure to extend the visa?
Dears Sirs
I already have permanent residency which is stamped in my British Passport. Unfortunately I have lost the green permanent resident form which I believe I need to travel with even though I have a permanent resident stamp in my passport. Can you tell me how I go about getting a physical copy of that green permanent resident form or can I just take my green I.D. book along when I travel.
Yours sincerely
Mrs.W Wright
Good evening, I am a British Subject with residency in Zambia where I have lived since 1985. My wife is also British and a permanent resident in Zambia and we have three sons with British Passports.
Our oldest son has a RSA Study Permit and is in his final year at St Andrews Prepatory School in Grahamstown. He will attend St Andrews College in January 2017. Our middle son is enrolled at St Andrews Prep in January 2018 and at this time we would like to start living for 9 months a year in Cape Town so that we can put our youngest son (who will be 8 years old in January 2018) in a private day school in Cape Town. This will allow us all to spend more time as a family together and see more of our boys at Boarding School at the weekends.
We are self employed and financially independent with monthly income from Co Directors salaries and fees from our businesses in Zambia in excess of ZAR 75,000 each and with international assets generating income of more than this in addition.
Please advise the best course of action to apply for the Retirement Temporary Residence Permit and how long in your experience this process takes without facilitation and with the services offered by your company. What are the costs involved in employing your services to expedite such a process.
We will be in Cape Town in October and could place an application then. I am reluctant to make the application through the South African High Commission in Lusaka as this office is infamously understaffed and oversubscribed and all communications between Lusaka and Pretoria seem to take months and months.
I understand that this application can take as long as 24 months however as you will understand if we are to place the youngest child in a day school in January 2018 we have less than 15 months to obtain the required Visa if we are lucky enough to be granted this.
Many thanks in advance for your kind assistance and advice. Simon Jake da Motta
Hi, I will certainly be able to advise you accordingly. Please email me at juan@ashmanattorneys.co.za