Immigration Services
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General information for South Africa
Permanent residency applications to immigrate to South Africa can be made at any authorised Department of Home Affairs Service centre. Immigration to South Africa, it should be noted, is normally a 'two part' process for prospective immigrants with most initially obtaining a temporary permit.
Applications for permanent residency involve not just the preparation of the application, submission and monitoring of, but also an interview with the prospective immigrants at the Department of Home Affairs.
Permanent residency in South Africa entitles the immigrant to stay and reside in South Africa and undertake a specified activity according to which category the permanent residency permit is issued under
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The following permanent residence categories are available:
- Direct residence
- Permanent job offer
- Extraordinary skills or Qualifications
- Own business
- Retirement
- Relative category
The following Temporary residence categories are available:
- Visitors
Visitors permit may be issued to a foreign national in respect of visits to South Africa for all temporary purposes, which shall not include work. The holder of a visitors permit may not conduct work
- Study
Study permits in South Africa are issued for foreigners who are looking to study at a South African accredited learning institute and reside in South Africa.
In the paragraph dealing with visitors permits we eluded to the fact that courses of less than three months duration can be dealt with as visitors permits.
- Business/Self Employment:
Business permits/ self employment in South Africa are issued to foreigners who are looking to conduct their own business. The South African Department of Home affairs issues business permits/Self Employment permits to immigrants who meet the current criteria.
- Corporate permits
The Corporate Permit may be issued to a corporate applicant to employ foreigners who may take up employment for the applicant for a limited period of time.
These permits are issued to South African based companies, offering the possibility to employ great numbers of employees from abroad.
Once the Corporate Permit has been approved, the individual employees may obtain work permits in a fast-tracked and cost-saving procedure.
- Medical
The medical treatment permit covers medical treatment at a private or public hospital or health facility or any other bona fide institution of treatment.
This includes, but is not limited to, health farms, sanitaria, old age homes, physiotherapy or rehabilitation centres and detoxification centres.
Volunteer visa's are required for all foreigners who wish to take up non remunerative or charitable activities with bona fide institutions inside South Africa
- Retired person
A retired or financially independent person may apply for temporary residence in this category provided he/she complies with the requirements
- Exchange
This category of temporary residence permit is designed to cover persons participating in programmes of cultural, economic or social exchange organized by an organ of state or a public higher educational institution, in conjunction with an organ of a foreign state
- Life partner
Life partner permits are issued to foreigners who are immigrating to South Africa with a South African boyfriend or girlfriend (life partner) with whom they are in a permanent relationship
- Spousal
Spousal permits / visa's for immigration to South Africa are issued in the case of a husband or wife of a South African citizen or permanent residency holder wishing to immigrate to South Africa.
- General information:
Achieving South African citizenship, when immigrating to South Africa, is often a 'three step' process. An immigrant cannot simply apply for citizenship straight away but must first hold permanent residency. As permanent residency can take up to 30 months (in some cases longer) to achieve, immigrants mainly first apply for temporary residency, whilst waiting for their permanent residency to be approved.
Please remember that South African citizenship is not a right it’s a privilege
Citizenship can be applied under the following categories:
- Birth
- Decent
- Naturalisation
- Re-register a child born out of wedlock.
- Change forename and surname of a minor.
- Change gender.
- Correction of error(s).
- Death Registration.
- Application for a death certificate.
- Marriage registration.
- Application for a marriage certificate.
- Register a birth (late registrations):
- Application for a birth certificate
- Registration of Foreign Birth
- Application for Naturalization
- Application for Retention of citizenship
- Application for resumption of citizenship
- Application for renunciation of citizenship
- Passport applications
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