This website has been updated, wherever possible, in order to reflect the most recent changes in our immigration laws.
BREAKING NEWS
COVID-19 Lockdown South Africa
With effect from midnight on Thursday 26th March 2020 South Africa will be on lockdown.
Only essential and emergency services will be allowed to operate and movement of individuals is restricted save for medical emergencies, purchasing food, medication and if a person becomes symptomatic.
This means a shut-down of business for the duration of the 21-days, at this stage, and our law practice is no exception in this regard.
We also wish you to be abundantly aware that Visa Facilitation Services “VFS” are shutting down for lodgements and collections of Visas and no access will be given to their offices until the 16th April 2020.
This does mean that we can continue to follow up online as to the progress of applications but will not be able to make any attendances on VFS or Home Affairs offices for the aforesaid reasons.
We are advising clients at this time to use the e-mail addresses ricka@immigration.org.za and julian@immigration.org.za copying in enquiries@immigration.org.za in respect of any enquiries.
We have set up remote working options and will retrieve and respond to your mails as quickly as possible.
We will be putting out an advisory as soon as the relevant Government Departments issues such Directive regarding how current Visa expiries will be dealt with and in this regard we must state that the Department of Home Affairs has been fairly responsive. As soon as the Directive has been issued we will release that information.
We have also set up an emergency hot line as we will not be able to access our landlines and in emergencies you can contact us on +27 72 779 0764. As the line will be probably be inundated we would suggest that e-mail remain a primary option as communication as we can receive your mails on various devices.
We also wish to point out that we have been advised by various couriers to rather refrain from sending documents via courier as our office will not be manned.
Appointments already made and paid for with VFS will, according to their advice, be postponed to a date after they re-open, i.e. after the 16th April 2020 and they will be accommodating.
At this stage we wish all our clients and potential clients well, stay safe, sanitise and socially distance yourself until this crisis is over.
11 April 2020: UPDATE ON VISA MATTERS ARISING FROM RESTRICTION ON MOVEMENT AND TRAVEL
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday night that the lockdown in South Africa would be extended by an extra two weeks till the end of April.
This means that the border closures remain tightly in place for the further lockdown period and the VFS Offices remain closed for the further period as well as does the Department of Home Affairs, save for registration of Births and Deaths. This means that no processes will flow from those offices.
Refer to our previous update with regard to ultimately extending your current visa or your recently expired visa, which will still be possible when VFS and DHA become operational again.
We will update the information as it becomes available, so watch this space!!!!
Please connect with us by e mail on enquiries@immigration.org.za with any queries or if you would like to set up a virtual consultation.
Stay safe and sanitise with social distancing as a priority.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- Visas
- Temporary residence – this includes all categories such as study, work, business, retired persons, relatives permits etc.
- Permanent residence permits
- Naturalisation/ South African citizenship
- Determinations of status
- Retention of South African citizenship
- Resumption of citizenship
- Exemption from the loss of South African citizenship
- Restoration of permanent residence rights
- Evaluation of foreign qualifications
- Appeals or review applications to the Department of Home Affairs
- Petitions and exemption applications to the Minister of Home Affairs
- Agreements of cohabitation or life partnership agreements
- Antenuptial contracts
- Apostille on South African documents for use abroad
- Facilitating sworn translations
- Waiver applications
- Exceptional skills certifications
- Deregistration in respect of cancellation of work permits
- Facilitating advertisement in the national printed media in accordance with Home Affairs requirements
- Facilitating salary benchmarkings
- Confirmation of employment applications
- Verification of permits
- Transfer of permits into new passports
- Seminars on immigration to South Africa
