Important message for foreigners in South Africa

Update: The Department of Home Affairs has extended the concession for visa holders waiting on their outcomes from 31 March 2025 to 30 September 2025.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced that many of the applications will not be ready for collection due to printing errors.

This means that applications that are waiting on the outcomes of their waivers, appeals and long-term visa applications can remain in South Africa up until 30 September 2025.

They will also be allowed to depart and re-enter South Africa up to and including 30 September 2025 under specific conditions.

The original article can be found below:

A concession allowing visa holders waiting for outcomes regarding visa renewals or appeal applications to remain in the country expires on 31 March 2025.

However, immigration experts have noted that the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will likely extend the concession to protect visa holders who await pending outcomes.

This was the message from Xpatweb, which explained that the concession was issued by DHA in December 2024.

The concession allows applicants who have submitted pending visa and appeal applications in South Africa to travel and remain in the country under specific conditions. However, this comes to an end on Monday (31 March).

“Although some foreign nationals may feel uneasy about the looming deadline, it is widely expected that Leon Schreiber, in his capacity as Minister of Home Affairs, will extend the concession,” said Xpatweb.

“This will safeguard valid visa holders against possible consequences regarding their lawful stay in South Africa while they still await the outcome of applications legally and timeously submitted to the Department.”

One of the main consequences would be the risk of visa holders awaiting application outcomes being declared an undesirable.

In terms of the Immigration Act, people on visitor or tourist visas have between 30 and a maximum of 90 days to be in South Africa.

If you renew for another 90 days, you will have a total of 180 days, after which the law allows no more extensions. This means you must leave the country, or else you will be declared undesirable.

An undesirable is any person who overstays in the Republic after the expiry of their visa and could, therefore, be forced to leave the country or even be banned from entry in the future.

The concession was first necessitated in September 2022 due to the backlog in visa application processing at the DHA for submissions made in South Africa. It has since been extended four times.

Another extension likely

Despite concerns, Xpatweb highlighted that since his ministerial appointment in June 2024, Schreiber has, on two occasions, extended the concession to protect affected visa holders.

Jaco Brits, Head of Immigration at Xpatweb, said the Minister’s strong track record in this area suggests that another extension may be announced soon.

However, it will likely be more limited than previous concessions, as the visa processing backlog that initially prompted the concession has nearly been eradicated in the past six months, he added.

Xpatweb further explained that the current extension applies to long-term temporary residence visa applications legally submitted in South Africa before 18 December 2024.

“It allows affected visa holders to continue with their activities as per their current visa conditions and to travel in and out of the country unincumbered, with specific conditions for holders that are not from a visa-exempt country,” it said.

“The eradication of the visa backlog, which dated back some 10 years, is to be commended and speaks of the Minister’s responsiveness and willingness to address historic issues at the once embattled DHA,” said Xpatweb.

Earlier this year, at an event celebrating this achievement, Schreiber said that for years, many believed that Home Affairs was beyond redemption, with some people even renaming it “Hell Affairs.”

“The success with visa processing will help restore the public’s faith that South Africa itself can make progress,” Schreiber said.

Under Schreiber’s leadership, the DHA reached important milestones and introduced several encouraging reforms to the visa regime.

He has been consistent about his vision for efficient service delivery by embracing modern technological solutions and improving access to the department’s services.

On several occasions, he has committed to positioning the DHA as a powerful engine for economic growth, acknowledging the importance of highly skilled foreign professionals and how they can contribute to the South African economy.

Xpatweb believes that the extension of the current concession beyond 31 March 2025 will further strengthen this message.