Home Affairs boost for foreigners has a catch

Industry experts have welcomed the Department of Home Affairs’ extension of the reprieve offered to foreigners in South Africa and praised the department for eradicating 94% of the 300,000 visa backlog.

However, this comes with the warning that the expedited process may have inadvertently led to higher rejection rates and appeals—creating a detrimental feedback loop.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, recently announced a timely reprieve for foreign nationals with pending visa, waiver and appeal applications.

The extension will allow foreigners to travel and remain in the country under specific conditions.

The extension was set to expire today, 31 March 2025, but has now been extended to 30 September 2025

This will allow these foreigners to remain in South Africa to travel and remain in the country under specific conditions.

Schreiber said that many of the applications’ outcomes will not be ready for collection before the deadline of 31 March 2025, mainly due to delays in the printing process.

However, the processing of appeal applications will also not be completed by the expiry of the current concession, and this is now where the department is focusing its efforts.

Jaco Brits, head of immigration at Xpatweb, welcomed the minister’s extension.

The minister has already extended the concession on two separate occasions due to the challenges in processing applications at the department.

The key condition of the extended concessions is that applicants who are waiting for the outcome of their applications can remain in South Africa.

The affected parties are also allowed to depart and re-enter South Africa up to and including 30 September under specific conditions without being declared as an undesirable person.

However, Brits stressed that applicants from non-visa-exempt countries who travel out of the country with a VFS application receipt must apply for a Visitor’s Visa, allowing them to re-enter the country.

A welcome boost

The concession extension will protect valid visa holders regarding their lawful stay in South Africa, allowing them to continue their activities per their current visa conditions.

Brits commended the Department of Home Affairs for eradicating nearly 94% of the visa backlog in the last half a year.

However, expediting the process may have created more challenges with a rise in the rejection of applications and, consequently, appeals.

Xpatweb said the Minister’s commitment to focus on processing the resultant appeals is a positive development.

The concession for foreigners was first introduced in September 2022 by former Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi due to a serious backlog in the visa application process.

At one point, the visa backlog stood at 300,000, dating back to a decade.

However, it should be noted that the temporary measures announced will not apply to permanent residence applicants.

Permanent residence permit applicants must ensure that their temporary resident status in South Africa is kept valid at all times while they wait for their outcome.

“Under Minister Schreiber’s leadership, the DHA continues to reach important milestones and has introduced several encouraging reforms to the visa regime,” said Xpatweb.

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

The visa consulting service added that the minister has, on several occasions, committed to positioning the DHA as a powerful engine for economic growth.

This includes highlighting the importance of highly skilled foreign professionals and how they can contribute to the South African economy.

Outside of professional visas, Schreiber has also attempted to expand tourist numbers via the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS), which should increase tourist numbers from China and India.

The new system will cut red tape and hold the TTOS participants liable for the misrepresentation or transgressions committed by their clients.