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Further to the updated application procedure notice below, please be advised that the office will re open on 29 MARCH 2021. We welcome the opportunity to consult with you as to your eligibility for a visa /permit and answer any questions you may have with no obligation. Both Ms Bukuru and Mr Balous have exhausted their internal remedies and their applications for asylum have been rejected. The couple have flatly rejected integration option into local communities demanding instead, relocation to a third country, preferably to Canada, by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees .
He implored all employers to ensure that all of their expatriate staff are in possession of legally obtained and issued work visas. He explained that they are currently working their way through businesses and arresting both the illegal expats, as well as the relevant company representatives, he confirmed that he has personally been part of this operation recently. The Missions and Embassies overseas are much more efficient and can take anywhere between ten days to six weeks to finalise a permit.
New requirements for children travelling through South African ports of entry
All birth certificates containing the details of a child as well as the parents of the child shall be accepted for the purposes of these Requirements as BCs, regardless of the country of issue. 3.1 Where both parents are travelling accompanied by one or more of their children, such children have to produce valid passports and a Birth Certificate or Equivalent Document for each child travelling. 1.3 Children who apply for a South African visa at any mission or VFS service point shall be required to submit, as part of the application, documents listed hereunder at paragraph 3, prior to such visa being issued. 1.2 Children who are foreign nationals and who are visa exempt are strongly advised to carry these documents since they may be requested to produce them when travelling through a port of entry of the Republic. Visa applications and processing have become a veritable nightmare for businesses in South Africa looking to hire specialists and critical skills needed for operations.
We are able to assist with all permit and visa applications for both corporates and individuals. Further we have to date submitted applications in over 40 countries around the world and are able to make submissions on a worldwide basis. The deportation of the 20 foreign nationals followed due process and was confirmed by the court on 02 and 03 November 2020 in terms of the immigration laws of the country. The affected foreign nationals have already been transferred to Lindela Repatriation Centre for deportation purposes. Where a Parental Consent Affidavit is presented, also required are full contact details and copies of the identity documents or passports of the parents or legal guardian/s of the child. Where only one parent’s particulars appear on the UBC or equivalent document, no parental consent affidavit is required when that parent travels with the child.
Home Affairs on requirements for children travelling through South African ports of entry
Passport collections are strictly from 1400 to 1500 hours Monday to Friday, except on Public holidays. No other services will be rendered during the time allocated for passport collections. DHA 24 and DHA 9 have a unique bar code therefore cannot be downloaded because an original form is required. The correct visa application is completed along with all the appropriate documentation. Criteria can change with little or no notice, processes altered and feedback hard to by.
Such children will be assisted by Immigration Services on arrival at South African ports of entry. Passengers travelling to South Africa must be in possession of a passport with two unused pages required for endorsements. The two unused pages when presented for purposes of endorsing a port of entry visa, visa, permanent residence permit or entry of departure stamp. 2.2 Children in possession of valid South African visas would not be required to produce the documents listed in paragraph 3 when travelling through a port of entry of the Republic. Mr. Makhalemele acknowledged that the department is well aware of the volume of foreigners who are residing in our country illegally, with either fraudulent paperwork or no status whatsoever.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS IMMIGRATION MANDATE
1.1 The documents listed under paragraph 3 shall upon request be produced at a port of entry by South African children entering and leaving the Republic, as well as all unaccompanied minors, regardless of their nationalities. Since the introduction of new immigration laws in South Africa, foreign nationals seeking a visa are in an uphill battle against the Department of Home Affairs. We consulted an expert to provide some advice for those wanting to settle in South Africa. Following an apparent collapse in the processing of critical skill and business visas in August, the department promised to fast-track the processing of critical skill and business visas in October – but progress has been slow.
Many of the Home Affairs offices do not allow you to enter their premises with a form obtained from elsewhere. Beyond the 135 countries South Africa offers visa-free entry to, Motsoaledi did not indicate this expansion over the next six months. At the time, Motsoaledi said his department and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition had set up a dedicated team to deal with the growing backlog and track and ensure business visa finalisation. Home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi stated in response to a written parliamentary question and answer session this week that 56,543 visas still need to be processed by his office. Fully complete all forms received and prepare your supporting documents per guidelines received.
The consent of parents recorded as such on the Birth Certificate or Equivalent Document shall be required regardless of the marital status of the parents of the child or children. When asked specifically about skills that are “known” to be critical but were not catered for on the new list, he explained that they were excluded because they did not meet the criteria he earlier described. He further explained that in some instances, they received no feedback from the industries or their professional body, which meant that the skills , could not be added on the list. He said that skills could not be put on the list if they did not meet all criteria, as this ensured a fair and transparent process. Foreign nationals who are declared “undesirable” may lodge a formal appeal to revoke the decision of undesirability on good cause shown. If the DHA does not consider the appeal within a reasonable period of time, foreign nationals may be able to institute court action in order to remove the declaration.
In terms of the decision, on the requirement for travellers to apply for visas in person, in countries where there is no SA mission, the Department of Home Affairs will receive applications, including by post, and capture biometrics of travellers on arrival at ports of entry. To address concerns around the geographical spread of countries like China, India and Russia, certain measures will be put in place to ease the process of application, in particular for tourists. 2.1 Children who are South African citizens travelling to South Africa with South African passports may be accepted by conveyors for travel without presenting birth certificates.
The sound and transparent methodology and research used to create the list, is a critical exercise required to assist the Minister of Home Affairs, he explained. He went on to detail that once they had received the necessary feedback, the list is then finalised by the Department of Higher Education and Training , which was presented to the Minister of Home Affairs for final sign-off and gazetting. General information about requirements for visas & permitsThis email address is being protected from spambots. In South Africa, a Birth Certificate is an extract from the Birth Register containing the particulars of a minor and those of his or her parent or parents. BCs are official documents issued by the Department of Home Affairs in terms of the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 (Act No. 51 of 1992).
Rejected Applications (Appeals for temporary residence & permanent residence)This email address is being protected from spambots. 2.3 In the case of countries that endorse the particulars of parents in children’s passports, or other official identification documents, these documents shall be acceptable for the purpose of establishing the identity of the parents of the travelling minor. He further explained that the road and processes that led to the new list, was not something that was done over-night. He detailed how they required input from all sectors of business, education, governing professional bodies, NEDLAC and the public, to ensure a comprehensive list which accurately represents the critical skills in South Africa, is presented.
Mr. Makhalemele explained that DHET were responsible for both developing and applying the methodology used to prepare not only the draft list, but also the technical report that was released with the new list in February. The current 2022 list, which was gazetted in February of this year, is the latest version of the list since 2014. Mr. Makhalemele, the Deputy Director of Corporate Accounts at the Department of Home Affairs, provided much needed insight to the New Critical Skills list, along with a few other pressing issues. Section 21 of the Constitution states the Right of Freedom of Movement and Residence. After Section 21 , of the Constitution, everyone has the right to freedom of movement and to leave the Republic, but after Section 21 of the Constitution only South African citizens have the right to enter, to remain and to reside anywhere in the Republic. Therefore there is no “right” for a non South African to be given a visa to come to South Africa, or to live and work here.
We wish to remind citizens that there are foreign nationals who are in the country legally and are allowed to conduct business in terms of the applicable laws of the country. As such, they should not be unfairly targeted simply on the basis of their nationality. Parental Consent Affidavit is an affidavit which must accompany a Birth Certificate or Equivalent Document when any parent is not travelling with his or her child.
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