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Moving to a foreign country to establish a business, to
work, or to retire can be a daunting experience.
Whilst you are in the process of uprooting your life and
moving to South Africa, the last thing you want to face
is a complex web of immigration rules and procedures.
Some people opt to handle the application on their own
because they are in no hurry and are confident that they
will be accepted. They believe they know which is the
best visa to apply for given their particular circumstances.
However, the law is changing quite frequently and the
barriers to entry are becoming more strict. Using
the services of a highly qualified specialist means that
you will receive advice on the best route to take to ensure
your application is successful. Our immigration
associates have an incredible track record of success
to date and will give you peace of mind that your application
is in the best possible hands for approval.
The first step is to take a look at the different types
of visa and permits available from the list below. Then,
once you have an idea of what you are looking for, send
an email outlining your situation to, ,
giving us initial background to your plans, and we will
liaise with the team who can ensure your application is
handled in the most efficient and professional manner.
This will give you confidence that this crucial first
step on the road to your relocation, your immigration
application, has the best chance of success.
Which Visa?
There are three types of permits:
Visitors permit:
- Passport holders from the following countries will
be awarded a three month visitor visa on arrival: UK, Ireland, Australia,
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland and the USA.
- Visitors planning to stay long-term can apply for a
three-year version of this visa if they are undertaking
one of the following: an academic sabbatical, voluntary
or charity work, internship, training or research.
Temporary Residents Permit
Valid for up to four years. To apply successfully the
applicant must fall into one of the following categories:
- Student/Intern (Interns get Visitors Permit)
- Business Person (Self-employed) and Investors. Requirements
are:
- Business investment of 2.5 million Rand into the book
value of the business within the first 2 years of the
running concern*
- A business plan and a business track record to prove entrepreneurial skill
- Employment of 5 South Africans or holders of Permanent
Residency Permits
- Registration with the SA tax office
* The capital investment may be reduced or waived if the
business falls into one of any of the specified categories.
The specified categories are IT (information technology), clothing and textiles, chemicals and biotechnology or agro-processing, tourism, crafts or the automotive and transport industry.
- Employees:
- A general work permit is granted based on a conditional job offer (if other requirements are met.)
- A quota work permit is also granted to people with specific skills which are needed in South Africa.
- Exceptional Skills work permit
- International Transfer – work permit
- Pensioners and Senior Citizens
- Four years is granted for people able to prove income of R20,000 per month per person
- Spouses or Life Partners of SA citizens or holders or Permanent Residency Permits.
- Corperate Permit – issued to those wanting to employ a number of foreigners
- Other – there are some additional temporary permits issued on grounds such as asylum seekers or permits for
seasonal work.
Permanent Residents
To qualify, the foreigner must comply with one of the
following:
- Self-Employed/Investor
- Employees (those who have already worked for five plus years in SA; those who have received a permanent job offer;
those with extraordinary skills.)
- Pensioners and Senior Citizens (Criteria as above – Temporary Residents – the only difference is that
the R20,000 is just for the main applicant not per person)
- Spouses or Life Partners can apply after five years relationship.
- Family Members – those of 1st step of kinship.
- Financially Independent Applicants (funds in excess of R7.5 million)
- Applicants with asylum status (after five years of having
the asylum seekers permit).
For further information on any of the above, please contact
us directly
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