Online Visa Portal Unavailability Likely to Cause Delays

South Africa

The Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) online portal’s current unavailability due to system maintenance is impacting visa appointment scheduling capabilities and the ability to complete online application forms.  This is also likely to delay existing appointments since appointment confirmation forms need to be accessed and printed.

The online visa status tracking function is also currently unavailable, making the status of pending applications inaccessible at this time.

Additionally, visa application centers are currently unable to process submissions as their internal system is also offline. As such, existing appointments may need to be rescheduled.

VFS has not yet advised when the online portal will be accessible nor has it provided an update on the steps that will be taken to mitigate missed appointments.

What This Means for Foreign Nationals

Visa applicants using the VFS system or seeking services at visa application centers should account for likely travel and start date delays.

Fragomen will continue to monitor developments and provide further information accordingly.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].

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