South Africa: Automatic Visa and Waiver Extension Announced

• Extension for long-term visa holders. Per the extended concession, long-term visa holders who have applied for a visa waiver or have a visa application pending as of March 31, 2023 will be granted a temporary extension until December 31, 2023 (extended from March 31, 2023).
• No extension for short-term visa holders. Short-term visa holders with a validity period of less than 90 days who have not received their visa extension outcome by March 31, 2023 must depart South Africa on or before April 30, 2023 to avoid being declared out-of-status.

Companies should take note of the extended concession and the 15-month or longer timeframe that it will take the DHA to clear the existing backlog of pending long-term visa and waiver applications.

The visa backlog has been ongoing since the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the DHA implementing a long-term visa and visa waiver validity extension in September 2022. However, the backlog has grown since then, resulting in the further extension.

To further curb the backlog, the DHA has also implemented changes that will take effect soon, including increasing the expected number of adjudications issued per week, adding adjudicators to the e-Visa hub to assist with new applications, and adding more immigration officers in South Africa and at consulates abroad. These changes are expected to reduce processing times.