South Africa: Centralization of Adjudication of Long-Term Visa Applications Withdrawn

Effective September 1, 2022, the centralization of adjudication for long-term visa applications at the Department of Home Affairs has been withdrawn. Consular posts now have the right to process and issue long-term visas. This comes after the Department of Home Affairs issued a directive in January 2022 that centralized the adjudication for all long-term visa applications received by consular posts. The shift back to consular posts is due to the delayed processing times for long-term visas. The Department of Home Affairs has not yet confirmed the transition process, new visa processing times, and other terms, including confirming applications that the Department of Home Affairs has already processed.