South Africa: Online Platform Launched for Investors to Obtain Business Visa Recommendations

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) launched an online platform, the Business Visa Recommendation System, for investors seeking recommendations from the DTIC as part of their initial or renewal business visa applications or to obtain permanent residence. The DTIC must issue this recommendation upon assessing that the applicant’s business is viable in order for the individual to then apply for the business visa. The new system will enable applicants to apply online, upload supporting documents, track their applications in real time and obtain status notifications of their applications, streamlining the entire process. Currently, it takes approximately a week to six weeks for the DTIC to issue a recommendation, but it is expected that under the new online system, the DTIC will issue recommendations more quickly, although specific processing times have not yet been announced.