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South Africa/India
Effective immediately, South African visa applicants in India must submit their applications to a VFS office in India instead of to an Indian consular post. VFS assists consular posts in high-volume cities to process visa applications.
Application processes and processing times may change as a result of this mandatory requirement. For example, third parties can still submit applications on behalf of applicants but an in-person submission requirement may be implemented soon.
The VFS visa application process and documentary requirements are available on the VFS website.
What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals
South African consular posts in India have strict document requirements, make discretionary decisions and often request additional documentation that is not prescribed by law. Therefore, it may be possible that inquiries from consular posts for VFS-submitted applications may increase.
Fragomen Africa will monitor the developments and provide updates as the situation develops.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
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