The South African government recently announced an extension until June 2024 of visa concessions for people with pending waiver applications, new visas and appeals. This decision is being taken to allow the country to catch up on its backlog of applications caused by a backlog of unprocessed applications to date.
Impact on holders of expired visas
This extension applies to those who submitted their application before November 30, 2023whose visas have expired. Their statutes will now be extended until June 30, 2024This allows them to continue working, studying or running a business in accordance with their previous visa.
Conditions for benefiting from the extension
- Have an application for a waiver, visa application or appeal filed before November 30, 2023 and awaiting processing
- Expired visa
- Undertake to comply with the terms of the previous visa
Measures taken for holders of 90-day tourist visas
For individuals with a 90-day visitor visa who applied for an extension before November 30 and whose application is still pending at the February 23, 2024they are now required to leave the Republic of South Africa on or before February 29, 2024.
Rules to follow when leaving the country
Holders of visas that have been subject to this extension decision will be required to present a receipt proving that they have applied when leaving and re-entering the country. Those requiring a visa to return to South Africa should ensure that they submit their application prior to their return.
South Africa's visa challenges
This situation highlights the difficulties encountered by the South African government, particularly with regard to visa management and application processing. This backlog is mainly the result of administrative slowness, and this decision is therefore intended to ease the pressure on consular services.
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