In 2024, Canada rejected a record number temporary resident visas, including those for tourists, foreign workers and students, resulting in its highest-ever rejection rate.
Data obtained by the Toronto Star, showed that more than 2,3 million (50%) visas were rejected in 2024 compared with 1,8 million (35%) in 2023. Around 1,95 million (54%) visitor visas were rejected, up from 40% in 2023.
In September 2024, Travel News reported that Canada was approving fewer tourist visas following government measures to reduce temporary residents who were blamed for housing shortages and high property prices.

The VFR red flag
Additionally, travel agents in South Africa have noticed that clients applying to visit family in Canada are facing more visa refusals.
“I can’t speak for the Canadian government, but it seems that people visiting family are encountering hurdles when it comes to getting visas for Canada,” said Bridget Esterhuizen from 360 Degrees Travel. Her client was denied a visa after the issuing authorities did not believe her client provided sufficient evidence that they were going to return to South Africa.

Anil Varkey from XL Plettenberg Bay Travel, said a grandmother, her son and granddaughter planned to visit the grandmother’s sister in Canada, but were denied visas for the same reason, despite holding valid US visas.
Varkey added that while he expected travellers aged 18 to 30 to face stricter scrutiny due to concerns about overstaying, in this instance they were travelling with their grandmother who had travelled to Canada multiple times, always returning to SA.
Those applying to visit for tourism are facing similar rejection responses. Deanne Hunter, an ITC with TAG Travel, said her client’s visa had been rejected even though the client had his own business, house and child staying in South Africa. The client received a notice stating: “The application has been refused because you have not established you will leave Canada based on the following factors: the purpose of your visit to Canada is not consistent with a temporary stay given the details he provided in the application.”

Long visa wait-times continue
In addition to battling visa refusals, travel agents are warning their clients that visa processing times continue to face lengthy delays. As of April 1, the processing time for a visitor visa (from outside Canada) is 435 days, according to the IRCC website.
“We’re being open and upfront with our clients, saying the processing time could take a year. Even then there is no guarantee the visa will be processed. We don’t even have anyone we can contact from our side to speed up the process,” said Esterhuizen
Varkey is advising clients to try get their visa first and then make their travel plans, while Hunter is warning them to have their other visas in order before they even attempt the Canadian one.

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The United Kingdom has increased its visa fees by roughly 10% across the board.
• The United Kingdom has increased the cost of its visas, pushing the cheapest tourist visa to over R3 100 and the 10-year option to R26 000.
• Unlike most European countries, the UK offers longer-term visitor visas as standard – more convenient for frequent travellers but steep for one-off trips.
• Here’s how the UK’s new fees compare with those for the US, Australia, and the Schengen Zone.

The United Kingdom has increased its visa fees by roughly 10% across the board, adding extra cost to an already expensive process for South African passport holders. Since UK visa fees are pegged to the pound and not adjusted for rands, the price jump hits even harder here.
Unlike Schengen countries, which generally issue short-stay visas for specific trips, the UK offers long-term visitor visas valid for 2,5 or 10 years — a benefit for frequent travellers but a higher upfront cost for those planning a single visit.

While the South African passport has climbed slightly in global rankings, countries like the UK, US, Australia, and those in the Schengen Zone still require full-scale visa applications. These typically include biometric submissions, supporting documents, and in-person appointments, often at agencies — with little of the digitisation offered by newer systems like eVisas.

Here’s how much popular UK visitor visas now cost:
Standard Visitor Visa (6 months) Previous Fee: R2 835 - New Fee: R3 131
Long-Term Visitor Visa (2 years) Previous Fee: R10 653 - New Fee: R11 709
Long-Term Visitor Visa (5 years) Previous Fee: R18 998 - New Fee: R20 910
Long-Term Visitor Visa (10 years) Previous Fee: R23 753 - New Fee: R26 126

Visitors can usually stay in the UK for a maximum of six months per visit. Based on current prices, you’d need to travel at least:
• 4 times to make the 2-year visa worthwhile,
• 7 times for the 5-year visa, and
• 9 times for the 10-year visa.
Under most circumstances, visitor visa holders can only remain in the United Kingdom for six months. Based on the current prices, you’ll need to visit four times to make a two-year visa worthwhile, seven visits for the five-year visa, and nine for the ten-year visa.

For most South Africans travelling to the UK on holiday, a single-trip visa remains the most practical choice. But long-term visas may be worth it for those expecting to visit frequently, travel at short notice, or transit through the UK.

How the UK compares with the US, Europe and Australia
Many countries now offer digital or eVisa systems, but some destinations popular with South African travellers and immigrants still require conventional visa applications.

Here’s how the UK’s new prices stack up:
United States
• Fee: $185 (±R3 500)
• Validity: Up to 10 years
• Stay per visit: Usually up to 6 months

Schengen Zone
• Fee: €90 (±R1,883)
• Processing charges: Up to R700 extra via visa agencies
• Validity: Varies – from trip-specific to multi-year, depending on embassy and travel history
• Stay limit: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period

Schengen visas offer the lowest upfront cost for a single trip but can be inconsistent in length and ease of use.
Australia
• Fee: AUD 195 (±R2 438) • Stay period: 3, 6, or 12 months, depending on individual approval
Which visa offers the best value?
For single trips, the Schengen visa is the cheapest. But if you’re a frequent traveller, the US 10-year visa is by far the most cost-effective — with a cost-per-visit of around R384 if used strategically.

In contrast, even the maximised UK 10-year visa works out to nearly R2,900 per visit, making it one of the priciest options available to South Africans.
Remember that visa fees are usually set in the destination country’s currency and are subject to exchange rate fluctuations. Always check official government websites for up-to-date pricing and requirements.

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A nightmare journey of more than 17 years last week came to an end for a 36-year-old domestic worker who was refused by the Department of Home Affairs to obtain a birth certificate, so that she could ultimately get an ID document.

The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, now ordered the department to issue Primrose Medisane with both a birth certificate and an ID document within 30 days. To show its dismay with the department in the manner it treated Medisane over the years, the court slapped the department with a punitive costs order.
Medisane told the court that the consequences for stateless women are dire. The women in her family have suffered many human rights violations. Medisane, who was a clever learner at school and wanted to become a social worker, could not take her matric exams. Her dream was to become a social worker.

Instead, she had to become a domestic worker. Her mother died of cancer shortly before she, too, managed to eventually obtain her documentation. She was refused treatment at the hospital, and once she managed to obtain the treatment with her new ID document in hand, it was too late for her.
This, in spite of both Medisane and her mother proving via DNA evidence that they were entitled to South African citizenship, as Medisane’s mother and grandmother were South African citizens. Born in Zimbabwe after her mother had married a Zimbabwean, Medisane never obtained a birth certificate. This became her biggest hurdle, as she could not apply for an ID document without it.

She moved at a very early age to South Africa with her parents, where she attended school and loved it. Although she excelled at her studies, she was teased by her teachers. “They used to ask me why I was here, as I know I will not be able to write my matric without an ID document.”
The year before matric, Home Affairs came to the school to assist the learners in obtaining their documentation. But they could not assist Medisane and told her to go to the department’s offices to sort things out. This was the start of her and her mother’s quest to obtain documentation.
Medisane later got married, but she also could not register her children due to her being undocumented. They also refused to allow the father, who is a South African citizen, to apply for their birth certificates. This would mean a third generation of stateless Medisane women. She said her fears for her daughters grew even bigger when they encountered difficulties enrolling in school.

Countless visits to Home Affairs over the years, even after DNA testing proving their South African link, proved fruitless for Medisane and her mother. Lawyers for Human Rights, who also assisted her in her court application, managed to, via the Children’s Court, obtain birth certificates for them. Her mother, after she was already terminally ill, obtained her legal status in 2023 when she at last obtained verification from the Zimbabwean authorities regarding her birth certificate.

But it took Medisane to turn to court, with the help of Lawyers for Human Rights, before she was heard. She was told to return to Zimbabwe to obtain a birth certificate, something she could not do as she had no papers, thus she could not travel. Meanwhile, she said she went through hell and back at the hands of Home Affairs.
She told the court how her grandmother, 80, who accompanied them as she is a South African national, was accused of being here illegally and labelled as a “border jumper.” Medisane said not only was she denied education and healthcare due to her situation, but her human dignity had been undermined.

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The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, this morning officially opened a state-of-the-art new office in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town. He was joined by Western Cape MEC Ricardo Mackenzie and Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town, Alderman Geordin Hill-Lewis.

For too long, the people of Mitchells Plain and Home Affairs staff were subjected to poor conditions at a small, dilapidated office. This came to an end today, as the Minister opened a spacious, modern new office that is not only nearly three times bigger than the old one with 250 seats instead of 50, but also includes upgraded technology like cameras installed directly at each counter that eliminates the need to queue to take photos.

Minister Schreiber said: “This new office serves as tangible proof to the people of Mitchells Plain that Home Affairs is delivering dignity for all. The vastly improved facilities and technology will transform their daily interactions with our services. We have brought Home Affairs closer than ever to the people of Mitchells Plain - and in the coming months, our plans to expand access to services through many more bank branches will take us closer still to delivering Home Affairs @ home.”

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The Department of Home Affairs has announced a new partnership with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and others that will greatly expand access to Smart ID and passport applications.
The partnership is specifically focused on the department’s digitalisation efforts and will help the DHA:
• Integrate with banking platforms to expand access to Smart ID and passport services to hundreds of bank branches as well as to banking apps;
• Create an option to select secure courier delivery of documents that eliminates the requirement to collect documents only at Home Affairs offices;
• Introduce Smart IDs for naturalised citizens and permanent residents.

Alongside SARS, the partnership includes the Border Management Authority (BMA) and Government Printing Works (GPW).
This will also enable the DHA and agencies to leverage SARS’ technology to improve immigration services.
This will see the launch of an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system to digitalise and automate immigration procedures to eliminate inefficiency and fraud.

It will also improve the Movement Control System (MCS) at all ports of entry to the country.
“The agreement marks a new era that will fundamentally reform and improve the way that government works in the Republic of South Africa,” which aims to deepen collaboration on digital platforms to enhance services and improve data sharing, said the DHA.
Signing of Multiparty Collaboration Agreement – Left to right: BMA Commissioner Dr Masiapato, SARS Commissioner Mr Edward Kieswetter, CEO of GPW Ms Alinah Fosi, DHA Director-General Mr Livhuwani Tommy Makhode. Photo: Supplied

Livhuwani Makhode, DHA Director-General said that this “exceptional and reliable relationship with SARS, which has been in existence since 2010, represents a right step in dealing with myriad challenges faced by Home Affairs”.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Schreiber said that “it is difficult to overstate the significance of what we have jointly achieved with today’s adoption of this historic agreement.”

“SARS is a world-class institution that must never be taken for granted, and I want to thank the Commissioner and his team for their visionary commitment to breaking down silos in the interests of South Africa”.
“Equally, I applaud the diligent and unwavering commitment of the Home Affairs, BMA and GPW teams in embracing the power of digital transformation,” added the minister.
Schreiber highlighted the mutual benefits of digital transformation, including enhanced fraud prevention, improved revenue collection, and streamlined immigration.

The second agreement was a multi-party memorandum of understanding involving the DHA, SARS, BMA, and GPW.
They said that this signifies a crucial step in creating a governance framework to enable, strengthen, and oversee the evolving strategic partnership between these signatories.
It was noted that SARS and the BMA have already been working towards greater alignment and closer collaboration, and this agreement will strategically and operationally integrate them further.

BMA Commissioner Dr Masiapato commended the existing collaboration between SARS and BMA, stating that “the multiparty agreement signed today will enhance the relationship that has already been in place with SARS”.
SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter said, “The agreements concluded today prove the success of a whole-of-government approach to tackling modern and sophisticated challenges that the government faces.”

“The opportunity to have a common platform dealing with a unique digital identity for individuals and entities will help the government to ensure that there is only one identity through which the individual interacts with government.”
“This unified platform will surely prevent double-dipping, such as when an individual receives a grant while they are in government employ. It will also build smart modern organisation that makes the movement of people seamlessly,” he added.

GPW CEO Alinah Fosi emphasised the agency’s role in digital verification, ensuring secure, high-quality digital IDs for seamless e-government access and hassle-free travel.
Work to implement these improvements is reportedly underway, with the Department of Home Affairs planning to announce their activation on an ongoing basis over the next twelve months and beyond.

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