• SA Visa 

Life Partner Visa

Life Partner visa is issued to someone in a long term relationship.

This type of South Africa life partner visa is available to people in either heterosexual or same-sex relationships and can apply for a life partner temporary residence visa or a permanent residence depending on the length of the relationship in question.

An application for temporary residence life partner visa requires that the partners are in a proven relationship for 2 years. Foreigners who are life partners of South African citizens or permanent resident holders may apply for permanent residence if they have been together for 5 years or more in terms the Immigration Act.

To obtain permanent residence, you would have to have been living with your partner for more than 5 years. This came about with the new regulations.

The life partner visa is very similar to the spousal visa but accommodates same sex partnerships. You will have to prove financial and emotional support and may be called upon to be interviewed by the department.

SA Migration Intl will guide you through the entire process and make sure that your application is fully compliant with the immigration law to ensure a successful outcome. Once your application has been submitted we ensure you will be able to track the progress of said application either directly via VFS or via our followup processes via our application tracking system and be kept fully up to date with the progress of your application.

Once we confirm that you will qualify for the visa we will ensure you have a successful application.

To foil foreigners, govt wants to ‘reregister’ every SA child when they turn five

Business Insider SA

 Jan 03, 2021

• Foreigners buy the birth certificates of dead SA children to gain South African citizenship, the department of home affairs says.
• To prevent that, it is considering "reregistration" of children at age five, and capturing fingerprints and photos of the iris then.
• It may also want photos of the ears of babies.
• Allowing South Africans to apply for a full ID at age 10 will reduce the risk of matriculants trying to write exams without a smart ID, the DHA says.

When they turn five years old, South African children should be "reregistered" with the government, with a comprehensive set of biometric data captured, the department of home affairs (DHA) has recommended.

That, it says, is the way to stop foreigners stealing the identities of dead children.

The department on Thursday gazetted its draft Identity Management Policy, laying out its thinking on how to update South Africa's system of identification, under legislation now 20 years old.

It has proposed a system of random ID numbers, or at least replacing one digit with an "X" to make provision for people who do not fall into the male/female binary.

South Africa's system of registering people is fundamentally flawed, the department says, and that will require changes to how children are registered.

"Any child can lay claim to the identity of another child and such instances have been recorded. For instance, there is a practice, especially in borderline communities, where birth certificates of deceased children are sold to foreign nationals. This happens when the death of a child is not reported to the DHA."

The plan is to capture biometric data at birth, to prevent such instances, and the DHA has called for "stronger cooperation" between it and the department of health in that regard.

"However, not all biometric traits captured from children shortly after birth can be used to verify their identities later in life."

It is considering photographing the ears of children to help, but also wants to capture biometrics again during childhood.

"Children must be reregistered when they reach age five with ten fingerprints and iris and facial photographs," the DHA says.

It then recommends that the legal age for applications for an ID be dropped from 16 to the age of 10. 

This, and the capture of biometric data at that point, will "curb identity theft", the department says. It will also "mitigate a risk of having matriculants who write matric examinations without smart ID cards.".

www.samigration.com

South African Spousal Visa

This type of South Africa Spouse or life partner permit is available to people in either heterosexual or same-sex relationships and can be applied for as either a spouse temporary residence permit or a permanent residence permit depending on the length of the marriage or relationship in question.

Foreigners who are spouses of South African citizensor permanent resident holders may apply for permanent residence. To obtain permanent residence, you would have to have been with your partner for more than 5 years.

Being one of the most progressive countries in the world in recognizing same-sex couples and affording them equal rights to that of heterosexual unions South Africa grants spousal permits to life partners in both same-sex and heterosexual relationships.

• The spousal permit is classified under the relative’s visa category and is renewable.
• The spousal visa is issued for a period of 36 months at a time. An added factor is the expiry date of the passport , ie the visa cannot be longer than expiry date of passport.
• It is a temporary residency visa and is only issued to foreign nationals who can prove a committed relationship with a South African citizen or person holding permanent residency.
• The couple must be able to prove a relationship longer than two years

If you would like to study or work while in the Republic you may do so but you would have to apply for working rights to be added to your visa. Persons on a spousal permit may also only apply to have either study, or business or working rights added to their visa, but not all three. This means that if you added a working rights endorsement to your visa you may only work for an employer.

www.samigration.com

South African Permanent Residence

South Africa encourages permanent residency if you are serious about staying in South Africa on a long terms permanent basis there are many categories you can apply under.

• Hold a General Work Visa for five years and have a permanent job offer.
• Hold a Relative’s Visa sponsored by an immediate family member.
• Hold a Critical Skills Visa and have 5 years relevant work experience.
• Be in a proven life partner relationship for five years
• Be married to an SA Spouse for at least five years.
• Have held Refugee Asylum Status for five years.
• Hold a Business Visa.
• Receive a monthly income of R37,000 through Pension or Retirement Annuity
• Have a net asset worth of R12m and payment to Home Affairs of R120,000

www.samigration.com

Critical Skills Work Visa

The Critical Skills Visa South Africa is for skilled workers whose occupation is on the Critical Skills Visa List for South Africa. This list reflects the occupations that are in demand in South Africa.

The newly published "Skills or qualifications determined to be critical for the Republic of South Africa in relation to an application for a Critical Skills Visa or Permanent Residence Visa"

This category of work visa may be issued to an applicant who falls within a specific professional category or specific occupational class determined by the Minister by notice in the Government Gazette. This is done after consultation with the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Trade and Industry.

If an applicant falls within one of the professional categories listed on the critical skills list and also has the appropriate post qualification working experience in that profession then such applicant may qualify to apply for this category of work Visa.

The applicant also needs to where applicable register with the relevant South African professional accreditation body regulating that industry as stipulated by Minister of Home Affairs. Such body must also confirm the applicant’s skills, qualifications and working experience.

Furthermore, such applicant’s qualifications need to be evaluated relevant to a South African level. An applicant for a Critical Skills Visa may enter South Africa on such visa without having secured a job offer first. It is, however, required of the applicant to confirm employment with the Department of Home Affairs within a period of one (1) year upon arrival in South Africa, failing which, the Visa would automatically lapse.

The Critical Skills Work Visa is tied to an individual and not to an employer so under this Visa a person can leave from one employer to the next without obtaining a new work Visa.