Home Affairs grants visa extensions due to delays

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has announced a temporary extension for foreign nationals awaiting the outcomes of visa waiver requests, long-term visa applications and appeals.

The new directive, signed by Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber on March 28, grants eligible applicants an extension until September 30. It applies to:

• Foreign nationals with pending waiver applications.
• Applicants awaiting long-term visa decisions under sections 11(1)(b) to 22 of the Immigration Act.
• Individuals appealing rejected long-term visa applications.

To qualify, applicants must have lawfully entered South Africa and submitted their applications via VFS Global with verifiable receipts linked to the VFS tracking system.

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