In 2014 the Department of Home Affairs introduced various amendments of immigration laws but some experts say it did more harm than good.
The new requirements have caused confusion and frustration for many families and the business sector alike.
Immigration Specialist at Xpatweb Marisa Jacobs says visa applications that are done in South Africa take an average of four to eight weeks to be processed:
“There are very few embassies that have these very long processing time. A normal application would not take a long extended time and when it does, I would suggest the applicant engages with the embassy or the VFS centre to ask what the delay is and see if there is anything they can do.”
Jacobs says when applicants submit their applications they must make sure they have all the required documents and that they are up to date.
“When you are submitting abroad, the embassies will often ask for documentation. It’s a matter of not only checking the normal statutory requirements but also checking with the embassy if they have specific requirements that they have in addition and making sure you tick all those boxes when you submit.”
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