28/09/2025
THIS FOR ZEP HOLDERS:
Immigration Directive No. 22 of 2025: Extension of Temporary Concession for foreign nationals due to processing delays of waiver and appeals applications
Downloa d Document: Immigration Directive No 22 of 2025: Extension of Temporary Concession for foreign nationals due to processing delays of waiver and appeals applications (PDF)
The Department of Home Affairs (the “Department”) has, since issuing Immigration Directive No. 4 of 2025, eradicated the backlog in its visa and permit regime. However, waiver and appeal applications remain in backlog and will not be finalised prior to the deadline of 30 September 2025 as per the current concession.
The following temporary measures will therefore apply with immediate effect:
1) APPLICANTS WHOSE WAIVER APPLICATION OUTCOMES ARE STILL PENDING
Visa holders, who have applied for a waiver and whose waiver application is still pending as of the date of signature of this Directive, are granted a further temporary extension until 31 March 2026, to enable the Department to process the applications, as well as to allow applicants to collect their outcomes and submit applications for the appropriate visas.
A visa holder who needs to travel but is awaiting the outcome of a waiver application should be allowed to depart and re-enter the Republic at a port of entry up to and including 31 March 2026, without being declared undesirable as contemplated in section 30(1)(h) of the Immigration Act, read with regulation 27(3) of the Regulations.
However, non-visa-exempt applicants who travel out of the country with a waiver application receipt are required to apply for a port-of-entry visa, which would allow them re-entry into the Republic.
2) APPLICANTS WHOSE VISA OR PERMANENT RESIDENCE APPEAL APPLICATIONS ARE STILL PENDING
Visa holders who have appealed a negative decision on an application for a long-term visa as contemplated in terms of section 11(1)(b) up to and including sections 20 and 22 of the Immigration Act or who have appealed a negative decision on a permanent residence application, are granted a temporary extension of their current visa status until 31 March 2026.
Applicants are not allowed to engage in any activity other than what the visa conditions provide for.
Appeal applicants who need to travel but are awaiting the outcome of an appeal application for a long-term visa or a permanent residence permit, should be allowed to depart from the Republic and re-enter up to and including 31 March 2026, without being declared undesirable as contemplated in section 30(1)(h) of the Immigration Act, read with regulation 27(3) of the Regulations.
All appeal applicants are required to produce a copy of the rejection letter, together with a receipt and/or confirmation indicating that such a person has submitted an appeal application, on departure from and re-entry into the Republic. Non-visa-exempt appeal applicants who travel out of the country with an appeal application receipt and/or confirmation are required to apply for a port-of-entry visa, which would allow them re-entry into the Republic.
The above temporary measures will apply only to those foreigners who have been legally admitted into the Republic. This concession is also only applicable to applicants who have submitted an application via VFS Global and who can produce a verifiable receipt for such application against the VFS Global tracking system.
Any other person from the categories not listed in this Directive who might not have received his/her outcome and the application was made before 07 March 2024 and remains pending is advised to urgently inquire with the Home Affairs Contact Centre at email address: [email protected] or alternatively call: 0800 601 190.
