South Africa Visa Concession Extended to 30 June 2027 for Pending Applicants
Home Affairs has pushed its visa concession out to 30 June 2027. It keeps pending applicants lawful, but it hands nobody a new right. The post South Africa Visa Concession Extended to 30 June 2027 for Pending Applicants appeared first on The Rio Times .
The South Africa visa concession has been extended once more, this time until 30 June 2027. This extension applies to foreigners who are still awaiting a decision from the Department of Home Affairs on their long-term visa applications, waiver applications, or appeals. The extension began on 1 April 2026 and was signed by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber on 30 March 2026 in Immigration Directive 7 of 2026.
The extension covers long-term visas, waiver applications, and appeals, including study, treaty, business, crew, medical treatment, relative, work, and retired person visas. Section 22 of the Immigration Act, which covers exchange visas, is also included in the extension. However, corporate visas, which are listed at section 21, are not explicitly mentioned in the directive.
The extension does not allow applicants to perform activities beyond what their current visa conditions already permit. Only pending visa and appeal applicants are affected, and they must not do anything beyond their existing visa conditions. The concession does not upgrade visa status, and applicants must leave South Africa and return without being declared undesirable until 30 June 2027.
Non-exempt countries' travelers need a port of entry visa before returning. Appeal applicants must produce the rejection letter and the appeal submission receipt when they leave and come back. The concession is not new, as it has been granted in 2022 and extended in six-month steps previously.
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