Schreiber waives 60-day visa filing rule — too little, too late

Minister Leon Schreiber has granted a blanket waiver to South Africa's 60-day visa filing rule via Immigration Directive 13 of 2026, but the late implementation leaves thousands facing administrative harm. Claudia Pizzocri provides analysis on the consequences of this rule and the minister's decision. The 60-day requirement, established since 2014, was abandoned by Schreiber in favor of greater efficiency in visa processing.

The human impact has been extensive, with visa applications taking over a year to process and being denied based solely on the missed deadline. This has left foreign professionals, students, and families in a predicament, resulting in frozen bank accounts, lost employment, and separation. While Directive 13 acknowledges the issue, it has come too late and highlights the department's failure to consider the predictable consequences of the rigid rule.