Work Permit

 

A South African Work Permit allows a foreign national to immigrate to South Africa on a temporary basis in order to undertake an offer of employment.

 

Migrating to South Africa can be achieved in a number of ways both on a temporary and permanent basis.  Depending on the purpose of your visit and duration of your stay, you may require a short-term visit visa, a longer-term work /study visa or a permanent residence permit allowing you to permanently migrate to South Africa. 

If you already have a job offer in place and you wish to live and work in South Africa for an agreed period, you can apply for a South African Work Permit. 

 

South African Work Permit is a temporary residence visa. This type of employment visa is issued to foreign nationals who intend to live and work in South Africa for an agreed period. However, whilst these temporary visa services are not specifically intended as routes to permanent resident status in South Africa, they can, with the exception of the Intra Company Transfer, be extended beyond their initial grant.

 

A South African Work Permit is initially awarded for periods of up to one year. However, it can be extended beyond this if the position of employment persists providing that an extension is applied for in good time.

 

Work permits in South Africa are issued on different grounds: It can be a general work permit, or granted along the quota system or on the grounds of exceptional ability. The Intra Company Transfer allows employees to transfer between South African and foreign branches or subsidiaries of a company to engage in a specific temporary position. 

 

General South African Work Permit: In order to be eligible for a general South African work permit, an applicant simply needs to have a job offer from an employer. The process of applying is an employer-led one. In addition to the offered position of employment, the prospective employer must demonstrate that the position has been unsuccessfully advertised in the home market and that no indigenous South African citizen or permanent resident could be found to fill the position.  

 

In South Africa, visa applications in this category must demonstrate that:

- An advertisement has featured in the print media. 

- Domestic applicants did apply, but were found to be unsuitable. 

- The salary is consistent with current remuneration for South African citizens or permanent residents. 

 

South African Work Permit through the Quota System: The Quota System allows candidates whose skills lie in one of several professions deemed to be in short supply to apply for temporary residence in South Africa without the need for a job offer to be in place before an application can be made.

 

When Quota working permits can be a popular option as the waiver on the job requirement means that employers do not need to advertise before bringing a foreign national to work for them. However, this visa service carries its own requirement and applications must demonstrate that the applicant has the necessary skills along with five years of relevant experience. Importantly, successful candidates must be able to give confirmation within three months (90 days) of issue that employment has been secured.

 

Foreign nationals seeking work in South Africa are allowed to enter the country based upon exceptional skill. In these circumstances, verification by a reputable body is essential and applications must be accompanied by details of the exceptional ability from a South African governmental body or foreign equivalent or an academic or business organisation. 

 

To support the claim of extraordinary ability, documentary evidence can be also provided. Each case will be assessed upon its own merits and the Department of Home Affairs must be satisfied that the claimed ability is consistent with this route.

 

A South African Work Permit does not allow a person to permanently stay in the country. However, during the person’s stay in South Africa, his/her spouse, immediate family members and dependent members are allowed to immigrate to the country. However, the dependents will not be permitted to undertake employment unless they secure their own permit for work.