BREAKING NEWS: THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS HAVE RELEASED THEIR NEW IMMIGRATION DIRECTIVE

The South African Department of Home Affairs have just issued Immigration Directive No. 5 of 2023. The goal of this Directive is to reduce the burden on people applying for South African visas regarding documents that must be provided when applying for temporary or permanent residence.

Radiological Reports

In essence, the DHA have abolished the requirement of a radiological report for everybody. This still means you are required to provide a medical report, while not needing a radiological report will greatly reduce the effort required when applying for your visa. 14 APRIL 2023 UPDATE: Immigration Directive No. 5 will also include the removal of medical reports, meaning new visa applications will not require a medical or radiological report.

This also means that there is a lower chance of rejection: many rejections we have seen from the DHA have involved the documents required, especially the medical and radiological report.

Police Clearance

Following this directive, you only need to provide police clearance certificates for countries that you have stayed in for, or more than, 12 consecutive months in the last five years before application. This is a welcome change from the past system, which required police clearances from countries you have stayed in since you were 18 years old.

This change will lead to a lot of cost saving, and less burden for applicants. It will speed up the application and preparation process.

Operation Vulindlela

This change is the result of a recommendation given by Operation Vulindlela, which comes straight from the Office of the President. Giving credit where credit is due, the Department of Home Affairs have implemented this change really fast. The directive is clearly worded and is a welcome change to South Africa’s immigration system.

Conclusion

This change will only positively affect South Africa’s immigration system. With fewer document requirements and complications, the processing of visas can be done much more effectively by the Department of Home Affairs.

We are glad this change has been made and look forward to more positive news from the DHA in the coming weeks and months.

We always monitor the parliamentary hearings and committees to ensure we bring you the latest in immigration updates. You can find more information on the DHA and South Africa in general across our website and blog.