The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has had a backlog of Waiver and Appeal applications for some time. Despite managing to clear the visa backlog that started during the Covid-19 pandemic it has become apparent recently that they now have a backlog with regards to visa applications as well. How this has managed to happen so soon after the Covid 19 backlog was cleared is hard to fathom.
DHA have been issuing directives that provide concessions to waiver and appeal applicants allowing them to exit and enter South Africa while their applications are stuck in the backlog. The previous directive expired on 31 March 2026. This directive has now effectively been extended, but applicants that have submitted visa applications have also been granted a similar concession.
DHA have issued Directive No. 7 of 2026 which is of particular application to the following:
Applicants whose waiver application is still pending as at the date of this Directive, are granted a further temporary extension until 30 June 2027, to enable the Department to process the applications, as well as to allow for applicants to collect their outcomes and submit applications for the appropriate visas.
The waiver applicant 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 30 June 2027 without being declared undesirable.
Long-term visa applicants 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 are granted a temporary extension of their current visa status until 30 June 2027. Applicants are not allowed to engage in any activity other than what the visa conditions provide for.
Long-term visa applicants who have appealed a negative decision on an application for a long- term visa who need to travel but are awaiting the outcome of an appeal application for a long- term visa, should be allowed to depart from the Republic and re-enter up to and including 30 June 2027, without being declared undesirable.
All visa 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.
It is important to note that Applicants with pending appeal applications relating to a rejection of an application for the renewal of a visitor’s visa submitted in terms of section 11(1)(a) of the Immigration Act, where such appeal has been pending for longer than 3 (three) months, are excluded from this concession. Such applicants are required to depart the Republic at a port of entry on or before 30 April 2026 and will not be declared undesirable in terms of section 30(1)(h) of the Immigration Act, read with regulation 27(3) of the Immigration Regulations. The outcome of the appeal will be communicated to the applicant via the online portal through which the application is tracked.
Visa holders who have applied for long-term visas in terms of sections 11(1)(b) to 20, including section 22, of the Immigration Act, who are still awaiting the outcome of their applications as at the date of signature of this Directive, are granted a further temporary extension of their current visa status until 30 June 2027. Applicants are not allowed to engage in any activity other than what the current visa conditions provide for.
Visa holders who need to travel, but are still awaiting the outcome of their long-term visa application, will be allowed to depart from and re-enter the Republic at a port of entry up to and including 30 June 2027 without being declared undesirable in terms of section 30(1)(h) of the Immigration Act, read with regulation 27(3) of the Immigration Regulations. However, applicants from countries that are not visa exempt and who wish to depart from the Republic with a long-term visa application receipt, are required to apply for a port of entry visa before returning to the Republic in order to facilitate their re-entry into the Republic at a port of entry.
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.
