South Africa Immigration »

Immigrating to South Africa can be an exciting experience, and it is an adventure that more and more foreigners are undertaking. Whether it is a permanent move for retirement, to start your own business, to take up a new employment challenge or to find the ideal holiday home, it is important that you obtain the correct permit to remain in South Africa.

Your move to South Africa should be an enjoyable time when you concentrate on settling in to your new life, adapting to new routines and making new friends. The last thing that you want to be doing is worrying whether your permit application is correct or being handled properly.

South Africa has a comprehensive and complex approach to immigration. It is an approach that has been refined considerably recently; a proper and workable understanding of it requires special assistance as the implications for the permits depend entirely on the occupation / intention of the applicant.

Broadly speaking, there are three types of permits, with a number of sub-categories, which may be applicable for people considering immigration:

A. Visitor's Permit - for 3 months
B. Temporary Residence Permit - up to 3 years
	- Studies and Internships - Business People (self-employed) and Investors - Employees - Pensioners and Senior Citizens - Spouses or Life Partners
C. Permanent Residence Permit
	- Business People (self-employed), Investors - Employees - Pensioners and Senior Citizens - Spouses and Life Partners - Family Members - Financially Independent Applicants - Applicant with Asylum Status