Centralized adjudication of visa applications withdrawn

IMPACT – MEDIUM

The South African government has withdrawn its policy requiring long-term temporary residence visa applications to be adjudicated centrally.

Key Points:

• As of Sept. 1, South African consular posts abroad can adjudicate long-term temporary residence permits. Prior to Sept. 1, consular posts were required to send the applications to the main office in South Africa to be processed.
• The decision to withdraw the centralization requirement was made because of increased processing times, the South African government stated.

BAL Analysis: Since South African authorities introduced the centralized adjudication requirement in January 2022, processing times have significantly increased. Visa processing times for long-term temporary residence permits in South Africa are expected to improve now the consular posts will once again be permitted to adjudicate applications.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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