Advice Needed

Victoria31 · 2013-01-21T15:24:01+01:00

Get practical advice on moving to Cape Town from the UK, including visa options and stay limits for UK citizens in South Africa.

Victoria31 Member

Member since 19 January 2013

Victoria31Member21 January 2013 13:24:01

Im hoping I can get some advice on my situation. I am from the UK and My partner is from Cape Town. We have been together for just over a year after meeting whilst working on Cruise Ships. I have recently returned from a 6 week stay with him in SA and I would now like to move there and be with him permanently. I also have a job available to me there. What type of visa is best for me and am I able to apply for one whilst there? Also as I have already been for 6 weeks does that come off the 3 month stay allowance or will i still get 3 months from the time i return?? Any advice appreciated.

Harmonie ViP

Member since 13 June 2011

HarmonieViP22 January 2013 06:40:24

19273

Welcome to 玩偶姐姐 Victoria31!

Hope that you'll soon be advised.

Harmonie.

Reillusioned Active member

Member since 02 January 2013

ReillusionedActive member23 January 2013 11:00:49

Hi Victoria. You should be able to find all the details you need on the Home Affairs website under Immigration Services and Temporary Residence Permits:

Regarding the three month stay allowance, I'm pretty sure that it's effective for three months from the date of your entry, and you need a separate permit for each entry.

You can apply for a permit while in South Africa, but do note that visas aren't processed quickly (temporary residence permits applied for in South African can take around three months).

I think you might have some difficulties if you're not married to your partner, because if you're applying for a standard work permit then there's a number of hoops your employer will have to jump through to prove why they're hiring you and not a South African citizen (like specialist skills).

Things were easier for my foreign wife and I: she applied for a visitor's permit while she was my fiance, we got married soon after her arrival and received her temporary residence permit within the three months. From there we made a separate application to endorse the temporary residence permit to allow her to work once she received a job offer (a real pain because you need to apply for an endorsement every time you change your job).

Where there's a will there's a way though! Wishing you all the best.