Life Partner Visas for South Africa - How long does the process take ?

Hi Shona,

I was in a very similar situation to you a couple of years ago. I moved to Cape Town from London to live with my South African boyfriend and went through the whole Life Partner Visa process.

In my case, I arrived in South Africa on a tourist visa and then applied for my life partner visa. At that time it took 8 months to process, things may have improved with Home Affairs now, but you can never be sure. I have heard that applying for your permit through the South African embassy in London speeds things up as well - so maybe give that a shot. 

I would say the earlier you can apply the better. There are a lot of documents that you need to have so collecting those takes a while as well. Obviously you'll have to wait for your boyfriend to have his SA ID and Passport in place beforeyou can get the ball rolling with yours. 

You are allowed to work on a life partner visa. However, it is only a work endorsement not a work permit therefore the endorsement only allows you to work at a particular place. If you decide to change your job at a later stage you need to go back to Home Affairs and have them amend the paperwork. 

If you decide to apply before arriving Cape Town you can move here on the Life Partner Visa and then have the work endorsement added once you've had the chance to find yourself a job.

Hope this information helps and do let me know if you have anymore questions because I am happy to help.

Good luck.

Shantalie

Hi Shantalie.

Thank you so much for your long reply! I learned a lot from it.

It's very interesting to hear that you were in my shoes not too long ago! My partner has applied for his passport and I.D book, but have been told that this may also take quite a long time.

I think I will apply for my Life Partner Visa in the UK. Will there be any chance I won't be granted the visa? If I am granted it, is it as simple as I fly out there, and start looking for a job, and then once I get one - apply for the work endorsment? Will any companies be unsure about hiring someone who technically isn't able to work in the country yet?

I plan on working with children in Cape Town, so does the work endorsement mean that I can only work within child care itself, or that I can only work within one specific company/buisness? So if I work in a Nursery, I can only work in that one Nursery and if I wanted to change Nurseries I'd need to go through more paper work to notify them on the change of work place or would I have to be granted a work endorsment all over again? Basically meaning I can't change jobs? Sorry if these questions seem a bit confusing.


If you don't mind me asking - what has your experience of Cape Town been so far? Have your views of Cape Town changed now that you live there, and not seeing it through "rose tinted glasses" anymore?

Shona

Hi Shona,

First, with regards to the visa - yes you can fly striaght over and look for a job or you can start looking online from the UK - the BizCommunity portal and the News24 job site are pretty good.  I tried applying for jobs and lined up a few interviews before I got here, but employers do often want to interview you asap.

If you have all the correct documentation then you shouldn't have any problem or have your application rejected by Home Affairs.

The endorsement on your visa does limit you to a single employer and doesn't allow you to move jobs. If you find a different job then you have to go to Home Affairs and ask them to change the endorsement (however, many employers do let you start working as long as the endorsement has been applied for.) I have changed jobs a number of times and yest it can be a lot of hassle, but it is possible and worth it to find a job you are happy with.

My views on Cape Town have certainly changed since I moved here. When I spent time here as a tourist I only the positive side of life. I still love Cape Town and the lifestyle here - there is so much natural beauty and its great to be outdoors exploring this great country. There are also lots of festivals and events taking place which are good for keeping you entertained.

However, there are downsides to life in Cape Town as well. Transport is a bit of an issue. I came from London where I was used to getting about everywhere by bus and tube. In Cape Town you really need to drive to get about easily, Depending on where you choose to live there is a new MiCity bus being set up which should help. I also had to get used to how things here take much longer than in the UK - for instance setting up my bank account was quite a tough experience as there was a lot of bureacracy to go through. Then I would say that wages are low in comparison to the UK and certain goods like electronics and clothing are way more expensive, which means you have lower disposable income. However, I found by making a few lifestyle adjustments such as doing more outdoor activities instead of spending my time shopping and in bars and clubs, I have been able to settle in just fine.

If you want an overview of expat life in Cape Town take a look at the Expat Arrivals Cape Town City Guide. It should help you get a feel for the place. You might also find it useful to take a look at some Expat Experiences of South Africa and learn from the experiences of other foreigners her.

Again, do let me know if you have any more questions regarding life in Cape Town.

Cheers,

Shantalie

Hi girls! Just a quick question when you came from London to SA did you have a return ticket? I am also in the process of this!

Hi Anonymous,

Yes if you are coming into South Africa on a tourist visa you need a return ticket or another flight out of the country within 90 days of your arrival.

I booked a ticket with Emirates and for a fee of GBP 75 I was able to change the flight to a later date - once I had started the visa process in SA.

Good luck,

Shantalie

Hi Shantalie, I'm also in a similar situation and I would really like your advice since you've done that already, what did you do during the time between your tourist visa had expired and your partner visa had not yet been authorized? Anne

Hi Anne,

So you need to apply for your Life Partner (or any visa for that matter) 30 days before the tourist visa runs. As Home Affairs says that any visa should be processed within 30 days, technically this means there shouldn't really be a gap where you a left with no valid visa at all.

However, in reality this is not the case. There was about a 7 month gap where I didn't have a valid visa. This makes things really difficult in some respect because you can't work, open a bank account or do much. Also, you may experience problems when leaving the country or trying to re-enter. Home Affairs doesn't communicate well with immigration at the airport - so the immigration officers at the airport will just think you have overstayed.

The solution to this problem is to visit your nearest Home Affairs office, they can issue you with a Form 20, which indicates that you have sumbitted a visa application which is pending. They will however warn you that there is only a 50/50 chance that this will be accepted by the immigration officer so you might be issued with a fine when trying to leave the country (you can apply for a refund later - but that is probably also going to be a long drawn out process)

So other than that I am afraid you have to sit tight and wait. 

Hope this helps and do let me know if you have anymore questions..

Shantalie

Hi Anonymous,

Its really hard to give time frames on how long visas and endorsements take to process. I applied for my endorsement with my initial application, so I did in one go and it took 8 months first time around. When I changed jobs, they took 3 weeks to process the endorsement. 

But I here varying stories, so it really is a waiting game. Some employers are willing to employ a person as long as they have proof that they have made the application and are simply waiting for it to be processed, so it is definatley worth speaking to your employer.

Good luck,

Shantalie

Hi there. What a useful forum. I'm also in a similar situation, but been living in Durban for the past 3 years with my boyfriend on my student visa. This has expired and I'm now on my visitors visa as I have been looking for employment. I was not aware of the 30 day rule and my visitors visa is about to expire soon. I have got a job offer and was wondering if when applying for life partner permit, does one have to submit all the requirements for the work permit as well in order to be allowed to work? ( Salary benchmarking, newspaper advert, prrof of short listed candidates etc)? And can one stay in the country once the application has been submitted even though my visa expires? Also, can one start working? Heard so many different things. Thanks!

Hi Anonymous,

The requirement for the work endorsement on a life partner permit for South Africa are not the same as for the regular work permit.

You do not need to submit a list of candidates, newspaper advert, etc. Basically, the way Home Affairs see it is that you are in South Africa to be with your boyfriend not primarily to work. You simply need an offer letter from the employer.

Remember that is you choose to change jobs you will need to reaplly for the endorsement. 

Technically, there was a ruling to say that if Home Affairs hadn't given you an outcome on your application within 30 days then you would be able to start work. However, you need to have your employer recognise this and most companies will not. The company I was working for when I first got here were very strict and wouldn't allow me to start work till the visa came through. I've heard of others that do though.

Also, you can't open a bank account without the paperwork (but you probably already have a SA bank account, so this should not be too much of an issue.)

You are able to stay in the country once you have submitted the papers. You will be given a receipt to prove that you have a visa application in process. Just be sure to submit everything 30 days before the old permit is due to expire.

Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions.

Shantalie

Hi everyone, I have recently applied for a LLP visa in Cape Town and you have to be very patient with this. I arrived just over a month ago and applied a few days later. At the moment I am still waiting for a message to inform me my application is getting processed. So for now it is still sitting somewhere. Yes they say 30 days but don't expect that. My advice is to apply at the embassy in london. I originally did this however a form (affidavit) that was given to me by Home affairs here in Cape Town was not accepted in London. I was very frustrated with this because I know the turn around time is much quicker in London. This left me no choice then to apply here in Cape Town as my partner had already gone to Cape Town and you need to sign this form together. Just go to the embassy and ask them exactly what you need and ones you go in to apply bring everything possible that can proof your relationship, years together, etc. Rather bring too much than too little. They are harsh there I was sitting next to people who been there for the 8th time because everytime something is wrong. But once it is in it will be much quicker there as they do it internally. I have applied for a work endorsement right away, however now the company doesn't want to wait so I have another job offer but not sure how to change this and i doubt they will dig up my application to change a few papers so not much i can do at the moment. However I can tell you CT is amazing, yes I get frustrated I cant work atm but I just have to accept that. Don't know about companies that will hire you without visa, i guess it is a risk form them. I have applied for a few jobs but don't often get a reply. So in the mean time I try to make the most of being here, there are loads of people new here in Cape Town and u just have to go out there and find them and enjoy your free time whilst u can! Good luck to all and let me know if you need more info. Daphne

this forum is very informative,please i iwll like to know which is better for me is it a life partner or a study permit,i have already applied for a life partner and is out before i got my admission in joburg but i have not put it on my passport yet,i am skeptical about the best option for me if to use the llp and get study endorsement or get study permit

Hi Anonymous,

The type of visa you go for will depend on your primary reason for being in South Africa. A Life Partner Visa will let you reside in South Africa with your partner who must be a South African citizen and on top of that it allows you to get an endorsement to work in the country or start a business (NB it is not a work permit as such, each time you change your job you need to return to Home Affairs to change the endorsement.)

A study permit on the other hand is solely based on you being enrolled in a course at a South African educational establishment. Remember this visa will only allow you to work for up to 20 hours a week.

One thing to note is that Home Affairs will not allow you to submit a application if you already have one in process. So if your Life Partner visa is already pending you must wait for the outcome before applying for a study permit to replace it.

For more information I suggest reading the Expat Arrivals page on Visas for South Africa.

Hope this helps.

Shantalie

Can anyone tell me how long it takes for a relatives visa to be granted from the UK end?

Hi Anonymous,

Unfortunately, I can't give you an exact time frame when it comes to visa processing for South Africa. However, I am told it is much faster applying from your home country than from within South Africa.

Usually the authorities quote 4-6 weeks but it could take longer depending on the application its self. 

Kind Regards,

Shantalie

Ive just received my Relatives permit in the UK , it took two week to process. The problem I have now is I have just received an offer of employment from a company and London will not endorse my permit. They say I will have to get it done in SA. Nowhere has anyone mentioned how to apply for the work endorsement. Is it using the BI-1740 form?

Hi Anonymous,

I am not 100% sure how the system works in London. Things have changed a bit since I applied for my permit back in 2010.

However, if you get the job offer after applying for your visa then I am afraid you do need to return to Home Affairs to get your work endorsement. The fact that you already have your Life Partner visa should help speed things up, but as always with Home Affairs its hard to give you an exact time frame.

If you visit Home Affairs, they should give you a list of what documents you will need for the work endorsement. As this list changes on a regular basis its best to check with them directly.

Good luck,

Shantalie

Hi! I've been living in South Africa for over a year on a life partner permit visa, my boyfriend is south african. We received a lot of help from a site called lifepartnerpermit.co.za who specializes in foreigners who want to move to SA who are in a relationship. Sure they know a lot about spousal visas as well. A life partner permit visa is the way to go since it allows you to stay in the country and work as well. Tried to get a workpermit at first but it was such a mission and you almost have to be i SA to be able to get it right.

It took me just over a month to get my life partner permit visa, but we recieved a lot of useful help from the site lifepartnerpermit.co.za. My application was approved immediately. I read on forums that it can be difficult to understand what you need in your application and that if you get it wrong you have to add information which makes the process very very long. I did apply for my visa in South Africa so I don't know how it works if you want to apply for it abroad.

Hi Jane, You are very lucky that you already got your visa.Where about in SA are you staying? I'm Brazilian and I am staying in Durban and I applied for a spouse permit with work endorsement on the 10th of July and so far I haven't received an answer and don't even know where my forms are. Di you think the staff from the site lifepartnerpermit.co.za would be able to help me trace my application so it can be processed?And are their services expensive? Thank you, Ruth

Hi Ruth,

From my experience, if you've submitted your application and Home Affairs have accepted it, it is pretty much a waiting game from then on. There is nothing that an immigration consultant can do to push it through or track it faster than you can. You would need to check with the company themselves for their rates but I shopped around and found that most immigration companies will charge you at least R8,000 for their services. It won't be worth your while, as you've done most of the work yourself.

Technically, you should be able to track the progress online but it never worked for me. For months, I checked that site everyday and it always told me the visa application was 'PENDING'.

I went into Home Affairs myself and asked them to track it. They told me that my application had been sitting in Cape Town for 8 weeks even before it reached Pretoria, so that accounted for some of the delay. So maybe see if you can get some assistance from Home Affairs, yourself.

Hope this helps. Fingers crossed you get your permit soon.

Shantalie 

Hi guys. The tricky part is to find a Home Affairs office that works well. We live in Cape Town and went to Paarl where we handed in my application. Bellville in Cape Town is rubbish, you have to bribe people etc. It all comes down to what office you go to. lifepartnerpermit.co.za only charged us R 4000 for everything! Best money spent ever. We had to hand in our application ourselvs to get a paper with my tracking number. from then on we checked online and it only took us a months to recieve and answer and a sticker in my passport. So sorry to hear about your experience. I know that you can send you application to the guys from lifepartnerpermit.co.za and they hand it in for you at the successfull office in Paarl (about 30 min outside Cape Town). By law Home Affairs should be able to give you a response within 30 days when appling for a life partner permit, don't know what rules applies for spouse + work permits.

Hi Jane,

As Anonymous said above expats do have different experiences at different Home Affairs offices. 

For both my initial application and my renewal I went through the central Cape Town office in the CBD. The first time round I went through an immigration consultant and the application took 8 months to be processed. 2nd time round, I saved myself some money submitted the papers myself and I had approval in 3 weeks. I am not sure wether things have improved though, as I know there are expats who are still waiting months for renewals, etc.

In my experience, it is worth spending a few thousands on help from a firm, but choose the ones that are not pricey such as lifepartnerpermit.co.za, the only thing you really end up paying for is the notorial contract which is great to have anyway. And go through to Paarl, I have heard so many horrible stories of people who tried to go to Bellville in CT, there were people selling drugs and fake rolex watches outside the entrance. The Paarl office is small and you don't have to wait for hours like you sometimes have to do in CT. Don't think it's much effort to use a firm if you want help with the actual tracking of the application, but most firms do have great experience and connections within home affairs that might be helpful. help is always needed in situations like this.

Hi Shantalie and Jane, Ruth again here.I check my status online everyday and it says application dispatched to Pretoria.I went to the office here in Durban where I applied and they said the application was already sent to Pretoria.However Pretoria's Head Office haven't even acknowledged the receipt of my application,so I don't even have the "pending" status. I tried contacting their "costumer service" line and the last time which was 2 weeks ago I was supposed to be called back with info of where my application is.However I haven't received that call and whenever I phoned them they say they are still waiting to hear from the department. I am willing to pay R4000 if that's what it takes to get my visa.I contacted lifepartnerza in their website,but haven't received an email or phone call back from them.Do they have a number I can call or an email address I can send my case to? Shantalie I'm not in a position to sit and wait for 8 months.I forgot to mention it is a spouse visa with work endorsement and the company that I signed a contract with needed me to start working last week on the 22nd.That was stated in the contract attached to my supporting documents in my application. At this point I don`t know what else I can do,because certainly my company won`t wait 8 months for me to start working. Is there anything else I can do? I am afraid I will have to pay to see something done to my visa application. Kind Regards, Ruth

Hi Ruth,

When I was waiting for my initial Life Partner visa to be approved in 2010 the immigration consultant I was using produced a document that highlighted a court ruling that stated that if Home Affairs hadn't given someone a verdict on their application within 30 days as promised, then the applicant was allowed to start work after those 30 days had passed (so, they basically the court ruled it was a violation of a persons human rights to have them waiting for an indefinate period of time without an answer and not allowing them to start working). You will obviously need to do some research to see what the situation is now, 3 years on. 

However, it is totally up to the company whether they choose to uphold this ruling. The company I was hired by at the time said that they needed an official letter from Home Affairs (not the immigration consultant) specifically saying that this ruling was applicable in my case. Obviously, when I went back to Home Affairs and asked for this there was noone who could help.

I was phoning up Home Affairs every other day as well and experienced the same level of service.

I have admit that using a immigration consultant does offer some peace of mind in that you know you've paid someone to take care of your application. However, in my experience unless the consultant has a contact within Home Affairs that can speed up your application, they really can't do much more than you can.

Having sat at the Home Affairs on many occasions and having had lots of chat to the consultants while waiting in the queue, the only thing I've seen is that because they deal with multiple applications, they can jump the queue a bit. In my opinion, it wasn't worth paying R8,000 for . At the end of the day though its a personal decision.

Best of luck. 

Shantalie

Hi Shantalie, Thank you for the advice.I contacted an immigration practitioner and she is only charging me R650 once she gets Home Affairs to process my visa.I gave her power of attorney and she will deal straight with Home Affairs on my behalf.She seems to have had success with similar cases like mine.She said she will need a few days but will do all she can.If they can`t find my application she will then submit a copy of my application together with the receipt and she will try to push them to process my visa without looking for the original copy. Will update on the forum once I get my visa! Kind Regards, Ruth

Hi Ruth,

R650 is not a bad price to pay. Plus, it can't do any harm having another person also working on your application.

Fingers crossed everything works out soon.

Shantalie

Hi!! Is it possible to work in SOuth Africa with a spousal visa? Thanks in advance for your reply.

hi shantalie my problem is same as your. but I want to go visit my family but still I am waiting for my visa in south Africa. so how to I go and come back again here? thanks for answer.samita

Hi Samita,

You need to go to Home Affairs and ask them to give you a Form 20, which states that you have applied for your visa in good time but have not received an outcome.

You will then need to show this to an immigration official at the airport.

While some people have used this form successfully, there have also been instances where the form was not accepted at the airport and people were made to pay a fine. If this happens in your case, you can apply for a refund once your permit does come through.

Good luck,

Shantalie

Hi Carmen,

I hadn't lived with my boyfriend formerly, before moving to SA in 2010. They won't ask you to prove that you have. Although you will be asked for 3 letters from friends and family, verifying that the relationship is genuine.

You will however need to prove that you are moving to South Africa to live with him. So you will need to either provide a joint rental contract or a letter from him saying that you will be residing at his property.

Hope that clears things up. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Dear Shantalie, Thanks a lot for your answer. It did clear things up. If i have any other questions during the visa process, i will turn to you ;) best wishes, Carmen

Thank You for all the info guys. I was wondering how long the work endorsement on Spousal permits take at home affairs in south africa

Hi everyone. I met my south african boyfriend in London. Since then he moved back to SA, and now i would like to get a Life Partner visa to live there with him. But the problem is that we have never lived together before. Is there any chance that i can still get the visa? Thanks a lot, Carmen

Hi Shantalie You seem really knowledgable on the LPP, and all your comments have been really helpful. I notice you said that you changed employers and had to get another endorsement. Can I ask what sort of forms or documents were required to do this? I am already living in CT on a LPP which I applied for Australia before I came here (have now been here 3 months). I now have a job offer and can't get a simple answer from home affairs on what is actually required to get my endorsement. Any guidance you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :-)

Hi Anon,

When I changed jobs all I needed was a letter from the new employer offering me a position. There is no need for them to prove they could not employ an SA citizen, when you are on LPP. I also just needed to sign a form to say my other documents were handed in with my initial application.

However, the whole system had an overhaul on the 1st of the April and it is unclear how the requirements have changed. So I don't know for certain if the requirements will be the same as when I applied for the change of endorsement.

Sorry I can't give you anymore concrete information.

Good luck

Shantalie

That's really helpful, thanks for sharing :-)

hi there, Been waiting 3.5 years for my permanent visa now my temporary has expired in May. I re-applied 60 days in advance for a renewal temp visa and am still waiting 4 months later. My work are now threatening to terminate my contract as i'm now deemed and illegal overstayer or 'undesirable'. How do I get Home Office to perform their job; answer their phone, and just process basic applications? Very desperate.... Trina Luiz

Hi Shantalie Can I get a job on spouse visa at SA and what all the documents to be provided Maria

Hi Anonymous,

I really can't give you a realistic estimate on how long your permit will take to come through. Some take just 3 weeks other times people can be waiting 2 years with no information.

The visa process in South Africa has undergone some significant changes since April 2014 - and now VFS are in charge of processing visas. We are yet to see whether this will speed up or slow down the process. 

All you can do now is continue waiting and following up as you are doing.

Shantalie

Hey shantalie,i did applied my spousal permit since last year july after 1 month i received a sms for reference number after receiving a sms i go through to home affairs to check my application it's was pending i waited for couple weeks i went again to check they told me my application it's was in query i have to wait a letter from head office i waited again couples weeks i went to check again in december 2013 the letter it's was receiving at capetown office and then they gived me a letter and i was assist to no 1 of officer took me to inspectoral office with the latter and the letter was saying they have to come investigator according to what we did written to our application we stay together with my partner for 3years and they did came to investigated and interview us after that the immigration inspector did give us also a letter to approved the did investigated us we did sent the letter back to head office on 29th january 2014 head office received the letter on the 16th may 2014 so we still going to check still pending ...my question is how long does take to be approved to head office because i'm still waiting untill now is already 1year since i submitted my application.plz if u can help me.sorry for my english i speak french

Hi Shantalie, Thank you so much for all your answers you are giving to all of us us! I have read the comments and calm down a bit as i am waiting for my life partner visa for 8 months already! I have to fly back home for couple of weeks at the end of November but not sure if going to have my visa till then... What is more, me and my fiance can not get married until i have this visa! this is morally such an exhausting process. Kamila

Hi Shantalie, How are you doing? Thank you so much for your very informative posts! And thank you for taking the time to reply to our questions, very much appreciated! :) My boyfriend is south african (With ID and passport) and has been living in Mauritius for most of his life. He has recently gone to Cape Town to finish his studies and I really want to go join him to work there on a Life Partner Permit. The thing is that we have not lived together so we don't have proof of co-habitation and we don't have a joint account. Are these necessary to go forward with that permit?? If so, are there any other alternatives that can be taken? Please help me out if you can, as I am desperate to go join him. I have been to Cape Town, and I absolutely love that place! Thank so so much! :) Kind Regards, Jo-Ann

How is it under the new law? And once you obtain the visa abroad (which do need to do under the new law) how much time do you have to enter South Africa?