How to apply for a General Work Permit in South Africa 2022

Do you need a general work visa for South Africa?

Are you confused and don’t know where to start at all with the process?

Today we discuss the visa in-depth and give you the information you need to start the process.

We understand that you have many questions and we are going to do our best in trying to cover everything you need to know.

Before we begin, there are things you need to know about this work visa:

• It is the most difficult and laborious visa to apply for, compared to other South African visas.
• Your employer or human resources department will be involved throughout the process.
• It will take a while to complete 3rd party processes (Apply for this visa soonest)
• The Department of Labour is involved with this visa.

There is a new process for the Department of Labour Certificate for work permits.

Applying for a work permit South Africa can be a daunting process.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s move on to the vital parts of the visa that you need to know.

If you do not qualify for the visa, then these are alternative South Africa visa types you can explore or you can read about the different South Africa work visa types.

What is a General Work Permit in South Africa?

A general work visa is issued to a foreign national when there is no suitable South African citizen or permanent resident with a specific skill set or experience to take up the offer of employment.

The employer has to prove that the company has exhausted all avenues in first finding a suitable South African citizen or permanent resident by applying to the Department of Labour.

The work visa allows you to add dependents to your visa such as a spouse or children who are not of school-going age. Children who are of school-going age must apply for student visas.

You can apply for permanent residency once you have been on the visa for 5 continuous years. However, you would need to extend your general work visa for a further 5 years and then file for permanent residence shortly thereafter.

Who qualifies for a General Work Permit in South Africa?

To qualify for the visa, you need to have the following:

1. Secured employment in South Africa (job offer letter)
2. This can prove that the particular position (job) cannot be filled by a South African citizen or permanent residence holder.
3. No criminal record.

An important aspect that you need to bear in mind is that people who are currently on a visit visa in South Africa may not apply in South Africa for the visa.

You must apply in your country of permanent residence and then enter South Africa with the visa.

The only time you are allowed to apply in the country is if you are on a South African temporary residence visa. This is known as a change of status.

If you do not qualify for the general work visa, then alternatively you can find out if you qualify for these work visas:

• Corporate Visa
• Critical Skills Work Visa
• Intra-company transfer visa

Checklist for the General Work Permit in South Africa?

These are the VFS General Work Permit requirements in South Africa and abroad at a South African embassy, there might be extra requirements.

• Duly completed online form. No handwritten forms are accepted by the Department of Home Affairs.
• A valid passport is valid for more than 30 days after the intended date of departure from the country.
• Your application is submitted in person at one of the VFS centres across South Africa.
• Your application should be submitted no less than 60 days before the expiry of your visa and no later than 7 days if your current visa was issued for less than 30 days.
• If you are planning or have travelled through or transited through a yellow fever endemic area then a yellow fever vaccination certificate must be provided.
• Original police clearance certificate from your country of residence and every country you have lived in for more than 12 months since the age of 18. Your certificate should not be older than 6 months at the time of submission.
• Copy of the payment receipt
• A medical report not older than 6 months at the time of submission
• A radiological report not older than 6 months at the time of submission. Pregnant women and children under the age of 12 are exempt from this requirement.
• If adding your spouse as an accompanying dependent, then an official marriage certificate must be obtained from the country of the applicant.
• If married to a South African citizen or permanent resident, then a spousal affidavit is needed which proves cohabitation, shared financial responsibilities and setting out the particulars of children in the spousal relationship.
• If applicable a divorce decree.
• If applicable a court order granting full or specific parental responsibilities and rights.
• If applicable a death certificate in respect of the late spouse.
• Written consent from both parents and full parental responsibilities if applicable.
• If applicable proof of adoption.
• If applicable a legal separation order.
• An undertaking letter from your employer accepting responsibility for deportation costs for you and your entire family.
• An undertaking letter from your employer accepting responsibility to ensure that your passport is valid for the duration of your passport.
• A Department of Labour confirming that –

1. Your employer has exhausted all avenues in finding a suitable South African citizen or permanent residence holder.
2. You have the proven skills and experience for the position offered by your employer.
3. Your salary and benefits are not inferior to the average salary and benefits of citizens or employees occupying similar positions in the country.
4. A contract of employment explaining your conditions of employment which have been signed by both you and your employer. Your contract of employment must be in line with the labour standards of South Africa and is made conditional upon the general work visa being approved.

• All foreign qualifications must be assessed by SAQA and have a SAQA certificate (Any qualification which has been written in a foreign language must be translated into English by a sworn translator – Applicable to any document that has been written/issued in a foreign language)
• Full particulars of your employer including proof of registration of the business Commission on Intellectual Property and Companies (CIPC).
• A written undertaking from your employer that they will inform the Director-General should you no longer comply with the provisions of the act or conditions of the act.
• A written undertaking from your employer to inform the Director-General upon the employee no longer being employed by the company or if you have been employed in a different capacity or role.
• All copies of documents should be certified and should not be older than 3 months at the time of submission.
• Proof of payment for all expected fees.

How do you get a General Work Visa?

To apply for a general work visa you need the following in place:

1. Secured employment in South Africa.
2. Prove that no South African citizen/PR holder is suitable for the position.
3. Prove that you have the formal qualifications and experience for the position.
4. Have no criminal record against your name.

You are only allowed to apply in South Africa if you are on a temporary residence visa. This is known as a change of status and anyone who is on a visit visa cannot apply in South Africa.

A change of status means you need to submit your application at VFS in South Africa.

You need to submit proof of your current temporary residence visa along with your application for the GWP visa.

An example of this is changing from a student visa to a general work visa.

If you are on a visit visa:

Then you may not submit your application in South Africa. Your application will not be accepted by VFS or they will accept it and the Department of Home Affairs will reject your application.

You must apply in your country of residence or where you hold some sort of temporary residence visa. Once you are back home, you have to submit to a South African embassy.

How long does a general work permit take in South Africa?

In South Africa

The Department of Home Affairs during the pandemic has decided not to accept applications for any visa and when they started accepting applications, they received high volumes of applications.

To add to this they instructed SA embassies to send all their applications to head office for processing and this has even further affected the processing times.

Processing times in South Africa at the moment can take anything from 5 – 10 months to be processed. the Department of Home Affairs has advised South African embassies to start processing their visas and permits.

So how long does it take to get a general work visa in South Africa on average about 8 months and this needs to be discussed with your prospective employer.

You are not allowed to work whilst awaiting the outcome of your visa.

Abroad in your country of residence

When applying for a visa through the South African embassy, the processing times are generally quicker compared to South Africa.

The average waiting time is 90 working days and could be a bit longer depending on how busy the embassy is then.

How long is a General Visa?

The general work visa is issued for a maximum of 5 years at a time.

However, if you are awarded a 3-year contract then they will issue you a 3-year visa.

It is better to negotiate a 5-year contract with your employer as you can then apply for a 5-year visa.

You can apply for permanent residency when you have 5 continuous years on the works visa and once you apply for a renewal, then you can apply for a PR. 

Please be aware of people who are out to scam you. How to spot a fake work permit in South Africa is something you need to know about.

How much is the General Work Permit in South Africa?

There are various 3rd party costs which you will incur along the way:

• SAQA assessments
• Translation of foreign documents
• Payment of police clearances
• Fees for any issuance of documents you need

When you are ready to submit in South Africa some fees need to be paid:

• VFS FEE – R 1550.00
• Department of Home Affairs: R 1520.00

Abroad fees are more or less the same if you convert them to your local currency.

Renewal of General Work Permit South Africa

• Duly completed VFS online form. No handwritten forms are accepted by the Department of Home Affairs.
• A valid passport is valid for more than 30 days after the intended date of departure from the country.
• Your application is submitted in person at one of the VFS centres across South Africa.
• Your application should be submitted no less than 60 days before the expiry of your visa and no later than 7 days if your current visa was issued for less than 30 days.
• If you are planning or have travelled through or transited through a yellow fever endemic area then a yellow fever vaccination certificate must be provided.
• Original police clearance certificate from your country of residence and every country you have lived in for more than 12 months since the age of 18. Your certificate should not be older than 6 months at the time of submission.
• Copy of the VFS payment receipt
• A medical report not older than 6 months at the time of submission
• A radiological report not older than 6 months at the time of submission. Pregnant women and children under the age of 12 are exempt from this requirement.
• If adding your spouse as an accompanying dependent, then an official marriage certificate must be obtained from the country of the applicant.
• If married to a South African citizen/PR holder, then a spousal affidavit is needed which proves cohabitation, shared financial responsibilities and setting out the particulars of children in the spousal relationship.
• If applicable a divorce decree.
• If applicable a court order granting full or specific parental responsibilities and rights.
• If applicable a death certificate in respect of the late spouse.
• Written consent from both parents and full parental responsibilities if applicable.
• If applicable proof of adoption.
• If applicable a legal separation order.
• An undertaking letter from your employer accepting responsibility for deportation costs for you and your entire family.
• An undertaking letter from your employer accepting responsibility to ensure that your passport is valid for the duration of your passport.

1. You are still employed with the labour standards
2. Full particulars of your employer including the proof of registration of the business with the commission on Intellectual Property and Companies (CIPC)
3. A contract of employment explaining your conditions of employment which have been signed by both you and your employer.

• All foreign qualifications must be assessed by SAQA and have a SAQA certificate (Any qualification which has been written in a foreign language must be translated into English by a sworn translator – Applicable to any document that has been written/issued in a foreign language)
• Full particulars of your employer including proof of registration of the business Commission on Intellectual Property and Companies (CIPC).
• A written undertaking from your employer that they will inform the Director-General should you no longer comply with the provisions of the act or conditions of the act.
• A written undertaking from your employer to inform the Director-General upon the employee no longer being employed by the company or if you have been employed in a different capacity or role.
• All copies of documents should be certified and should not be older than 3 months at the time of submission.
• Proof of payment for all expected fees.
• Proof of registration with a professional body, council or board recognised by SAQA in terms of section 13(1)(1) of the National Qualifications Framework Act if required by law.

Contact Migrate With Q to assist you in applying for a general work visa or with an extension.