Section 11 (2) Work Permit South Africa
What Are Section 11(2) Permits
In special circumstances, a South African company might need the services of a foreign national for a short period and in this specific scenario, a work visa is not the right choice.
The immigration act of South Africa makes provision for South African registered businesses to apply for the section 11 2 visa also known as the short-term work visa.
In layman’s terms, this is a visit visa for South Africa with the right to conduct work activities.
Many foreign nationals make use of this visa as they are not required in the country for a longer period.
The South African immigration act does not allow a foreign national to automatically work on a visitor visa and hence needs to apply for it before entering the country.
Do not qualify of the visa? These are the different South Africa visa types you can qualify for and these are the South Africa Work Visas Types you can apply for.
What You Need To Know About The Section 11(2) Short-Term Work Visa
There are a few important things to remember about this visa:
- You are not allowed to apply for a change of status in South Africa. (Changing from one type of visa to another visa)
- The South African company must be a registered business.
- The South African company must write a detailed letter explaining the reasons why they need the foreign national and what he or she would be doing exactly.
- Section 11(2) permits are issued to applicants once per calendar year with an option to extend should the need arise.
- Your application for this visa must be applied for in your country of permanent residency. The applicant may not apply for this in South Africa.
- If the short-term work visa is issued overlaps with a new calendar year, then it will count towards the new calendar year and you will not be issued another one.
What Are The Benefits Of This Visa?
- Processing times are within days.
- You can work in South Africa for up to 6 months.
- You can extend this visa to South Africa.
- No red tape or third-party processes are involved.
Checklist Of Documents Needed For The Visitors Visa Section 11(2) South Africa
- Machine-readable passport with 2 unused pages in your passport. Your passport should expire 30 days after your intended departure from South Africa.
- Fully completed DHA-84 passport.
- 2 passport photographs of yourself with a white background and no distractions.
- A certified copy of your passport bio-data page. (This is the page with your photo, passport number and expiry date etc.)
- Proof of accommodation (Your accommodation must be confirmed)
- Proof of provisional flight return tickets.
- Proof of sufficient funds in the form of recent 3 months’ bank statements.
- A yellow fever certificate if you are travelling from a yellow fever belt endemic area or travelling through one.
- A detailed stamped letter from the registered South African company explaining the purpose and confirming the duration of stay.
How do I apply for a Section 11(2) Permit?
All applications which have been compiled 100% must be lodged at your South African embassy, consulate or diplomatic mission. The above documents will only be needed if you are from visa-exempt countries for South Africa.
If you are from a country that is not visa-exempt then there could be extra documentation that you would need to include with your application. For instance, there might be extra requirements for a document that is included with the visitor’s visa.
A pure example is that you would have to use the DHA-84 application form which is the visitor’s visa form.
What Are The Processing Times & Validity Of The Short Term Work Visa
This largely depends on where you are submitting and if the South African embassy, consulate or diplomatic mission receives an enormous amount of applications.
Most section 11(2) permits are processed within 5 to 10 days but check with the consular officer before applying.
Check if you qualify for the e visa for South Africa.
A great example is India which receives a huge amount of visa applications and could take longer to process.
The Validity:
It is issued for 90 days at a time and the holder may extend it for a further 90 days if the need arises. In total the person can work for 6 months in SA. The way to extend this visa is similar to the visa extension South Africa process for a visit visa which is completed through VFS.
What Are The Fees For The Section 11 2 Visa?
If you are applying from a country that is visa exempt which the Department of Home Affairs determines from time to time, then you have no fees to pay, unless the embassy is contracted to VFS which has an administration fee.
A person applying from a country that is not visa-exempt must therefore pay visa fees which are equivalent to the visitor’s visa fee. You have to notify them that you have to work in the country for a short period.
Who Is Eligible For Short-Term Work Authorizations?
The following people will not qualify for the permit:
- Work Seekers
- General labourers
- Seasonal labourers such as farm workers
- Project Managers
- Exotic Dancers
- Contract Workers
- Self-Employed Foreigners
Examples of who can qualify for the visa:
- Service Technicians (Installation, repair or maintenance work)
- Trainers/Instructors
- Film Crews (Commercial still and film producing industry)
- Engineers
- Medical Staff
- Modelling Agencies
- Large Corporates
Can My Family Join Me In South Africa?
They cannot be added to your visa as dependents, however, they can apply for a visit visa to join you in South Africa provided you can financially sustain them here for the duration of the stay.
They would need to have a letter from you stating that they will be joining you for the duration of the trip. Those who are visa exempt can simply come to South Africa and automatically receive 30 or 90 days to join you.
Are There Any Restrictions On Work Or Travel For A Visitors Visa 11.2
The visitors’ visa 11.2 is not a work temporary residence visa and cannot be used for continuous work. The Department of Home Affairs will only issue this permit once per calendar year.
If you are required to work for a longer duration of time in the country then you need to apply for a work permit which you qualify for.
These are the following options:
Can I Use A Visit Visa Instead?
No, you are not allowed to take up short-term employment activities on a normal visit visa. You have to get special permission from the Department of Home Affairs to render a service to a South African registered company.
If you are caught, you can be permanently banned from South Africa. We always recommend that you do the right thing.
How Can Migrate With Q Assist You?
Our friendly consultants will advise you whether you qualify or not and what the best route is moving forward. We have processed many applications and understand the requirements which aid your application in standing a higher chance of approval.
Complete our free assessment form and we will contact you to discuss your options.
Charl Vollmer has 8 years of experience helping people immigrate to South Africa. I am passionate about helping people and making their dreams a reality. Charl constantly stays up to date with South African Immigration rules and regulations. To contact Charl, visit our contact page.