Apply for a General Work Permit for South Africa
This visa service is for people who have been offered a job in South African and are serious about getting the visa.
• We curate a specific list of documents applicable to your case.
• We take care of 3rd party processes for you.
• We compile and prepare your application.
• We create all undertaking letters specific to your case.
• We prepare you for submission.
• Access to a Q expert.
Not everybody can apply for a General Work Visa
The Department of Home Affairs only approves applications for GWP visas if they feel that the applicant’s occupation is truly specialized and hard to find within the South African labour market. What does this mean? It means that your chances are slim in getting the visa approved on your own and you need to know a lot about a lot where the work visa is concerned.
How to apply for a General Work Permit in South Africa.
You are not allowed to apply for a change of status in South Africa with a visit visa. This means you have to apply in your country of permanent residency. If you do not qualify for the visa then these are the South Africa visa types you could qualify for.
You need to prove to the Department of Home Affairs that:
• No other South African citizen or permanent resident can do what you.
• You are qualified for the position advertised.
• Submit all your documents to the Department of Labour to prove this.
You need the experience and knowledge to apply for this visa. Migrate with Q can assist you from start to finish and be there for you throughout the process. Applying for a work permit South Africa can be a daunting task.
Qualifying Criteria for the visa:
1. Must have accepted a job offer.
2. Your contract of employment signed by you & your employer.
3. Prove that no South African citizen or permanent resident can fill that position.
4. You should be of good character and have a valid police clearance to prove this.
Processing Fees & Government Fees:
1. Government Fee in SA: R1520.00
2. Government Fee abroad: Dependent on your country’s currency
3. VFS submission fee in SA: R1350.00
4. GWP Forms in SA: Online
5. GWP Forms Abroad: DHA-1738
Interesting facts about the visa:
• The visa is valid for the duration of the contract which is a maximum of 5 years.
• You are allowed to add dependents like your spouse (marriage certificate must be valid) or kids (Who are not of school-going age).
• Your visa is tied to your employer.
What you get with Migrate With Q
• We prepare and compile your application.
• We complete the SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) evaluation.
• We prepare your job listing Advert.
• Assistance with the Department of Labour. Read about the new Department of Labour Certificate for work permits.
• Access to a Q expert.
• We liaise with your prospective employer on your behalf.
If you do not qualify for the visa, you might then qualify for one of these alternative work visas:
1. Critical Skills Work Visa
2. Intra Company Transfer Visa
3. Spousal Visa With Working Rights
4. Life Partner Visa With Working Rights
The important thing to remember is that you cannot run your own business in South Africa. You must apply for a business visa to legally start a business and you can do so when you qualify for permanent residence. Permanent residence allows you the same rights as a South African citizen except the right to vote. Permanent residency has many benefits and you can qualify for PR after proving 5 years on a GWP visa.
All first-time visa applications must be submitted in your country of residence at the South African Embassy. Migrate With Q can assist you no matter where you are located in the world, we can still assist you and prepare your application. We compile the application form for you and courier it to your doorstep so that it’s ready to submit in your country of residence.
Q will conduct a thorough assessment with you before we take you on as a client. We aim to know that you qualify so that your chances of approval rate are way higher. We will not take on your case if you do not qualify as we care about our success rate and getting your approval from the Department of Home Affairs.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What happens if the visa is rejected?
If your visa is rejected because of our error, we will refund you our service fees. If your visa is rejected because you supplied us with fraudulent documents then we will not refund you. If the Department of Home Affairs rejects your visa based on incorrect information but has been supplied, we will appeal to get this overturned.
2. How long does the process take?
The process is quite lengthy and can take a couple of months to complete all the 3rd party processes. We advise you to start as soon as possible once you have a job offer. Once the visa application has been submitted it can take about 30 -40 working days depending on how busy the South African Embassy is then.
3. What happens if I can’t collect all the documents required for the visa?
No client has ever not been able to collect all documents, it might take a bit longer to collect certain documents but you will be able to collect them.