Our policy does not allow them to change status from visitors to any
visa while still in South Africa. This also applies to the SA-born
child who left SA and re-entered SA on a visitor`s visa.`
Since 2008, Melody* has been living and working in South Africa. She
is legally in the country with a Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP), but
her two children need legal status. The South African authorities say
she has to return to Zimbabwe in order to apply for what is known as
an `accompanying visa` for her children.

She is a domestic worker and it will be very expensive for her. It may
also mean she has to break up her family, at least temporarily. She
might even risk losing her job altogether as she only gets three-weeks
annual leave in December.

`It takes six to eight weeks for the visas to be processed. I cannot
leave my children in Zimbabwe,` she says.

Melody`s two-year-old was born in South Africa but he accompanied her
to Zimbabwe on her annual leave last year. Her seven-year-old was born
in Zimbabwe and she has applied for his birth certificate and passport
at the Zimbabwean Consulate in Cape Town, a costly and bureaucratic
process in itself.
David Hlabane, media manager at

the Department of Home Affairs,
confirmed that Melody must apply through the South African Embassy in
Zimbabwe.

On 30 January 2019, Melody collected her ZEP at the Cape Town VFS
(visa services) office, and she was told she needed to go to Zimbabwe
to apply for an accompanying visa for her children. She said there
were many parents at VFS in the same situation.

Tendai Bhiza of PASSOP (People Against Suffering, Oppression and
Poverty) said, `Where will she get the money to go back to Zimbabwe?
Her children will miss school lessons … As long as the children are in
the country they should be allowed to apply for the visas within South
Africa. They have the right to their families.`

* Although Melody`s real name is known to GroundUp and Home Affairs,
she asked us to use a pseudonym to protect the identity of her
children who are at school.

Correction: The birth circumstances of Melody`s two and seven-year-old
were reversed in error when the story was initially published. It has
been corrected: her two-year-old was born in South Africa; her
seven-year-old was born in Zimbabwe. V.2841

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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