South Africa`s e-Visa system, meant to simplify the process for travel to the country, has been marred by delays and technical challenges. Now, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is in talks with a private company, already heavily involved with visa admin, to help out.

`The decision to introduce the e-Visa was informed by observable benefits of this system. It is reliable, client-friendly, and convenient for visa applicants, airlines, trading partners and Home Affairs officials,` announced Minister Aaron Motsoaledi in December 2019.

The testing phase of South Africa`s e-Visa system, which included Kenya, China, India, and Nigeria, was due to be completed by March 2020. Two years later, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the e-Visa system had been officially launched to include 14 countries.

But the e-Visa launch was met with criticism from potential travellers and South African tourism businesses.
The online platform was unstable and difficult to navigate, a far cry from a world-class system which would be inviting to tourists, said Rosemary Anderson, national chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa. The same concerns were voiced by IBN Immigration Solutions, which said its branch in Kenya had tried to use the online system, with no luck.

Foreign tourists trying to use South Africa`s e-Visa system have described it as `slow, unreliable, and inefficient` in several online complaints, some as recent as August. More recently, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu admitted that the expansion of the e-Visa system was hamstrung by a huge backlog and needed `a lot of

work`.

VFS Global, which already works with South Africa`s DHA, along with more than 60 other governments around the world, to facilitate the processing of visa applications, has confirmed that it is assisting in developing a better e-Visa system.

`Many governments and ministries, they are also looking to digitise their visa services. They want to move out of the physical application pack [and are] getting into the e-Visa space, and we are already there as a market leader in terms of providing an end-to-end e-Visa solution,` said Hariprasad Viswanathan, VFS Global`s head in Sub-Saharan Africa, during a media briefing on Wednesday.

Viswanathan added that the company had already developed functional e-Visa systems for several countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He also confirmed that VFS Global was planning to test a new and improved e-Visa programme in South Africa.

`We are in the process of doing a pilot,` Viswanathan told Business Insider SA, adding that while VFS Global was engaging the DHA on a new pilot programme, the process was not at an advanced stage and no timelines could be given.

`We have still not implemented that [as] we are waiting for official approvals from the department of home affairs. We`re still in progress with them. Once we`ve implemented [the pilot], we could tell you how soon it can be expanded. With our expertise, we do feel that it will be a simple process… [but] we are not able to provide the complete details around its implementation.` V.4515

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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