SA Migration International

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Who's responsible for visa applications?

Source: Fin24, 28/11/2015

Cape Town - Fin24 has been inundated with emails from users describing
their experiences with South Africa's stringent new visa regulations.
We've published a selected few.

The regulations introduced on 1 October 2014 require foreign tourists
who need a visa to visit South Africa to appear `in person` and submit
biometric data when applying for a visa.

In addition, the rules require all children travelling into or out of
South Africa to travel with an "unabridged" birth certificate as well
as an applicable letter of consent from absent parent/s. This came
into effect in June 2015 as part of a drive to clampdown on child
trafficking.

But for Fin24 user Royhsu, a foreigner who regularly visits South
Africa, the regulations have made it very difficult for
foreigners.

He remembers a simpler time when home affairs handled visa
applications.

He writes: "The new visa regulations are worse now compared when home
affairs handled visa applications by themselves in the past.

The process of applying for a visa takes much longer. After Visa &
Permit Facilitation Centres (VFS) started taking responsibility for
visas, the fees increased incredibly high and the staff who work there
are totally uncertain what the requirements are. This caused the
denying of visas to be more frequent.

Being a foreigner, the most serious problem in SA or overseas with
visas is that there is nobody that could assist us. If we contacted
VFS, they would tell us they only delivery files and referred us to
home affairs. When we phoned home affairs they would say they don't
deal with visa applications and would refer us back to VFS.

Both institutions are passing the responsibility to each other and
making the situation so much difficult for foreigners.

Stuck and confused , let us at www.sami.co.za help you !!!!!

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