+27 (0)82 373 8415 info@sami.co.za Client Area login Assessment Form Visa Renewal Services


News Articles

Visa frustration for wife, couple`s daughter

Source: Cape Times, 17/02/2016


A TABLE View father says he is being punished for not having enough
money, and as a result his Russian wife and daughter are being refused
entry into South Africa.


He decided to forgo the services of an expensive immigration lawyer,
but he says he has been getting grief from South African embassy staff
in Russia and Home Affairs in South Africa.


In 2012, André Mans fell in love with Marina Shutova while on holiday
in Thailand.


After nine months, Mans quit his job in Cape Town and moved to
Thailand to be with Shutova.


"I managed to stay there for about five months, we lived
together.

I came home because I was offered a really good
job," said Mans.


He would return to Thailand, following Shutova to Phuket and later to
Russia.


"I got engaged on the way to Moscow to her. I came back (to South
Africa) and then she came to visit, that`s when we started
experiencing what it`s like to deal with the South African embassy
there (in Moscow)," said Mans.


She got into South Africa in December 2014 after much hassle, with
Mans having to submit his salary slip and three months` bank
statements to show he could support Shutova while she was in the
country.


The couple got married in February last year. Shutova fell pregnant
with their daughter, but had to return to Russia because her
grandmother was ill.


Their daughter was born in Russia and even though Shutova registered
the baby as South African with the embassy, Mans said he had still not
received any confirmation of his daughter`s citizenship.


"In May, we applied for her (spousal) visa. We didn`t think it was
necessary to go through a visa company because all the information was
on the (Home Affairs) website, so we phoned in and the woman said my
wife required 50 000 roubles (R102 000)."


Mans said the South African embassy staff in Moscow gave him and his
wife conflicting information on what would be required for her to get
a spousal visa.


Staff insisted on the payment, but the Department of Home Affairs
stated on its website that it was not applicable to those applying for
family visas.


Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Mayihlome Tshwete said the
issue could be resolved.


"For a foreign spouse to be given a spousal visa, the South African
partner would have to show that he/she can support them with R8 500
per month.


"The rationale behind that is because we don`t want people dependent
on our social security (when they land here)," said Tshwete.


He said Mans had to accompany his wife to the South African embassy in
Moscow for their daughter`s South African birth certificate to be
issued.


"They (embassy staff) might be sceptical if a Russian woman turned up
there without the South African father of the baby," said Tshwete.


Search

Search

Latest News

  •    This was revealed in the 2025 Easter border operations report, which saw border management authority officials, saps officers and home affairs workers intensify efforts to prevent illegal travel into the country over the holiday period.JOHANNESBURG - Zimbabwean nationals have been identified as the leading individuals attempting to illegally gain entry into South Africa.... Read more...
  •    THE High Court has nullified the re-registration of a birth certificate for a child born out of wedlock, ordering the Registrar-General to strike it from the records.This ruling declared the birth certificate invalid, questioning the legality of attributing paternity to a deceased man decades after his death.The dispute arose from a contested inheritance involving the late Lazarus Mkudu’s estate.Teresiah Mkudu, the applicant, sought a declaratory order to invalidate Ruvimbo Manyonda’s birth certificate, issued nearly 20 years after Mkudu’s death.... Read more...
  •    Residents from 34 countries can now apply for a visa to South Africa online. There are now 34 countries that can apply for a visa to South Africa online, which National Treasury says will help attract more tourists and skills into the country.This was trumpeted in Wednesday`s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) as being one of the key successes of Operation Vulindlela. Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to assist in the acceleration of critical reforms needed to accelerate the economy.... Read more...
  •    Residents from 34 countries can now apply for a visa to South Africa online. There are now 34 countries that can apply for a visa to South Africa online, which National Treasury says will help attract more tourists and skills into the country.This was trumpeted in Wednesday`s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) as being one of the key successes of Operation Vulindlela. Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to assist in the acceleration of critical reforms needed to accelerate the economy.... Read more...
  •    Residents from 34 countries can now apply for a visa to South Africa online. There are now 34 countries that can apply for a visa to South Africa online, which National Treasury says will help attract more tourists and skills into the country.This was trumpeted in Wednesday`s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) as being one of the key successes of Operation Vulindlela. Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to assist in the acceleration of critical reforms needed to accelerate the economy.... Read more...
  •    Residents from 34 countries can now apply for a visa to South Africa online. There are now 34 countries that can apply for a visa to South Africa online, which National Treasury says will help attract more tourists and skills into the country.This was trumpeted in Wednesday`s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) as being one of the key successes of Operation Vulindlela. Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to assist in the acceleration of critical reforms needed to accelerate the economy.... Read more...
  •    Residents from 34 countries can now apply for a visa to South Africa online. There are now 34 countries that can apply for a visa to South Africa online, which National Treasury says will help attract more tourists and skills into the country.This was trumpeted in Wednesday`s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) as being one of the key successes of Operation Vulindlela. Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to assist in the acceleration of critical reforms needed to accelerate the economy.... Read more...
  •    Residents from 34 countries can now apply for a visa to South Africa online. There are now 34 countries that can apply for a visa to South Africa online, which National Treasury says will help attract more tourists and skills into the country.This was trumpeted in Wednesday`s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) as being one of the key successes of Operation Vulindlela. Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to assist in the acceleration of critical reforms needed to accelerate the economy.... Read more...
  •    Residents from 34 countries can now apply for a visa to South Africa online. There are now 34 countries that can apply for a visa to South Africa online, which National Treasury says will help attract more tourists and skills into the country.This was trumpeted in Wednesday`s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) as being one of the key successes of Operation Vulindlela. Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to assist in the acceleration of critical reforms needed to accelerate the economy.... Read more...
  •    Residents from 34 countries can now apply for a visa to South Africa online. There are now 34 countries that can apply for a visa to South Africa online, which National Treasury says will help attract more tourists and skills into the country.This was trumpeted in Wednesday`s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) as being one of the key successes of Operation Vulindlela. Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury to assist in the acceleration of critical reforms needed to accelerate the economy.... Read more...
South Africa Immigration Company