Are you Considering visa on the critical skill category? Here is what you need to know.
The critical skills category is designed to attract exactly the knowledge and skill to the country which is needed at this point in time. A list of professions which are deemed to be in the national interest has been published and foreigners in possession of the relevant skills can apply. It is currently the fastest way to a work visa and Permanent Residence in South Africa.
→ You can have a look at the list of qualifying individuals right here.
So you fall within one of the twelve categories, what now?
The Immigration Act and Regulations list a wide range of documents an applicant has to submit upon application for a visa in this category. It includes the basic personal documents, but also some non-basic documents, and this is where is gets complicated. And of course each individual case will be different.
Applicants need to submit the following documents upon application for a visa in this category:
- Confirmation, in writing, from the professional body, council or board recognised by SAQA in terms of section 13(1)(i) of the National Qualifications Framework Act, or any relevant government Department confirming the skills or qualifications of the applicant and appropriate post qualification experience;
- If required by law, proof of application for a certificate of registration with the professional body, council or board recognised by SAQA in terms of section 13(1)(i) of the National Qualifications Framework Act; and
- Proof of evaluation of the foreign qualification by SAQA and translated (if necessary) by a sworn translator into one of the official languages of the Republic
Do you have a job offer from a company in South Africa?
Applications who already have job offers could qualify for a visa for up to 5 years. However, if you don’t have a job offer but meet all the other requirements, you could still apply for a visa in this category and you can receive a 1-year visa. This should give you enough time to find a job in South Africa, after which you can apply for a renewal for the remaining 4 years.
Making it Permanent
You have a visa, you have a job, you love South Africa, what’s next? Permanent Residency. In additional to the above requirements, to qualify to permanent residence in the category, applications need:
- A certificate of registration with the professional body, council or board recognised by SAQA in terms of section 13(1)(i) of the National Qualifications Framework Act.
- Proof of post-qualification experience of at least five years.
Who can come with you?
Spouses and dependent children are allowed to accompany the Critical Skills holder and can apply for both long term visas and permanent residence.
Timeframe
Application processing times at the Department of Home Affairs are as follow:
- Temporary visa applications are submitted in one’s home country before departure to South Africa. Application processing times can vary from 2 to 8 weeks, depending on the respective embassy.
- Permanent Residency can be applied for at VFS in South African and the current indicated processing times of these applications are around 8 months.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of the documents required for a visa or PR application in this category. Should you be interested in applying for any of the above, feel free to reach out and we can provide you with further information.