Is it a Dead End for ZEP Permit Holders and Zimbabwe Nationals residing in South Africa?
(Article)

By Patson Chapeyama, Award Winning Immigration Practitioner
(Immicom Immigration & Business Solutions)

Earlier this year , the Minister of Home Affairs , Dr P.A Motsoaledi, issued a directive 01 of 2021 in terms of Section 31 (2) (b) read with 31 (2) d of the South African immigration Act , which gave ZEP holders 12 Months grace period ending 31/12/22 to change their legal status to Mainstream Visas.

In recent months, there has been growing concern over the legal status for ZEP Permits holders.The ZEP is a special dispensation permit that was established more than 10 years ago, providing legal protection to an estimated 178 000 Zimbabweans who live, work and study in South Africa. There has been a lot of confusion and panic amongst Zimbabwe nationals residing in South Africa.

Some of key questions that, I and my team have been asked are:

1. Is every Zimbabwean national residing in SA going to be affected by the grace period given by SA’s Department of Home Affairs?
2. Is it too late to apply for the mainstream visas?
3. What are available visa options for ZEP holders?

This article seeks to answer the above questions and clearly give insights on what the grace period given to ZEP holders entails.

Is every Zimbabwean national residing in SA going to be affected by the grace period given by SA’s Department of Home Affairs?.

Not every Zimbabwean residing in South Africa is going to be affected by the grace period , only ZEP Permit holders who fail to migrate their status to mainstream visa will be affected. Those with other legal status in South Africa will continue to reside in the Republic. According to reports, only 4% of ZEP holders have submitted their applications and this means 96% of them might have to return back to Zimbabwe if they fail to secure a mainstream visa by 31 December 2022.

Is it too late to apply for the mainstream visas?

There is still an opportunity for ZEP holders to apply for mainstream visa’s and regularise their status in line with the Immigration Act before December deadline. The immigration process may take some time especially when applying for visas such as Critical Skills Visa which requires one to be affiliated to a professional board, some boards require up to 4 months to grant membership and this may mean some will have to complete the process whilst in Zimbabwe.

What are available visa options for ZEP holders?

There are quite a number of visas available for ZEP Permit Holders and must seek professional help for eligibility assessment. Some of the Visas which are available are Spousal Visa, Life Partner Visa, Study Visa, Critical Skills Visa, General Work Permit, Volunteers Visa, Intra Company Transfer Visa amongst other.

As experienced Immigration professionals we offer a tailormade and dedicated service to applicants seeking to apply for any South African Visa. Contact or visit our offices highlighted below:

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