Immigration Directive No.7 of 2026: Extension of temporary concession for foreign nationals related to delayed processin
Current rules
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has extended a temporary concession for foreign nationals in South Africa until 30 June 2027. This concession grants temporary legal protection to those whose visa, waiver, or appeal applications are experiencing delayed processing.
Overview
The Department of Home Affairs has enacted Immigration Directive No.7 of 2026, extending a temporary concession for foreign nationals. This directive addresses ongoing delays in the processing of waivers, visas, and appeals, providing relief to those impacted.
Who is affected by the latest change
- Foreign nationals with pending waiver applications
- Foreign nationals with pending long-term visa applications
- Foreign nationals with pending appeals related to qualifying long-term visas
- Applicants who were lawfully admitted to South Africa and submitted their applications through VFS Global
What changed in the latest version
Before
The previous temporary permission for delayed waiver, visa, and appeal applications was either about to finish or had already finished. This new directive was needed to extend it.
After
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has extended a temporary permission for foreign nationals in South Africa. This permission is now valid until 30 June 2027. It allows people to stay legally if their visa, waiver, or appeal applications are taking a long time to process.
This extension is important for foreign nationals in South Africa whose immigration applications are stuck because of processing delays. It likely gives them a break or lets them keep their legal status while they wait for decisions on waivers, visas, or appeals. This stops them from becoming unlawful while their applications are pending. The text does not give exact details about the concession, so its precise benefits are not clear. The directive aims to fix administrative problems and help applicants who are facing backlogs in the department.
Explained simply
South Africa is giving people more time to sort out their paperwork (like visas) if the government is taking too long to process their requests. It's like if your school project deadline was extended because your teacher hadn't graded the first part yet.
Frequently asked
Version history
- v1Effective 1 Apr 2026EffectiveMedium impactImmigration Directive No.7 of 2026: Extension of temporary concession for foreign nationals related to delayed processing of waiver, visa and appeal applications
South Africa's Department of Home Affairs has extended a temporary permission for people who are not citizens of South Africa — legally called foreign nationals. This permission is for foreign nationals whose applications for waivers, visas, and appeals are taking a long time to process. It means they can stay legally in South Africa until 30 June 2027 while waiting for a decision.
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