# Temporary and Permanent Residency



## adrian1980 (Apr 2, 2014)

Good Day to you all, 

I have some questions regarding permits and what I would need to do to become a permanent resident in South Africa. All help is gratefully received

1. I currently hold a spousal permit allowing me to work in South Africa and that expires in September. Must I renew my TP even if applying for PR?
2. How long does a renewal take because I waited for over 9 months for my first TP?
3. I married my wife in April 2013 and we had our first child in December 2013. Does my child allow me to apply for permanent residence? Does our marriage allow our a quicker time period to apply? We have been in a relationship since June 2010 and does that have any impact on our situation.
4. Is it better to go through a company when applying or to do it in person at Home affairs?
5. I have all the previous documents required and all relevant certififcates required so what is the turnaround time for both a renewal of a TP and the process of a PR? Do they count the time you submit as the state of your situation or when they come to process it?

Thank you for taking the time to read my list and I look forward to hearing any thoughts or information
Cheers


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## MissGlobal (Aug 4, 2012)

Renew the TR - so you have it - and that's much faster. 

2 - That's crazy long - ours took 3 weeks.....

3 - Not sure but have you sorted out citizenship for your child? It's great to have that to add to your application as well. 

4 - We didn't use a company but many people have had good results with one. 

Maybe legalman can weigh in with better context since this is his specialty...


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## LegalMan (Dec 26, 2012)

> 1. I currently hold a spousal permit allowing me to work in South Africa and that expires in September. Must I renew my TP even if applying for PR?


Yes, you MUST do this legally.



> 2. How long does a renewal take because I waited for over 9 months for my first TP?


Usually less time than the first application, but that is all I can promise.



> 3. I married my wife in April 2013 and we had our first child in December 2013. Does my child allow me to apply for permanent residence? Does our marriage allow our a quicker time period to apply? We have been in a relationship since June 2010 and does that have any impact on our situation.


Since you have a Spousal Visa, I assume your spouse is South African. This makes your child South African (was the child born here and have you sorted out your child's SA citizenship?). This makes you immediately eligible for PR on the basis of your child's SA citizenship.



> 4. Is it better to go through a company when applying or to do it in person at Home affairs?


You can guess what I would say to that. But whatever you do, only use lawyers. Immigration practitioners have lost all powers in the new immigration law and regulations.



> 5. I have all the previous documents required and all relevant certififcates required so what is the turnaround time for both a renewal of a TP and the process of a PR? Do they count the time you submit as the state of your situation or when they come to process it?


Since you will now apply for a new visa/permit, it may take some time. I would need more information to advise you exactly. It could be that a renewal of your current visa and an application for a PR permit through your son simultaneously is best.


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## adrian1980 (Apr 2, 2014)

*Thank you*

Thank you very much for the immediate reply and answering all the points. This made my day and seems to make the thought of applying have a light at the end of the tunnel. 

One last question do you know a lawyer based in Pretoria that may be able to help with the application process?


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## LegalMan (Dec 26, 2012)

No, I don't, but it doesn't matter where they are based. For example, our firm assists people based overseas every day. Simply make sure they are a lawyer.


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