# Advice needed please



## docdan1 (Jan 16, 2014)

Dear All,

I am writing for some specific information regarding visas and work permits which I am unable to find on the SA consulate website.

In particular, I have been offered a job in Cape Town, which I intend to accept. My wife, however, has not yet secured a job/job-offer in Cape Town, but she will start looking for work in Cape Town once we have moved.

Initially, my wife will probably have to be categorised as an "accompanying spouse" on my work permit application. 

Hopefully my wife will find employment in Cape Town within the first few months of our arrival in the city. I am a British citizen and my wife is a German citizen.

My questions, therefore, are:

(i) Can my wife, as an "accompanying spouse", begin looking for employment as soon we move to Cape Town (or does her status as "accompanying spouse" restrict her in some way from working in SA)?

(ii) Once my wife finds work, can she easily obtain a work permit of her own from South Africa without having to return to Germany (to submit her separate work permit application)?

(iii) Finally, I have secured an academic post and I am unclear as to which permit I ought to apply for, e.g., General Work Permit, Exceptional Skills Work Permit, Quota Permit, etc.? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Best wishes
Docdan1


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## yazz (Nov 21, 2013)

Hello, your wife won't be able to work with an accompanying spouse visa.
She will have to apply for a work permit later.

If she gets a job offer she will be able to apply for a general work permit but then she will have to stay with that company as the permit is linked to it and this will replace the accompanying spouse visa.
Regarding the other type of permits i'm not totally clear on the conditions, it mostly depends on your qualifications and expertise and this has to be validated by the South African service SAQA

The general work permit takes something like 3 month if everything goes well

Hope this helps


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