# Moving to Cape Town



## Lari (Jun 8, 2012)

Hi Everyone,

I am getting married to my South African fiance in November and we are moving to Cape town in December.

I have a few questions I hope someone can help me with...
From what I have read the relatives/spousal visa takes quite a while, so it's probably worth it for me to go down on a normal tourist visa and apply as soon as we get there?
I have 5 year old twins (not my fiances biological children), I read somewhere that they can get a temporary residence permit if their step father is South African? Does anyone know how long/difficult that process is? I assume we need to apply for a student visa for them before we go so they can start school in January, and then once we are there get the relatives (?) visa application?

What is the difference between using a immigration company and using an immigration lawyer to help with the application? And is it worth it? Can anyone recommend a good one?

Thank you in advance!


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## Donne - NWI (Aug 1, 2012)

Hi Lari 

If you want assistance in getting the correct visas in time you can contact our inbound immigration lawyer and he will help you. You can contact him on +


Hope this can be of any help.


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## Olimpiaallin (Aug 6, 2012)

Hi Lari,
I have been advised to proceed to applying for a visa before entering SA, and until December there's plenty of time. The processing time is 30 days according to the SA High Commission. You should check their site first. I find it very useful.
Don't know anything about lawyers.
Hope that helps.
Olimpia


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## Donne - NWI (Aug 1, 2012)

Immigration lawyers assist you in the application process by doing all the admin work for you and dealing with home affairs.


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## Buney (Oct 11, 2011)

Olimpiaallin said:


> Hi Lari,
> I have been advised to proceed to applying for a visa before entering SA, and until December there's plenty of time. The processing time is 30 days according to the SA High Commission. You should check their site first. I find it very useful.
> Don't know anything about lawyers.
> Hope that helps.
> Olimpia


Hi. We applied for ours when we arrived from the UK. It still gave us plenty of time to get them.
Although we a used a local company to do the work, we have learnt that it is simple to do it all yourself and the savings are incredible.

Good luck 
Mark


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## Olimpiaallin (Aug 6, 2012)

Hi Mark
You might be right.


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## adambt (Sep 9, 2012)

Hi Lari, 
I've just moved to Cape Town from the UK with my wife 8 months ago, we found our Visa process to be pretty stressful, especially things like getting hold of medical reports, x-rays and police checks. I'm here on a student visa so your process may be different but I would start early as those kind of things took a lot of time. We managed it without any lawyers or companies helping us. Most of the stress came from getting the paperwork required which you would have to do whether or not a lawyer dealt with the actual application process. 
Also look out because some of the info on the web is not quite right. We found when we got to the actual visa office there were extra things we needed. I'd make a trip to your local embassy soon to confirm exactly what you need to avoid stress later. Good luck!


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## redwolf (Sep 13, 2012)

Hi.
To obtain an actual permanent residence visa there are many avenues. If you are going to apply for one as a spouse, then you have to have been married for 5 years prior to application. You also need to ensure that during that time, if you are living in SA, that you get a "temporary residence" visa, which is very straight forward. If you arrive on a visitors visa (if you are from the UK, just get on the plane and you get one stamped in on arrival), after 3 months, just apply for an extension or temp res permit. Home affairs are pretty jacked up now, so it is straight forward.
One thing you do need is A. Police clearance from your home country, B. chest xray and medical, and C. (if you have stayed in SA for more than 12 month) police clearance from SA. You dont need lawyers or agents, they are all well and good if you dont like ques, but otherwise DHA in Bellville, Barrack St or Paarl are all good.


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## chris rossouw (Nov 8, 2012)

Hi 

I am currently in Cape Town and would like to meet with as many expats as possible. Any contacts would be appreciated.


Best wishes

Chris


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## redwolf (Sep 13, 2012)

chris rossouw said:


> Hi
> 
> I am currently in Cape Town and would like to meet with as many expats as possible. Any contacts would be appreciated.
> 
> ...


Chris.

I am presently in the Table View area, 

Cheers

Paul


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## CptToLyon (Nov 12, 2012)

Lari said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I am getting married to my South African fiance in November and we are moving to Cape town in December.
> 
> ...


Hi Lari, 

Just saw your post, not sure if you still need advise, but we were in the same situation.

Here is a few pointers:
1 - Try to do most things from. your home country before you come here. Dealing with Home Affairs is a nightmare and its often better and quicker to deal with the incountry embassy / consulates
2 - The spousal permit can take anything from a months to 1 year to be processed, however, they can not deport you once you have applied. The only problem is that you can really do anything like open a bank account, start to work, ect before you get the permit.
3. DONT use emigration agencies, we used one and they were useless, Home Affairs does not want to deal with them and you will end up paying them a lot of money, but having to do all the enquiries yourself.

let me know if you need any assistance, we recently went through this experience.


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

redwolf said:


> Hi.
> To obtain an actual permanent residence visa there are many avenues. If you are going to apply for one as a spouse, then you have to have been married for 5 years prior to application. You also need to ensure that during that time, if you are living in SA, that you get a "temporary residence" visa, which is very straight forward. If you arrive on a visitors visa (if you are from the UK, just get on the plane and you get one stamped in on arrival), after 3 months, just apply for an extension or temp res permit. Home affairs are pretty jacked up now, so it is straight forward.
> One thing you do need is A. Police clearance from your home country, B. chest xray and medical, and C. (if you have stayed in SA for more than 12 month) police clearance from SA. You dont need lawyers or agents, they are all well and good if you dont like ques, but otherwise DHA in Bellville, Barrack St or Paarl are all good.


Actually, they have changed the spousal PR requirement. You no longer have to have been married for 5 years, you only have to show a spousal relationship. This is quite a recent change but it is implemented. Most SA embassies now shows this on their websites.


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## Jujube (Sep 12, 2011)

This is right.

I applied for my PR in April of this year, based on that one rule: 5 years spousal relationship. 

However, they are very strict in the meaning of spousal, so sharing a flat is not going to be considered as a valid proof. They're looking for shared bank accounts, properties bought together, health insurance under both names etc

@Saartjie, still no news from your side in regards to your PR application? Do you still bother calling them once in a while?

I recently read that the whole Department of Home Affairs had only (at least correct for 2011) 9 full time employees dedicated to Permanent Residency, dealing with more than 70,000 applications per year! Hence the backlog :-(


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

Jujube said:


> This is right.
> 
> I applied for my PR in April of this year, based on that one rule: 5 years spousal relationship.
> 
> ...


Hi there. Nope, still waiting on mine. On the 30th Nov it will be exactly one year since application. I had hoped that I would not have to celebrate that particular anniversery. I think my lawyers check up with HA about every three months or so but that really doesn't help. With regards to HA, the problem is that they changed the rules lately which means that each and every PR application has to be personally scrutanized by one specific person in HA (can't remember his/her position) who then needs to approve or decline. So if there is an annual application number of around 70,000 one can just imagine why one has to wait for like 100 years for an outcome. I am so fed up that I just dont care anymore. I have my TR and it allows me to work so I will just get on with life and if the PR is granted sometime before I am due to retire then I will be pleasantly surprised. 

What about you, have you had any updates at all?


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## Jujube (Sep 12, 2011)

I do my usual 2/3 months follow-up call with the hotline to check on the status. So far nothing much except that they've received it, assured that I have submitted all documentation & my application has now been passed to the decision committee back in August.

As I have submitted my application in April of this year, I'm not too optimistic for having it this year. I also have a TR so if the PR arrives it's just a bonus ;-)


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

Jujube said:


> I do my usual 2/3 months follow-up call with the hotline to check on the status. So far nothing much except that they've received it, assured that I have submitted all documentation & my application has now been passed to the decision committee back in August.
> 
> As I have submitted my application in April of this year, I'm not too optimistic for having it this year. I also have a TR so if the PR arrives it's just a bonus ;-)


Keeping fingers crossed for you! As there appears to be no consistency in how they deal with applications, yours might come through much quicker than mine. Keep me posted.


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## 2fargone (Jun 14, 2011)

Saartjie,

Can you withdrawl your application in SA and go apply in your home country?


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## the mage (Nov 21, 2012)

I have been on the line t in cape Town this morning and mentioned these issues and they say that is exactly what they take care of.


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

Poopsie23 said:


> Saartjie,
> 
> Can you withdrawl your application in SA and go apply in your home country?


I suppose I could in theory but it wont make any difference. I have spoken to SA embassy in Sweden and the waiting time for PR there is currently 15 months. At the moment the PR is not so important to me as I have TR with work endorsement, a bank account etc. The only reason that I would like to have it is so I do not have to make any further applications and also I would really like an ID number


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## MissGlobal (Aug 4, 2012)

If this helps - I did my husband's temporary residency visa ( spousal) through the embassy in Washington DC. The whole thing took just 2 weeks.... I have no idea how it is to do it within the country - but I think I'd agree with everyone who says do it before you arrive.


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

MissGlobal said:


> If this helps - I did my husband's temporary residency visa ( spousal) through the embassy in Washington DC. The whole thing took just 2 weeks.... I have no idea how it is to do it within the country - but I think I'd agree with everyone who says do it before you arrive.


TR is always quicker. PR takes over a year at the moment wherever you apply it seems. I know that turn around time on TR at SA Embassy in Sweden is about 2 weeks as well.


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## MissGlobal (Aug 4, 2012)

So the embassy explained to me that we could apply for TR and PR at the same time. I'm thinking that we will go ahead and apply for ours ASAP so it can arrive before his TR runs out. I don't know how viable that is ... but it's my first game plan!


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

MissGlobal said:


> So the embassy explained to me that we could apply for TR and PR at the same time. I'm thinking that we will go ahead and apply for ours ASAP so it can arrive before his TR runs out. I don't know how viable that is ... but it's my first game plan!


Yes definitely apply for both at the same time. It is the best way to go. The TR is usually issued for 2 years so in theory it should be enough time for the PR to come through before the TR runs out. In the event that your PR takes longer than 2 years you can just renew your TR.


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## MissGlobal (Aug 4, 2012)

Thanks for the info - We're now in SA and my husband will be applying for his PR this month.


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