# Planning to Return



## Amanda Venter (Jul 21, 2021)

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum so this is my first post! I hope it is makes sense and is well received. so here goes....

I first visited South Africa on a holiday in 2008 and completely fell in love with the place. I first moved to SA in January 2009, and in the years in between, I have lived and worked in the Free State and in Gauteng but I am currently back living in the UK. When I was in South Africa, I was married to a South African and had a spousal working visa. Sadly, I am now divorced but my desire for the county has not dissipated with the ending of my marriage. I am hoping to make a visit to see friends in December, but the visit is also a bit of a 'checking out mt thoughts and feelings' trip, with a view to moving back. 

I am reaching to this forum for some advice about the best sort of visa and route to work, the best websites for job adverts your experiences of which immigration companies to use, and some general feedback if you have recently made the move yourself. Any advice will be deeply appreciated. When I was previously in SA, I worked in education and I am looking for roles in education leadership ( my background is in pastoral care, alternative provisions and staff development) and coaching. I have completed certification in counselling and coaching and I am hoping to bring this to SA.

Thank you for taking the time to read and I look forward to any feedback.

Take care and stay safe,

Amanda Venter


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## jollem (Nov 9, 2016)

Amanda Venter said:


> Amanda Venter


Hello Amanda

You best bet is to get a Critical Skill Visa. You can download the critical skills list from the SA Home Affairs Website (www.dha.gov.za/images/PDFs/47182-2-8-CriticalSkillsDHA.pdf ) and see if you qualify for any of the skills there (teaching is on that list). Any other type of work VISA apart from the critical skills route is almost impossible to get.

The best websites for job adverts include www.pnet.co.za and www.linkedin.com. However if you are not physically in SA or you dont have a work VISA then it is also a tall order to get a job offer as employers normally prefer someone who can start soon, yet the DHA process to get a VISA can take months or years to get the result.

One other important thing to note is that because you are not a child or a spouse of a SA Citizen or Permanent resident, you will not be able to submit your Work VISA application from within SA. You need to submit from your home country.

Lastly you can also visit the VFS website for the list of requirement per visa category (| vfsglobal - vfsglobal )


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## Amanda Venter (Jul 21, 2021)

Thank you Jollem. This is super helpful. I think my starting point is to look at the list and the application process and go from there. It seemed almost effortless when I had a spousal working visa!


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## oyingwenya (Dec 13, 2020)

To someone deciding or about to move to South Africa, my advice - as an expat living in SA and regretting it - its really not worth it! To be legal and remain legal in this country is such a pain. Its even worse when you decide to (or accidentally) start a family! I get that the country is grappling with illegal immigration or undocumented foreigners. But how do you solve that by frustrating the legal route? l dont see any effort in rounding up the so called illegal foreigners. Instead it's constant changing of rules, stopping certain visa categories or nolonger processing applications altogether!

Of late foreigners are a convinient scapegoat of all social ills of the country - crime, unemployment, poor and lack infrastructure, you name the rest! It's not an accident that there has been reccuring violent flare ups of physical attacks on foreign nationals. As a foreigner you are constantly vulnerable in this country - not only from threats of physical harm nor emotional burdens of vilification in public and private discourse. But also from the constant threat to your life (and that of your family if you start one) which can and will be thrown into disarray when your visa application/renewal is put aside by some minister or official who feels he/she has had enough of (you) damn foreigners!

No accountability, no recourse - even taking the department to court rarely works as it is just a bad gamble. Just to bring the point closer home, highest court in the country recently ruled that foreigners who studied and passed South African law should never practice as attornies! If that doesn't that doesn't clearly show you the actual desdain towards non citizens in this country l dont know what will. Ofcourse all counties have some sort of affirmative action but its implemented in promotion of citizens without harm to other sections of their society namely non citizens. Anyway foreigners are not viewed as an integral part of the South African society hence the lack of social cohesion, general disregard and need to both halt influx and flush out. I would rather move to a country that values me, a society that embraces me as a foreigner.. Atleast where l and my kids have a fair chance, where l can let my guard down, enjoy and prosper in life according to my hardwork! 

Please note that l did not even include old world thinking FICA rules (FICA is nothing fancy just a bunch of rigid banking industry rules) which ensure banks and any lending institutions treat you like the radioactive trash you are! Good luck in trying to get a loan for anything meaningful as a foreigner here even after banking well for a number of years! Anyway l can rant all day but South African government can never explicitly say to the world that foreigners are not welcome. Especially when the ruling elites have their own families living well in other countries abroad and more ordinary South Africans citizens leaving. However, the message to those wishing to come and live here has never been clearer.


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