# Time frame for Long Term Visitor's Visa to be processed



## Fortune07 (Apr 14, 2016)

Please does anyone have an idea of how long it takes for a long term (extended) visitor's visa to accompany spouse to be processed? Here is my situation.

We got married in Dec 2015 and in Jan 2016, my husband applied for long term (extended) visitor's visa to accompany spouse. I am on a General work Permit.
We were told it could take 6 to 9 weeks (well i know it will differ from one consulate to the next?); we applied in Cameroon. For 11 weeks now they keep saying it is under processing and has been referred to the Home Affairs. We are just wondering how much longer it would take. Anyone who has been through this process before? Please help, regardless of the country you applied from.

Thanks


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## Fortune07 (Apr 14, 2016)

*Processing Time of long Term (extended) visitor's visa*



Fortune07 said:


> Please does anyone have an idea of how long it takes for a long term (extended) visitor's visa to accompany spouse to be processed? Here is my situation.
> 
> We got married in Dec 2015 and in Jan 2016, my husband applied for long term (extended) visitor's visa to accompany spouse. I am on a General work Permit.
> We were told it could take 6 to 9 weeks (well i know it will differ from one consulate to the next?); we applied in Cameroon. For 11 weeks now they keep saying it is under processing and has been referred to the Home Affairs. We are just wondering how much longer it would take. Anyone who has been through this process before? Please help, regardless of the country you applied from.
> ...


the Long term visitor's visa i am referring to, they also call it extended visitor's visa. they give it to spouse or children to accompany spouse or parents moving working or studying in South Africa. Please anyone have experiences with this type of VISA please do share.

Thanks


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## hopeful1986 (Feb 5, 2014)

hey, hope you've heard back by now. i've been waiting for mine for 10 weeks, and i applied in south africa vfs. im just about having a mental breakdown, but one thing i do know is the time estimate is never really conclusive and isnt something you can really always rely on, so dont panic yet. keep following up with the embassy/consulate though, since they are dha technically, badgering may help, if you still havent heard back


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## Fortune07 (Apr 14, 2016)

hopeful1986 said:


> hey, hope you've heard back by now. i've been waiting for mine for 10 weeks, and i applied in south africa vfs. im just about having a mental breakdown, but one thing i do know is the time estimate is never really conclusive and isnt something you can really always rely on, so dont panic yet. keep following up with the embassy/consulate though, since they are dha technically, badgering may help, if you still havent heard back


Hi Hopeful1986,

Hahaha @ badgering I am laughing like this not bec all this is funny but bec I have been doing that for the past 3 weeks...I am here still waiting;15 weeks and counting. Someone on this forum asked me to use Twitter. I did and I was given [email protected] to write to. According to him, it is at adjudication. Waited and there was no response....so I called presidential hotline....they started working on it and it all went back to Mr. Sakia. That is where I am now....at 15 weeks since application. Consulate is useless, they really can't help us...all they tell us is it is under processing n wen we get feedback we will call u. For the past week they haven't answered calls or replied our emails.....Saying I'm almost loosing my mind is an understatement.


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## chris_mave (Jun 24, 2016)

Fortune07 said:


> Hi Hopeful1986,
> 
> Hahaha @ badgering I am laughing like this not bec all this is funny but bec I have been doing that for the past 3 weeks...I am here still waiting;15 weeks and counting. Someone on this forum asked me to use Twitter. I did and I was given to write to. According to him, it is at adjudication. Waited and there was no response....so I called presidential hotline....they started working on it and it all went back to Mr. Sakia. That is where I am now....at 15 weeks since application. Consulate is useless, they really can't help us...all they tell us is it is under processing n wen we get feedback we will call u. For the past week they haven't answered calls or replied our emails.....Saying I'm almost loosing my mind is an understatement.


Did you get a response on the visa yet? if so how long did it take?


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## Fortune07 (Apr 14, 2016)

chris_mave said:


> Did you get a response on the visa yet? if so how long did it take?


Sorry for the late reply, been struggling to access my account.

Unfortunately i am still following up. But things are looking up. My VISA was supposed to be verified, that was confirmed three weeks ago. It is just the high commissioner in Cameroon who is now slowing things down. Just don't know why she wldn't finalise this thg and free us from this misery. but like i said things are looking good.


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## Fortune07 (Apr 14, 2016)

Hi Hopeful and Chris!

Did you guys come right with your VISA applications? As for me, the High Commissioner in Cameroon is making our lives miserable. It is 9 weeks now since my VISA was verified and feedback sent to them to issue. Right up to this moment, nothing has happened. Talk about how one human can make the lives of other humans miserable.


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## Oyibopeppeh (Sep 8, 2010)

The SAHC in Yaounde is hopeless. You need to follow up through DHA in Pretoria.


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## Fortune07 (Apr 14, 2016)

Oyibopeppeh said:


> The SAHC in Yaounde is hopeless. You need to follow up through DHA in Pretoria.


Hi Oyibopeppeh,

Tell me about it!!! Tsuiip!!

Sounds like you have experience with them, any tips on what i can do?

Here is what and where i have gone through. I was in direct contact with the lady at DHA who verified my VISA. She confirmed to me that she was done and a mail has been sent to the SAHC in Yaounde for final processes seeing that it is the SA High Commissioner who is to issue the VISA. Someone here on this forum had gone through this process (though he was from India), he said his wife and son got their VISAs one week after confirmation from DHA was sent to the SAHC in India. So i was hoping our case will be the same. But i waited a week after the confirmatory email was sent to Yaounde and nothing happened. The lady at DHA who verified my VISA wrote to me on her own to find out if the VISA has been issued. When i told her "not yet", she was surprised and then put me through to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation(DIRCO) office. She said they are the ones who can call the SAHC to demand reasons for delay. So i got in contact with them.

After several emails to and from DIRCO as well as a number of phone calls, two weeks ago i was told to be patient as there are are certain processes and procedures that need to be complied with for every individual application and also that the application is with the High Commissioner at the moment. What else can one say to that? I just thanked him and left it at that. I had already explained to them that it is way past the processing time we were told and i was thinking due to that, the matter will be handled with some urgency but he still came back with the "patient, process and procedure" speech??? I was just lost of words, i just thanked him and stayed quiet.


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## Fortune07 (Apr 14, 2016)

Heeeeey!!! Finallly!!!

After 8 months 1 week my husband was finally granted the visa today. He collected it today and by the special grace of God he will be in SA on Saturday...ALLELUIA!!!


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