# Permanent Residence Application



## leigh.woods (Jun 25, 2013)

Hi All,
I saw an old string about this, but just wondering if anyone else it waiting a huge amount of time for their PR to come through after applying.

Personally, I've been waiting now for 2 years since application.

Anyone in a similar position?

Rgds,
Leigh.


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## Jujube (Sep 12, 2011)

Hi Leigh,
I applied at the end of April 2012, so been waiting 14 months so far.

Julien


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

leigh.woods said:


> Hi All,
> I saw an old string about this, but just wondering if anyone else it waiting a huge amount of time for their PR to come through after applying.
> 
> Personally, I've been waiting now for 2 years since application.
> ...


Yes lots of us in the same boat unfortunately. I applied 19 months ago although I understand from Home Affairs that it took 6 months for my application to go from Cape Town to Pretoria and as they only count the processing time as from when received by Pretoria, officially my application is 'only' 13 months old. 

At least HA called me last week to confirm that the application had now been escalated as it was over 12 months old. Not that that's going to help.


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

Jujube said:


> Hi Leigh,
> I applied at the end of April 2012, so been waiting 14 months so far.
> 
> Julien


You still waiting then? I was hoping that maybe yours had come through.


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## Jujube (Sep 12, 2011)

Saartjie said:


> You still waiting then? I was hoping that maybe yours had come through.


No good news yet!

I'm still calling them every 2 weeks to put some pressure on & last thursday they told me that they would escalate it again (yeah, right).

Anyway, fingers crossed!


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

Jujube said:


> No good news yet!
> 
> I'm still calling them every 2 weeks to put some pressure on & last thursday they told me that they would escalate it again (yeah, right).
> 
> Anyway, fingers crossed!


Yes the 'escalation' never happens. I think it just means that your application is moving from one pile to another (perhaps closer to the rubbish bin). Keeping fingers crossed as always.


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## leigh.woods (Jun 25, 2013)

I've also just been informed by my immigration company handling the PR application that all Home Affairs regional offices are offline and have been for the past 3 weeks with no outlook as to when they'll be functional again. So they can't even find out the status of my application

ho hum


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

leigh.woods said:


> I've also just been informed by my immigration company handling the PR application that all Home Affairs regional offices are offline and have been for the past 3 weeks with no outlook as to when they'll be functional again. So they can't even find out the status of my application
> 
> ho hum


Yes the HA help line has said the same thing for the past two weeks or so but today when I called they seemed to be up and running again (not that it makes a difference).


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## samarmar (Apr 12, 2013)

I have received my PR two weeks ago after waiting since August 2011. The best thing I did was to just forget that I even applied otherwise I would go insane for the time they took. Eventually though HA not only issued mine and my son's permit but also my hubby's and daughter's whose application was not submitted in the initial application. 

I gave myself 24 months and i got it in 22 months. My application went relatively swift when I was told that an immigration officer was assigned to my case when i called the callcenter. Prior to that it was only the all common escalation statements. Good luck all and hope your time comes soon.


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## Jujube (Sep 12, 2011)

samarmar said:


> I have received my PR two weeks ago after waiting since August 2011. The best thing I did was to just forget that I even applied otherwise I would go insane for the time they took. Eventually though HA not only issued mine and my son's permit but also my hubby's and daughter's whose application was not submitted in the initial application.
> 
> I gave myself 24 months and i got it in 22 months. My application went relatively swift when I was told that an immigration officer was assigned to my case when i called the callcenter. Prior to that it was only the all common escalation statements. Good luck all and hope your time comes soon.


Thanks Samarmar,
great to hear even though you had to wait for that long...22 months!

In regards to the case officer, I have been told that my application was being 'finalised' by an officer almost 3 months ago...but that does not seem to move the needle as in your case.


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## adityaP (Jun 19, 2013)

Hi All,

My situation is quite different than all of you, but since PR was being discussed I am putting up a question related to PR but not exactly on the same line. Please excuse the change in subject.

I am currently residing in Bombay, Indian. My wife is a SA citizen and we are married for 11 years. I have just received my relatives permit (reside with spouse) from the SA consulate in Mumbai. I applied for TR so I could come to SA and then apply for PR.

Since we are married for more than 5 years, I can directly apply for PR, as per the dha website. I wanted to apply for PR from here as all the marriage proofs and cohabitation proofs are here. Also in the consulate a notice board claims PR applications are processed in 8 months. But when I asked the consulate, they told me that PR can be applied for only from SA. 

Please let me know if this is true. My TR was processed in 2 months as per their proclaimed time frame so I would like to apply from here and then come to south Africa, so that while I am finding my feet with job and endorsement, the PR at least keeps moving forward.

Kindly provide comments and opinions. 

Thanks,
Adityap


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

adityaP said:


> Hi All,
> 
> My situation is quite different than all of you, but since PR was being discussed I am putting up a question related to PR but not exactly on the same line. Please excuse the change in subject.
> 
> ...


You can apply for PR from outside SA.


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## LegalMan (Dec 26, 2012)

That's right, they usually prefer to do the whole family together, so it's best to apply at the same time.


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## adityaP (Jun 19, 2013)

Thank you for confirming that. I will now write to the Immigration Consul stationed here in Mumbai and try to get an date for PR interview.

Will update here as the story develops.

Thanks


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## arripay (Mar 19, 2013)

I've been waiting 23 months, so i get some small comfort that its not just me!


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## Jujube (Sep 12, 2011)

Some news from IMCOSA | 3rd Sept 2013:

"And just as applicants for permanent residence started to seriously run out of patience after waiting for results for 2, sometimes 3 or more years, a backlog-fighting unit has been established at Home Affairs' Head Office, which has the task of clearing 20 000 files by the end of the year. If successful, this should lead to a considerable relief."

News: Immigration S.A. - IMCOSA - Immigration and Consulting South Africa


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## LegalMan (Dec 26, 2012)

Sorry, but two years is just too long. It's either lost or you should pursue legal action. With a summons, you won't believe how fast Home Affairs moves.


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## Oz_Child (Jan 28, 2013)

LegalMan said:


> Sorry, but two years is just too long. It's either lost or you should pursue legal action. With a summons, you won't believe how fast Home Affairs moves.


Wow, I never thought about that..I should tell me sister in law who has been battling for her citizenship for 3 years...thanks.

I was blessed my application for PR took 14 months but then I was already in the country on a Work Permit and applied under PR - Worker. My qualification is a critical skill maybe there was a fast track for these people I dont know. All the best for those who are still waiting.

Regards Oz.


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## Jujube (Sep 12, 2011)

"Last year many applicants for permanent residence complained about delays in finalizing their applications. We established a backlogs project in October and have processed over 25,000 applications and issued close to 19,000 permits. I have directed our team to speedily process the temporary residence permits that constitute a backlog."

http://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/sta...e-sabc-morning-live-breakfast-23-january-2014

And yet I'm sure the PR backlog hasn't been cleared as I haven't received mine yet :-(


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## rubelbgdsa0 (Jul 23, 2011)

take DHA to court and u will get a feedback with in 30 days.


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## Jujube (Sep 12, 2011)

rubelbgdsa0 said:


> take DHA to court and u will get a feedback with in 30 days.


and how much is this going to cost me? Anyone around here that has done it to prove that the process works?


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## LegalMan (Dec 26, 2012)

As mentioned on other threads, you can take Home Affairs "to court" with a High Court order and get a response and your PR within 3 months. Unless of course it gets declined for some reason.


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