# Work endorsement / Relatives Temporary Permit / Life partner status



## Brit in SA (Aug 15, 2013)

*Work endorsement / Temporary Residence Permit / Life partner status*

Hi,

*Re: Work endorsement / Temporary Residence Permit / Life partner status (issued under 'Relatives Permit')*

_Aug 2013_: I have successfully received a work endorsement (life partner status) from Home Affairs and I wanted to share my experience to help others, as it is very confusing and stressful!

> *Temporary Residence Permit* / *Life Partner status*, issued under ‘*Relatives Permit’*
I applied for a Temporary Residence Permit in the UK before arriving in South Africa and was issued with a ‘Relatives Permit’ with the condition ‘To accompany partner XX ID number XX for a period of 24 months….which means it is a ‘Life Partner’ permit (my boyfriend is South African, I am British).

As I am holding a ‘Life partner’ status Temporary Residence Permit, I am able to work once I have received a contract of employment. E.g. You first must have a job offer/contract from a company before you can apply for a work endorsement. 

To try and clear up some of the confusion! If you google ‘Can I work on a Relatives Permit?’ you will probably read that you cannot work. To clarify - the rules states that a “_foreign spouse/life partner may not conduct work on a visitor’s or relative’s permit_”. HOWEVER (!), “you _may apply for a change of status whilst inside the Republic!5B/I]” (the change of status is a work endorsement application).

It took me a while to get a job (I think that a lot of employers are not convinced that you have the right to work in South Africa and some jobs are only offered to SA citizens) but when I did, I submitted the following documents at Cape Town Home Affairs, Barrack Street.

Documents submitted for a ‘work endorsement application, life partner status’
> Employment Contract 
> ‘Application for change of conditions on existing permit or change of status’ (Home Affairs form)
> Certified copy of my passport and Temporary Residence Permit (you will also need to take your passport)
> Certified copy of my partners ID

I wasn’t asked for the following documents, but when my application was re-submitted, I was asked for them.
> Letter of support from my partner (Home Affairs like to confirm that the relationship still exists)
> ‘Letter of motivation’ from your employer, stating that are offering you XX position and that they have an operational requirement for you to start XX (give at least 30 days).

* *Please note that these were the documents I submitted at Barrack Street, Cape Town and the document requirements may vary from different Home Affairs offices. YOU WILL NEED TO CONFIRM WITH YOUR LOCAL HOME AFFAIRS OFFICE **

One area of confusion is over which documents to submit. I visited the Paarl Home Office and they told me I needed to submit a new application for a Temporary Residence Permit, as well as the documents required for the work endorsement. I then went to Cape Town Home Affairs and they told me something else so I called Home Affairs in Pretoria (email and number below) and they confirmed that I needed the following documents to apply for a work endorsement:

1. Contract of employment 
2. A copy of partners ID 
3. A valid passport
4. 3 months bank statements

* *DO NOT RELY ON THE LIST ABOVE - PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL HOME AFFAIRS OFFICE* *

When I went to collect my work endorsement, I received a 3 year ‘Visitors permit’ that states on the conditions at the bottom of the sticker (same sticker format as the Temporary Residence Permit) that I have the right to “Reside with SA Life Partner ID XX, whilst employed at XX. 

I believe that the reason the work endorsement comes back as a ‘Visitors Permit’, is due to the fact that Home Affairs does not allow relatives category permits to have working rights (therefore I received a visitors permit that allows me to work for XX employer). 

Work endorsements are job specific, so if you change jobs you will need to undergo the process again as the working rights follow the job. 

GOOD LUCK and here are some tips!

*TIPS*:
1. Scan and save all your documents & make copies!!! The reason for this is that if you are experiencing a delay with your application, you can go to your local Home Affairs and ask them to re-submit your application to Pretoria (fax or emails). This was done for me in Barrack Street and all my documents were emailed directly to Pretoria.

* Try and scan and save as small files, as Home Affairs cannot receive large emails (e.g. my 7MB scan of my passport was too large a file).

2. When you are job hunting, you might want to highlight to recruitment agencies and potential employers that you do NOT need a work permit, you simply require a work endorsement as you have a South African life partner/spouse.

3. I chose not to use an immigration company to submit my application, as they are not able to assist with speeding up the process in Pretoria (this is where delays can occur). One of the main reasons to use an agency is that they can go to Home Affairs for you and chase your application, but I had nothing else to do so I went there myself (in addition, they can ensure that you are submitting the correct documents if you are unsure)!

4. Home Affairs contact information
Email - [email protected]
Telephone number – 0800 601 190 (SA number, toll free) / if abroad +27 11 461 9252
They are very good at replying via email and if you call, you will generally get a call back within 72 hours. 

5. Delays: If you are experiencing delays, I would highly recommend that you do not sit and wait for an outcome! I went back to the office where I submitted my application on many occasions (Barrack Street) and queued to speak with the Visa Query Manager and she kindly re-submitted my application for me.

All applications are issued in Pretoria, so the key thing to try and do is get a contact in Pretoria Head Office (it is not open to the public, so you must try and get your local Home Affairs to help you get in contact with Pretoria)._


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## Alsan (Aug 15, 2013)

Thanks for this, that's very thorough and informative!

I just have to ask, what section did you fill in under the application form seeing as most of it seems to apply to applying for a general work permit or other things, not a work endorsement on a Relative's Visa? And did your employer have to fill in section R or was the offer letter and contract enough?


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## Brit in SA (Aug 15, 2013)

Hi Alsan,

The form is generic and covers all things, so simply fill out and explain that you are applying for a work endorsement as you have received a job offer (e.g this is the reason for the change to your existing permit).

My employer did not fill out any parts of the form, the employment contract is sufficient.

Good luck!


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## Alsan (Aug 15, 2013)

Thanks Brit in SA! Sounds like your experience wasn't too frustrating (apart from the resubmitting) , I am headed to Barrack Street early tomorrow and hoping it turns out alright :fingerscrossed:


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

Alsan said:


> Thanks Brit in SA! Sounds like your experience wasn't too frustrating (apart from the resubmitting) , I am headed to Barrack Street early tomorrow and hoping it turns out alright :fingerscrossed:


Good Luck. Keeping fingers crossed for you! Let us know how you got on.


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## Alsan (Aug 15, 2013)

Well, it went quite smoothly, I guess. I was and out in half an hour. I also had arrived before 7 and was at the head of the queue so that maybe helped a bit. 

She did however say that my husband should be there, despite me having a letter of support plus bank statements and other documents with both our names on. I told her quite calmly that I had been told otherwise and she seemed to accept this although she did make a note on my application of this. I hope that won't cause problems further down the line, if it ever gets further down the line that is!

She didn't need anything from my employer apart from the contract, although I had managed to get them to fill in that employer part of the form. Oh well, rather have too much than too little. Also, I thought I had read somewhere here that Cape Town needs two copies of everything but she didn't ask for it.

Now it's just a waiting game. Brit in SA, how long did you wait for in total and how much time did you wait before resubmitting?


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## Saartjie (Mar 1, 2010)

Alsan said:


> Well, it went quite smoothly, I guess. I was and out in half an hour. I also had arrived before 7 and was at the head of the queue so that maybe helped a bit.
> 
> She did however say that my husband should be there, despite me having a letter of support plus bank statements and other documents with both our names on. I told her quite calmly that I had been told otherwise and she seemed to accept this although she did make a note on my application of this. I hope that won't cause problems further down the line, if it ever gets further down the line that is!
> 
> ...


Glad it went ok. It is not true that the spouse needs to be there. For my second section 11(6) I wasn't even there myself. My lawyer submitted the application for me.
Anyway, fingers crossed that it comes through as quickly as possible.


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## Alsan (Aug 15, 2013)

You know, I almost got the feeling that she was annoyed I had all my paper work, like she wanted to throw me a curveball and see how I handled it. I think being calm and blazé about it was the right move. I knew she wasn't right about it.


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## Brit in SA (Aug 15, 2013)

Hi Alsan,

Sorry, just seen this! I was VERY lucky - I submitted my work endorsement on the 1st July 13 and it was issued around the 7th August 13.

I could not afford to wait much longer than 30 days as I could have lost the job (they needed to me start ASAP). Due to this, I was on a bit of a mission to get it issued so I waited 30 days and then went back to Barrack Street to get my application re-submitted.

It was an extremely frustrating and stressful experience as I had no idea when it would get issued. As I say, I got very lucky and even received two calls from Home Affairs asking for all my information again so that they could process for me. 

NB: When you call the Helpline they tell you it can take up to 6 months to be issued and when you check the status they simply tell you it is pending and to call back in a month...this is why I have stressed that Pretoria is the only place that has the ability to process quicker!!

Your partner does not need to be with you.

Good luck!!


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## adityaP (Jun 19, 2013)

Hi Alsan,

I have a Relatives permit (Spousal) and have just secured a job. My Temporary Residence Permit was granted on 25th June 2013 so have not yet completed 6 months, but will soon be over. I have managed to secure a job now. My question :

1. Can you please update the status of the application you made for work endorsement on 20th August and your experience? Thanks.

2. As I will submit the change in status within 6 months of getting TRP, will I require to submit Police Clearance and Medical Reports afresh?

Please help me with these questions. Thanks.

AdityaP


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## Mckennacam (Apr 22, 2013)

Hi Brit in SA,

I wanted to ask how you applied for your temporary residence permit in the UK first? What did you need to submit? And how long did it take?


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## LegalMan (Dec 26, 2012)

Well done, Brit in SA! Let's hope Home Affairs improves their speed overall!


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## mbydes (Apr 14, 2014)

Hi Brit in SA

Would you be able to explain how you went about applying for a temp resident permit in UK please?

Thanks


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