General Work Permit

A General Work Visa (often referred to as a General Work Permit) in South Africa allows foreign nationals to live and work in the country for a specific employer. Issued under Section 19(2) of the South African Immigration Act, it is the primary route for individuals who have secured a job offer but do not qualify under the Critical Skills List.

 Duly completed and signed application form.
 Proof of payment of the applicable fee.
 A valid Passport that expires in no less than 30 days after expiry of the intended
date of departure from the Republic in terms of regulation 9(1)(a).

 In the case of an application for extension, the application must be submitted
in person, no less than 60 days prior to the expiry date of the applicant’s visa
and if the visa was issued for less than 30 days, not later than seven working
days before the expiry of the visa.

 A medical report, signed by a medical practitioner, reflecting the practice number
of the practitioner and their address and contact details, which report shall not be
older than six months at the time of its submission.

 Police clearance certificate issued by the police or security authority of a country
where the applicant resided for longer than 12 months in the last 5 years prior to
submitting the current application, which certificate shall not be older than six
months at the time of its submission.

 A yellow fever vaccination certificate if an applicant travelled or intends travelling
from or transiting through a yellow fever endemic are, provided that the certificate
shall not be required where an applicant travelled or intends travelling in direct
transit through such area.

 A written undertaking by the employer to:
a) ensure that the passport of his or her employee is valid at all times
for the duration of his or her employment;
b) accepting responsibility for the costs related to the deportation of
the applicant and his or her dependent family members, should it
become necessary;
c) inform the Director-General; should the applicant not comply with
the provisions of the Act, or conditions of the visa; and
d) inform the Director-General upon the employee no longer being in
the employ of such employer or when he or she is employed in a
different capacity or role.

 Outcome of foreign qualifications evaluated by SAQA and translated by a sworn
translator into one of the official languages of the Republic; or proof of
application submitted to SAQA for evaluation of foreign qualifications if the
outcome of the evaluation is not yet available.

 Full particulars of the employer, including, where applicable, proof of
registration of the business with the Commission on Intellectual Property and
Companies (CIPC)

Applications are assessed individually and time frames may vary, therefore you are kindly requested to wait until a decision on your application is taken and is ready for collection, as VFS Global cannot control or influence the processing times in any way.

Visa fees