Imminent Travel & Immigration

Imminent Travel & Immigration Imminent Travel is a well established consultancy, with nearly 40 years experience within the recruitment, travel, relocation and immigration fields.
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Imminent Travel and Immigration was established in 2003. Neville South has many years of experience in the immigration field. Imminent Travel and Immigration was formed to provide both individuals and companies cost effective but high quality advice on immigration matters and the assistance to applicants in obtaining all categories South African of both visas and permits, in line with the current Immigration legislation.

08/08/2024
https://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/statements-speeches/home-affairs-today
06/07/2024

https://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/statements-speeches/home-affairs-today

The DHA is custodian, protector and verifier of the identity and status of citizens and other persons resident in South Africa. This makes it possible for people to realize their rights and access benefits and opportunities in both the public and private domains. By expanding these services to margi...

https://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/statements-speeches/1782-new-home-affairs-minister-dr-leon-schreiber-extends-temporary-...
04/07/2024

https://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/statements-speeches/1782-new-home-affairs-minister-dr-leon-schreiber-extends-temporary-visa-concession-to-safeguard-applicants-from-adverse-consequences-caused-by-processing-delays

The DHA is custodian, protector and verifier of the identity and status of citizens and other persons resident in South Africa. This makes it possible for people to realize their rights and access benefits and opportunities in both the public and private domains. By expanding these services to margi...

Another super happy client, receiving her permanent residence today after years of struggling through the Home Affairs s...
03/07/2024

Another super happy client, receiving her permanent residence today after years of struggling through the Home Affairs systems. Congrats to you & Brian. You stuck it out and your efforts have paid off

02/07/2024

With the change of Minister at Home Affairs it would seem the extension of the Concession Letter has not happened, as we anticipated. This now leaves a situation that those who have submitted applications prior to 30th Nov 2023 and who are wanting to travel imminently may encounter banning on their departures. My suggestion is that if you have an application pending in the system, that you only Depart SA if absolutely necessary. We are hoping that the new Minister will address this urgently. I will advise as we have information

26/06/2024

Morning, Jane is no longer employed or working for our company. As a registered Immigration Practitioner, we at Imminent Travel & Immigration will continue to offer professional & expert advise on SA Immigration matters. This change will in no way affect the monitoring and chasing of your applications already submitted and any of the other services offered. Pse feel free to contact Neville directly on 0722781262 for assistance with new and existing applications. Looking forward to being of further service to you in the near future

STEFANIE DE SAUDE DARBANDI: There is a palpable change at home affairs department
19/06/2024

STEFANIE DE SAUDE DARBANDI: There is a palpable change at home affairs department

But efficiency is not enough; applications must be processed fairly and approved without bias

Constitutional Court dismisses application for leave to appeal Zimbabwe permit decision
19/06/2024

Constitutional Court dismisses application for leave to appeal Zimbabwe permit decision

The Constitutional Court dismissed an application by the home affairs minister for leave to appeal a June 2023 Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruling that the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) programme had been unlawfully terminated.

04/06/2024

FINALIZED APPLICATIONS - Some positive information for a change, we have seen a definite increase in the number of applicants in the queue collecting results on their applications. This is a positive indication that applications are again being finalized by Home Affairs. We have, over the last few weeks, also had 5 or 6 of our own applications finalized each week. We are still concerned that with a 92000 temp visa backlog, it'll take a long time to get all the old applications through the system. At this stage, there seems to be no date order to these finalized applications. We are watching your applications carefully and checkinh for results at least 3 times a week. We will advise individual applicants immediately on receipt of info on their applications. Pse feel free to contact Neville on 0722781262 or Jane on 0824609918 for further assistance

18/05/2024

The White Paper on the new immigration legislation has apparently been approved by Parliament. This will see pretty comprehensive changes to the current law and specifically for work visas and permanent residence permit, applications. We anticipate these changes to be implemented anytime between 4 months and a year from now. We suggest that if you are considering applying for permanent residence permits or work visas, that these applications are submitted under the current legislation and as soon as possible. Please contact Imminent Travel & Immigration, Neville on 0722781262 or Jane on 0824609918 for assistance

03/04/2024

This simply as an update for all Imminent Travel and Immigration clients. Home Affairs has published changes to the current Immigration Legislation, of which the most important are the introduction of a Nomad Visa allowing foreigners who are employed outside SA to work here in SA for limited periods of less than 6 months in a 12 month period, without registering with SARS. If the period required exceeds this the applicant will also need to register with SARS. A further requirement is that the applicant will have to prove an annual income exceeding the equivalent of R1million. The second important change is that applicants can now apply for a 1 year Critical Skills Work Visas with the proof of an application made to a professional body and the third us that work visas will now be based on a points system based on age, qualifications, language skills, work experience, offer of employment and the ability to adapt to local conditions. The detail is yet to be announced.

Please feel free yo contact either Neville on 0722781262 or Jane on 0824609918

18/03/2024

Eventually there seems to be a small glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The Minister of Home Affairs publicly announcing that the temporary visa backlog has been drastically reduced and that they now only have the spouse visa application to still finalize. We are yet to see this movement on the ground but expect that we will be receiving results on some of our almost 300 pending visa application soon. We are obviously watching this space very carefully and will advise you individually the minute we have any information on your applications.
We are advising that those who have not yet submitted applications, keep track of the expiry dates of your current visas and apply for extensions well in advance of the expiry dates.
Please feel free to contact either Neville on 0722781262 or Jane on 0824609918

09/01/2024

Home affairs flounders under backlog of 95,000 visa applications
Sunday Times - 07 January 2024
Hundreds now jumping the queue and rushed processes pose security risk, leaked memo says
Minister of Home Affairs Dr Aaron Motsoaledi briefs the media in decision of exemptions granted to Lesotho and Zimbabwe Nationals in Pretoria on December 01, 2023.
A leaked internal document has cast new light on the shocking backlogs at the department of home affairs (DHA), which has fallen so far behind in processing temporary residence visa permit applications that it faces dire legal implications.
The memorandum, sent to the DHA by the state attorney’s office in Cape Town, was scathing in its assessment of a flood of lawsuits due to the department’s inability to issue permits and visas expeditiously.
It warned the backlog — now standing at 950,000 applications — had led to:
A proliferation of class action lawsuits against home affairs, with cost orders;
Applicants “jumping the queue” when the courts ordered their paperwork to be fast tracked, which thwarted the immigration process;
National security risks, because vetting processes were being rushed by DHA officials who feared being found in contempt of court; and
The blocking of skilled overseas applicants seeking employment in South Africa.
The memo was written by Shireen Karjiker, Dalphine Smith and Sachin-Lee Simpson from the state attorney’s office, who said there had been a flood of class action lawsuits that had enabled desperate visa applicants to jump the immigration queue.
Justice department spokesperson Kgalalelo Masibi, responding on behalf of the state attorney’s office, declined to offer substantive comment, citing attorney-client confidentiality. “Any communication not designated for public consumption is protected in terms of the Legal Practice Act and relevant confidential prescripts,” she said.
The DHA had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.
The memo, dated November 1 last year, said in part: “We are concerned that DHA’s inability to adjudicate permits is spawning litigation and escalating legal costs on a continuous basis. Also, the courts are granting substitution and usurping powers of the executive. These class actions place pressure on all involved — the state attorneys, DHA legal advisers [and] the line-function at permitting, and create further backlogs.
“The adjudicators do not have an opportunity to properly scrutinise and examine the applications, and permits are issued to people who should never have qualified.”

The memo, addressed to DHA deputy director of legal services Zanecebo Menze and legal representative Nkosinathi Makalima, cited a “scathing” 2017 Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling related to the failure to adjudicate permits expeditiously.
Adjudicators did not have an opportunity to verify liabilities of the applicants and, in an effort to avert a contempt situation, issued permits to foreigners even though there was crucial information [missing]. This is a serious error and security risk.
State attorney's office memo
The court dismissed an appeal by the DHA against an order from the Western Cape High Court to process applications after prolonged delays. The SCA ruling said: “The approach … is unconscionable, especially coming from a state department. It could also, rightly, be described as disgraceful.”
The memo said that in the wake of the SCA judgment “class action cases have become more prevalent in the immigrations sphere; we are confronted with mandamus applications every day”.
“Mandamus” is a legal term for a court order that compels government officials to perform their duties.
The memo lists a series of court cases brought against the DHA since 2015 and cites two recent class actions, one brought by 37 applicants and another involving 185 people.
“The relief being sought in these matters is that the undetermined permits ... and appeals be adjudicated and delivered within 30 days of the court order being granted; it is all the exact same modus operandi employed by the attorneys.
“What is the way forward?” the memo’s authors ask, saying there is no end in sight for the backlog.
Referring to the case involving 37 applicants, the memo says: “Adjudicators did not have an opportunity to verify liabilities of the applicants and, in an effort to avert a contempt situation, issued permits to foreigners even though there was crucial information [missing]. This is a serious error and security risk.
“There is a fundamental danger to this type of adjudication, it creates the impression that the immigration process is not very vigorous and seem insubstantial and unconvincing. The immigration process can be thwarted.
“The immigration attorneys are emboldened to litigate more as they are able to ensure their clients’ applications are fast-tracked through a court order — essentially, they are jumping the queue.”
The memo urged the DHA to spell out its “challenges and the crisis” in its court papers in such cases. “The court might make a directive and afford an opportunity to attempt to get [the department’s] house in order, it might offer reprieve.”
It said the department had spent more than R1m in legal costs in matters brought by one immigration services company, Intergate.

Flonique Ashbury, a director at Intergate, said the firm had brought lawsuits on behalf of more than 700 people.
She said it was concerning that DHA officials were inconsistent in their decisions, which complicated efforts to attract foreign staff with critically needed skills. “We often see rejections based on the department overlooking documents in the application or simply not understanding the context of the supporting documents.”
Ashbury said 21,832 applications were rejected between 2016 and 2023, and it appeared that “overworked” officials were simply throwing out applications wholesale as a way of clearing the backlog.
“If this system is not resolved, investors and skilled foreign workers will retract from South Africa, which will further damage our economy.”
In another leaked document, the DHA says that as of September 11 last year there were 95,711 applications for temporary residence visas at various stages of adjudication. Of these, 58,705 had not yet even been assigned to an adjudicator.
Stefanie De Saude-Darbandi, whose law firm brought the class action suit that resulted in the 2017 ruling by the SCA, said that in a one-month period recently the firm “launched three class action lawsuits with close to 800 outstanding applications”.
“We go to court and we win, but the court orders end up in contempt of court. The director-general and minister do not comply, so we have to go back to the court for the contempt order,” she said.
In November home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi published a White Paper on citizenship, immigration and refugee protection that contained far-reaching proposals to overhaul the migration system.
A high-ranking DHA official said the main motive for overhauling the system was to deal with the application backlog. One factor that slowed down the application process was the suspension or dismissal of DHA officials for fraud and corruption, which caused staff shortages.

09/12/2023
04/12/2023

Imminent Travel and Immigration - our offices will be closing for the festive season on 20th Dec 2023 and will be reopen our offices on 15th January 2024. My we wish you all a safe and joyous festive season and may 2024 bring you all peace, love and property. Looking forward to assisting you with any SA immigration matters in the near future

11/10/2023

DELAYS IN VISA APPLICATION PROCESSING - The SA immigration industry and foreigners both in and outside the country wanting to visit, settle and remain in SA, continue to face unpresidented challenges with regard to obtaining visa and permanent residence permits. Applications submitted within SA and at some SA Embassies are being delayed for months and in some cases years. These delays in processing both visas and permits are in our opinion leading to inhumane circumstances for those waiting for results on applications. These delays are affecting travel, investment, business etc, not to mention causing untold frustration and unsettlement for all involved. We are of the opinion that these delays are a direct result of a knee jerk reaction to unemployment and xenophobia, is to try convince SA citizens that Government is limiting foreigners within the country. There is clearly very little properly formulated Government policy on this matter, which has todate obviously not considered the huge contribution some foreigners are making to the SA invironment, development, training and employment of locals. There is unfortunately no alternative system to VFS and Home Affairs. We have no choice but to continue wading through these total system inefficiencies. We here at Imminent Travel and Immigration continue to submit more applications than we are getting results for. These challenges do however in no way lesson our commitment and resolve to have our clients applications approved and issued in the shortest possible time frames. For assistance and further guidance and information please do not hesitate to contact Neville on 0722781262 or Jane on 0824609918

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