Welcome to the critical skills work visa and permit category. For those potential applicants for a work visa or permit to South Africa, and even those existing work permit or visa holders, this category of work visa may well be great news.
First introduced into South Africa’s Immigration Act in June 2014, the Critical skills work visa and permit saw a refreshingly forward thinking approach by the Department of Home Affairs to attracting much needed skills to South Africa and improving the visa and permit application process.
Some highlights of the critical skills work category include:
- Is based on a well researched list of occupations that are badly needed in South Africa, increasing your chances of finding a job.
- No restrictions in terms of the numbers in each listed occupation.
- No Department of Labour recommendation so quicker turnaround times.
- Deals with the professional bodies specific to the occupation.
- Can be a pathway to permanent residence immediately as well as an immediate 5 year working visa.
- Less obligation on employers.
Both permanent and temporary residency options
A temporary critical skills work visa is issued for a 5 year period of time. After 5 years you can then apply for permanent residence. Read more here on the critical skills work visa.
If you already have 5 years experience in your occupation then there is every chance you can immediately apply for permanent residence as well. Read more here on the critical skills work permit.
What is the key criteria for a critical skills visa or permit application?
You must feature on the critical skills list, this is firstly based on your educational subject and then further broken down into occupations within these educational areas. You can view the critical skill list here, which will open in a new window.
What If I am not on the critical skills list?
There are other visa alternatives that you may qualify for and we recommend you take our free one minute eligibility test here.
Great news I am on the list critical skills!
The best next step is to e-mail us and attach your CV, if you don’t have a current CV why not call us on any of the above numbers or request a call back.
Getting help with your visa or permit application
We welcome the opportunity to consult with you as to your eligibility for a visa /permit and answer any questions you may have with no obligation.
You can take our free one minute assessment here or request a call back for more information. Or simply call us at +27 (0)21 424 2460.
Alternatively you can fill out the below online enquiry form to contact us.
