Relatives Visa
The Relatives Visa is for a member of the immediate family of a South African citizen or permanent resident, a parent, child or sibling. The South African sponsor provides the prescribed financial assurance, unless the South African is a dependent child. It is a residence route for family reunification, not a work route: the visa carries no right to work or study. We confirm it fits before you commit.
Free assessment. A client manager will call you.
Eligibility
Immediate family of a South African citizen or permanent resident
The Relatives Visa is for a parent, child or sibling of a South African citizen or permanent resident. The relative does not have to be financially dependent on them. A spouse applies for the Spousal Visa instead. We confirm at the outset that your relationship qualifies, because that is what decides whether the visa is open to you.
The sponsor's financial assurance, in most cases
The South African citizen or permanent resident sponsoring the application must usually provide the prescribed financial assurance for the applicant, undertaking to support the relative financially. It is not required where the South African is a dependent child, which matters for a foreign parent of a young South African. The exact amount is set by regulation and reviewed from time to time, so we confirm the current figure and what evidence satisfies it on your free assessment call rather than quoting a number that may have moved.
No right to work or study
The Relatives Visa does not carry the right to work, and it does not carry an automatic right to study. If you need to work or study, that requires a separate visa or a different route. We are clear about this before you apply, because it is the point families most often misread.
Police clearances
The applicant needs a police clearance for every country they have lived in for twelve months or more after the age of eighteen, during the five years before the application. We check that this is in order before you apply.
From free assessment to approval
Assessment and route check
We confirm the relationship falls within the immediate family the law recognises, and, where it applies, that the sponsor can meet the prescribed financial assurance, before any money is spent.
Assemble the evidence
We assemble the evidence the route needs and check it against the requirements before anything is submitted.
Varies by case
Submission
Submissions are in person. If you are our client, we can personally accompany and support you at the VFS centres in Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg. If you submit at a South African mission abroad, we prepare you fully and guide you through the process, but we cannot attend with you.
Adjudication
The Department reviews the application. Turnaround varies with current Department workload, so we give you a realistic estimate for your case rather than a single fixed number.
Varies by mission
Mistakes that cost a refusal
Expecting to work or study on the visa. The Relatives Visa carries no right to work, and study is not automatic. Working on it requires a separate visa or route, which we identify before you apply.
Underestimating the financial assurance. Where it applies, the sponsor's prescribed financial assurance is the core requirement, not a formality. If the sponsor cannot evidence it, the application does not stand, so we test it before anything is spent.
Assuming any relative qualifies. The route is for immediate family defined by closeness of kinship. More distant relatives may fall outside it, so we confirm the relationship before you commit.
Treating permanent residence as part of the package. It is a separate application, open to a parent or child of a citizen or permanent resident, not to a sibling.
How the route works in practice
The Relatives Visa is for a member of the immediate family of a South African citizen or permanent resident, a parent, child or sibling. In most cases the South African sponsor provides the prescribed financial assurance. It is a route for family reunification, letting a close relative live in South Africa legally.
It is also the family route most often misunderstood, because of what it does not do.
What the visa is, and is not
The Relatives Visa lets a close relative reside in South Africa. It does not carry the right to work, and it does not carry an automatic right to study. That is the single most important thing to understand before applying. If the relative needs to work or study, this is not the visa for that, and a separate route is needed. We say so plainly at the outset, because building a plan around a work right this visa does not give is the most expensive mistake families make here.
The sponsor’s financial assurance
In most cases the route rests on the South African sponsor providing the prescribed financial assurance for the relative. In effect the sponsor undertakes to support the relative financially, and has to evidence the means to do so. The assurance is not required where the South African citizen or permanent resident is a dependent child, which is the position of a foreign parent joining a young South African child. The required amount is set by regulation and is reviewed from time to time, so we confirm the current figure and exactly what evidence satisfies it rather than quoting a number that may have moved. Where the sponsor cannot meet it, the application does not stand, so we test this before anything is spent.
Who counts as a relative
The route is for a parent, child or sibling of a South African citizen or permanent resident, and the relative does not have to be financially dependent on them. A spouse or life partner applies for the Spousal or Life Partner Visa instead. More distant relationships may fall outside the route entirely, so we confirm the relationship qualifies before you commit, rather than after a refusal.
The permanent-residence picture
- Parent
- Child
- Sibling
- Parent
- Child
Permanent residence on the family route is open to a parent or child of a citizen or permanent resident, not to a sibling. It is a separate application, and it is a less direct path than the spousal or life partner routes. We set that out honestly rather than implying permanent residence comes with the visa.
What we do
What we offer is a South African team that does family work every day: confirming the relationship qualifies, testing the sponsor’s financial assurance, being clear about the work-right limit, and getting the submission right first time. If you want to know whether the Relatives Visa fits your family’s situation, the next step is a focused conversation about the relationship and the sponsor’s position.
What that buys you
We confirm the relationship falls within the immediate family the law recognises before you commit, rather than after a refusal.
We test the sponsor's financial assurance against the current prescribed figure, because where it applies, the application does not stand without it.
We are clear from the start that the visa carries no work right, so you are not left stranded, and we identify a work route where you need one.
We set out the permanent-residence picture honestly, which is limited to parents and children, rather than implying it is open to every relative.
We work on a transparent flat fee, quoted once we understand your case. We do not publish prices because the right number is the case-specific one.
Sources
South African immigration is decided by the Department of Home Affairs. These are the official pages behind what you have just read, so you can check it against the source rather than take our word for it.
- Department of Home Affairs: immigration services
Authoritative for visa and permit categories, requirements and application channels.
Guided by our team in Cape Town
Every page here is maintained by Intergate Immigration’s client managers in Cape Town, the same people who handle your case from the free assessment to approval.
Meet the team
Questions people ask
Who qualifies for a Relatives Visa?
It is for a parent, child or sibling of a South African citizen or permanent resident, and the relative does not have to be dependent on them. A spouse applies for the Spousal Visa instead. We confirm that your relationship qualifies before you commit.
Can I work or study on a Relatives Visa?
No. The Relatives Visa carries no right to work, and study is not automatic. If you need to work or study, that requires a separate visa or route, which we identify for you before you apply.
What is the financial assurance?
The South African sponsor must usually provide a prescribed financial assurance, undertaking to support the relative financially. It is not required where the South African citizen or permanent resident is a dependent child, such as the young South African child of a foreign parent. The amount is set by regulation and reviewed from time to time, so we confirm the current figure and the evidence that satisfies it on the assessment call.
How long is the visa valid?
It is issued for a defined period and is renewable while the relationship and the sponsor's support continue. The exact term depends on your circumstances, which we confirm on the assessment call.
Can I apply for permanent residence?
Permanent residence on the family route is open to a parent or child of a South African citizen or permanent resident, not to a sibling. It is a separate application. It is also a less direct path than the spousal or life partner routes. We confirm whether you qualify before advising on it.
What are the most common reasons for refusal?
A sponsor who cannot evidence the prescribed financial assurance where it applies, or kinship not proven with unabridged certificates. We test the financial assurance and the relationship evidence before submission.
Speak with our South African team.
A focused conversation about your situation, the route that fits and your timeline, before any money is spent.
Free assessment. A client manager will call you.