extension only applied to asylum seeker and refugee permits, and people in SA who have applied for immigration waivers. The statement said visa holders had been givenThis led to a rush of people to VFS offices — to no avail. Because any payments made on September 30 would only reflect the next day or even later, they were too late to renew their visas. These foreigners are thus now in SA illegally, facing a future ban if they return to their countries of birth and a fine if they remain in SA.
After 18 months of limited services, the department of home affairs faces a huge backlog. Therefore processes that were slow in “normal” times are glacial now. Waivers and visa applications and extensions are taking months, and in some cases a year, to obtain.Despite the lifting of lockdown restrictions and the vaccination rollout, the department is not making progress on applications that affect the lives of tens of thousands of people.
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