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Home Affairs legalises Zimbabweans living, working and studying in South Africa

On February 7, 2019 / by Andrew Wicks / Leave a comment

Over 180,000 Zimbabwean nationals living in South Africa have applied for official documentation to allow them to stay, work, study and conduct businesses legally in the country, according to the Department of Home Affairs.

During the last few years, the influx of Zimbabweans looking for opportunities in South Africa has risen dramatically. Economic unrest and lack of resources have seen skilled and unskilled Zimbabweans look to ply their trade or improve their skills south of the border.

The scale of this admin has naturally caused a backlog and now in reaction, the Department of Home Affairs has announced that it has completed the adjudication and printing of 178,172 applications for the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP).

The opening of applications for the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit was announced in September 2017 following the expiry of the Zimbabwean Special Permit (ZSP). The ZEP was introduced to regularise the study of Zimbabweans living in South Africa for the purpose of work, study or operation of a legal business.

Since the new roll out of the 180,000 applications mentioned earlier, 108,485 permits were processed and had been collected. While 39,089 were in the process of being collected or sent to the various collection offices.

The Department of Home Affairs has also urged 1,932 applicants who had expired passports to contact the Zimbabwean consulate, as their application could not be processed.

While this may be a relief for many, it still denies Zimbabweans permanent residency in South Africa. The department said it had met with the Zimbabwean Consulate which had undertaken to expedite the passport applications of those who did apply.

The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit came into effect in January 2018, and it will expire in December 2021.

If you’re looking for assistance with visa applications in South Africa, make sure you get in touch with one of our consultants today.

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Andrew Wicks

Andrew Wicks

Over the past 11 years, Andrew’s entrepreneurial spirit, as well as his business acumen, has led to the establishment of small to medium enterprises worldwide. Promising opportunities in the fields of IT, mobile distribution and advertising (amongst others) have been converted into successful business units in a variety of global markets. Andrew returned to South Africa after seven years in Europe to found Initiate International. He remains totally hands-on and has expanded the company across three continents.

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