Permanent Residence


Foreigners who have been working in South Africa on a general work visa or critical skills visa for five consecutive years and received a permanent offer of employment can apply for permanent residence status.

  • You are eligible to apply for permanent residence if have been in possession of work visas for at least the past five consecutive years, with a permanent job offer secured in South Africa.  A minimum of five years work permits need to have been endorsed in a passport. Intra-Company Transfer work visas are excluded and are not considered for this purpose.
  • You are eligible to apply for permanent residence If you have been espoused (by marriage or life-partnership) to a South African citizen or permanent resident for at least five years.
  • You qualify to apply for permanent residence if you are the child, under the age of 21, of a citizen or permanent resident.
  • You qualify to apply for permanent residence if you are the child of any age of a citizen.
  • You are eligible to apply for permanent residence if you hold a critical skills work visa, as per Critical Skills List published in the Government Gazette, AND you have accrued at least five years of vertifiable post-qualification experience.
  • You may be eligible to apply for permanent residence on the basis of your intended investment in an existing South African business or if you intend to establish and invest in South African business.  This investment should be no less than R5 million, or a lesser amount as agreed by the DHA should the business enterprise fall within one of the prescribed National Interest sectors of the South African economy.
  • You may be eligible to apply for permanent residence on the basis that you have held refugee status in South Africa for at least the past five years.  For this purpose you will require obtaining a certification from the Refugee Standing Committee confirming that you will remain a refugee indefinitely.
  • You may be eligible to apply for permanent residence on the basis of your receipt of pensions or irrevocable annuities for the rest of your life.
  • You are eligible to apply for permanent residence on the basis that you can demonstrate your net worth to be equivalent to no less than R12 million AND undertake to pay to the DHA a non-refundable once off fee of R120,000.00 upon the approval of your application.