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Immigration law

he Minister of Home Affairs recently, in been acting since June 2014 as a receiving and
response to a written question in Parliament, dispatching agent for the Department of Home
stated that the roll-out programme for Affairs will expire, ostensibly, at the end of the current
e-Visas in South Africa will commence at the year. The indication is that it will not be renewed, for
Tend of the first quarter of the next financial reasons primarily of the introduction of the e-Visa
year, that is, by 31 March 2019. system.
The statement further indicated that the “roll out According to the written response by the Minister,
programme” will be gradual, starting with Phase the e-Visa system will run much along the following
one, Release one, which entails applications lines:
for Temporary Residence Visas, Adjudication “e-Visa introduces online capture of Visa and Permit
of Temporary Residence Visas, applications for Applications and capturing applicant’s biometrics
Waivers, Notifications through the applicant via in South Africa and abroad. An Application will be
email and biometrics captured at the mission. The captured and submitted online together with the
e-Permit will be piloted at one mission or local office required supporting documents that will be scanned
in the last quarter of the next Financial Year by 31 and attached to the application. The applicant will
March 2019. This is to ensure systems stability. then present himself/herself before a DHA Official
Once stable, more offices locally will be brought for biometric enrolment, and verifications of the
on-line. submitted supporting documents is conducted at this
It is also important to note that the contract stage. The application form together with supporting
with Visa Facilitation Services “VFS” which has documents and biometrics are then electronically

46 JUNE 2018 · HR FUTURE