Procedure to renew life partner visa

Hi guys,

I am from Serbia and my Girlfriend from South Africa. My gf and i will be together for 5 years mid June. I have been living in South Africa for 2 years on a life partner visa with work permit. My visa will expire beginning of July.

My question: What documents do i need? do i need to go to a lawyer again and get a contract between me and my partner again? I don't have a bank account(do to my visa saying visitor, mistake by Home affairs) but i do have signing rights on her account.

Also i have a letter from my employer stating that i am still at the company, i have my doctors letter and x-rays of my chest.

I would appreciate any advice or help as i would like to go and re-apply before end of May.

Thanks :)

Hi! I had mine renewed after two years. The procedure is not as lengthy as the first time. You can just have it renewed. After five years being on the life partner visa, you may then apply for permanent residency based in the life partner visa. Good luck!

Thanks Beatrice01,

what documents would they require for the renewing?

Hi ANGIE_S,

Welcome to expat-blog!

A new topic was created from your post on the South Africa forum, for better visibility. Hope this might be helpful.

Thank you,

David.

Yes, bank account statements will help, and so will proof that you live together. You can apply now for Permanent Residency, provided that you applied correctly for the first permit.

Hi there

My fiancé (Lithuanian) and I (SA) have been living together in SA for 10 months now.
He was only granted 1 year on his Relatives Permit. We will be married next month and my question is,
To renew this permit will we have to re submit all the original documents? And what will we have to pay?
I heard there is no fee for a spouse?

Your help will be appreciated.

Thank you
Jessica

You should not have to pay. You should apply for a Relative's Permit again, this time the Spousal version.

Hi,

I am South African, and my boyfriend is Brazilian- living in Brazil. We want to move to SA, because I have to continue my studies at the University of Pretoria.

Me and my boyfriend were looking for jobs (for him), but came across this:


A letter from the employer motivating why a citizen or permanent resident could not fill the position, as well as proof of efforts made to obtain the services of a citizen or resident, together with the particulars of the unsuccessful candidates


.

So, we think it would be impossible for him to get a job, as he is a qualified graphic designer- and it is not something that SA can benefit from.

So, we looked at a Partner visa. The only thing that we are concerned about, is the fact that you canŽt apply for a professional job. You can only apply for jobs like waitering, etc. But, as my boyfriend is 29 and needs to work, he needs a professional job, like graphic design etc.

Then, we considered marriage, but according to a lady that works at the South African embassy in Brasilia, my boyfriend will only be able to work and apply for a residency visa after 5 years of staying in SA.

I am not sure if the information I have is correct. Are there any people who are familiar with our situation? I have tried to call the embassies, but no one could give me straight answers.

Yes the lady from SA Embassy is correct. SA needs real scarce skills including postgraduate qualificaions. The easy way for him (your boyfriend) will be to have a master's degree in Graphic Design or a PhD from a reputable university. If he has a such qualification, he can easily get a 5 year special skills work permit.

@ossako: No, he doesn't need a PhD. His partner is South African.

@ChristélKl: Simply apply for a relative's permit option called a Life Partner Permit. It's like having a husband, but not being married. After finding and signing a work contract, he can apply for a Work Endorsement for that company.

The only catch is that he legally can only start working once he has the work endorsement (change to permit) stuck into his passport.