SOUTH AFRICA – Extensions of Intra Company Transfer Work Visas Issued Prior to May 2014 Now Possible

The South African Department of Home Affairs has issued a directive (dated 27 October 2014) advising that a second Intra Company Transfer Work Visa, with validity of up to four years, may be issued to a foreign national who has already held an Intra Company Transfer Work Permit.

This is welcome news and clears up some inconsistencies.
How Are Renewals Applied For?

The second intra company transfer work visa application must be made in the country of citizenship or ordinary residence of the applicant; it cannot be submitted from within South Africa.

Who Is Affected?

It is important to note that the directive applies to those applicants who previously held intra company transfer work permits under Section 19(5) of the 2002 Immigration Act – i.e. permits issued before implementation of the new Immigration Regulations (see Peregrine’s alert on the subjecthere).

New intra company transfer work visas issued under the new regulations will be issued for a maximum validity period of four years and cannot be renewed.

Action Items

Review current intra company transfer permit and visa holders and plan for possible renewals, taking travel requirements into account: those with permits granted prior to the implementation of new regulations in May 2014 will be able to apply for new four year intra company transfer work visas, by returning to their country of residence to make the application.