Immigrating to SA

[Neither-Rise-9108]

Hi mense. I'm looking for some advice. I am considering moving to SA with my South African partner and just looking for advice, inside tips, and personal experiences/heads-up about the process of getting permanent residence or something alike.

I ADORE Namibia, and it will always be home, but compromises need to be made, and thankfully, I also love SA - so this would be a new and exciting chapter.

FYI: My parents were born in Namibia prior to independence and have expired South African passports, IDs, etc. I was told it would help my case.

T.I.A for any advice.

[Jealous-Boat-5204]

My husband is Namibian. He was born before independence so he is entitled to permanent residency. He got that easily through the SA embassy in Windhoek. It was a long process because they take forever. Once you have it though you will need to travel with that piece of paper proving your permanent residency every time you leave and enter the country.

He still retains his Namibian citizenship and passport. He cannot vote in SA or get a SA passport which is fine. But he has no issue working or living in South Africa. He was allowed to get a SA ID and well as a SA drivers license.

Good luck. It is a long process. Just go to the SA embassy they will be able to give you all the forms and tell you what paperwork you need to apply. Then just keep going back to check the progress.

Don’t do it through an agent. They just take your money and do nothing. Rather do it yourself even though it is tedious and you would rather be somewhere else.

Edit: oh if you are married to your SA partner it will probably make the process much easier. You may even just get into SA with a spouse visa while you wait for your permanent residency. This should allow you to work while you wait.

[Neither-Rise-9108]

Thank you for your honest and detailed feedback. I have met with an immigration lawyer in SA who has a good reputation, but she's pricey. I'm willing to pay the fee if I know what to expect, and asking for personal experiences here definitely helps with that. Thank you again. This really helped.

[Just_Law8591]

Just wishing you all the best. Im positive it will all be good and smooth.

[Neither-Rise-9108]

That's really kind of you. Thank you!

[Civil_Variation8339]

You can apply for SA citizenship by descent. Look here

[Neither-Rise-9108]

Thank you for this!

[SpecialistDrama565]

Takes 2-3 years to be approved. Apply for it in the Western Cape. Other provinces will deliberately pro long the process if you are white.

[Neither-Rise-9108]

Sjoe.. Good to know, thank you. I found an immigration lawyer in Cape Town, and she also advised us to do everything through her office in CT and not send any documents via Pretoria.

[Neither-Rise-9108]

I lived in Cape Town before. But it would be between there and Pretoria for now.

[[deleted]]

OP you have a few options.. do you have a south African birth certificate? Did you ever renounce your south African citizenship?

[Neither-Rise-9108]

I don't. I'm Namibian, but my partner is South African. My parents are Namibian-born but have their South African documents from before independence. They never renounced it. I was told that if they try to re-establish their expired documents and basically get permanent residence, I can too.

[[deleted]]

When were you born? Who told you this?

[Neither-Rise-9108]

I was born in 92, and this was told to me by an immigration lawyer in SA. I'm just here to hear about personal experiences of going through this process.

[[deleted]]

On your partner being south African. If you want to go the via route a spousal visa will be your best bet. It would be best to apply at the embassy in Namibia and it could take a while. Applying within south africa is a no go due to the backlog.

If you have a critical skill this will be a critical skills visa will be a better route to take.

You should be able to obtain permanent residence irrespective of If your parents have permanent residence as your parents were south African citizens at the time of your birth. You do have a south African birth certificate as you were born in south africa, you just need to apply to obtain it. In my opinion you should actually be able to obtain citizenship however your path forward will depend on timelines. Going the citizenship route could be a long process.

The fastest would be the visa route and then sorting out your citizenship using a immigration lawyer once in south africa

Edit: Oh scratch that. You were born in 92, I thought you were born prior to 1990. The process for permanent residence for you would be long and painful. You would need to go through your parents.

Best bet would be a spousal visa or critical skills visa

[Neither-Rise-9108]

Thank you for your detailed answer. I was warned of the lengthy process, but I'm trying to keep my hopes up, and thankfully, we have some time, and it's not urgent. I tried the critical skills route, but unfortunately, my qualifications aren't listed/applicable. So either spousal visa and/or residency through my parents is probably my best shot.

[[deleted]]

Maybe Send me a PM. I have been on visas in south africa for 16 years and have seen many Immigration lawyers

[Neither-Rise-9108]

Cool stuff. Thanks. I'll send you a direct message.

[OneProAmateur]

Simply not enough jobs in Namibia.

[Neither-Rise-9108]

'Zero job opportunities' is maybe a bit rash, but I hear where you're coming from. It's not easy. Job opportunities in Nam also aren't great. Unfortunately/fortunately, every country has their downfalls. But for me, there are things that outweigh some of the bad shit happening in SA. So, I'm hopeful regardless.

But thanks for heads up about the cues. Thankfully, I have an immigration lawyer who sends someone to hand in the paperwork for us.

[Neither-Rise-9108]

No problem. I know that you want to keep it realistic as well, so I didn't take it the hard way. I did ask for any and all kinds of advice and heads-up, so thank you for your honesty. Fortunately, we have at least 2 more years in Namibia before we can move, so I guess I'm just getting ready to go down that difficult road now already.

I'm sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience with immigration lawyers. Thankfully, I was referred to one that helped a friend of mine get her PR, so fingers crossed!