You’ve obtained all your documents, waited in line, and finally submitted your visa or permanent residency application. Days turn into weeks, and weeks into months, but before you have a chance to finalise your Christmas wish-list you have your outcome from the Department of Home Affairs REJECTED.
What to do if your South African visa application is rejected
Once the initial wave of despair has passed, you are faced with one burning question…what happens next? Whether it appears as though the rejection was unfounded or not, the important thing to keep in mind is that you only have 10 working days within which to submit your appeal. In order to do so, you will need to schedule an appointment at the VFS Centre closest to you and complete the online application form. A practical issue that has arisen is that often a VFS Centre will not have any available appointments for you during the prescribed 10 day time frame.
What are your VFS appeal options
There is still a degree of uncertainty surrounding whether it is sufficient for you to complete the online form within 10 days and then attend an appointment thereafter, but we strongly advise against going down this route. A better option when there are no available appointments, is to book a future appointment and then take all your documents to VFS on a date within the 10 days to submit. VFS officials will accept your documents on the day provided that you can prove you have made a future appointment (even though that future date becomes superfluous).
Make sure you’re covered
To ensure you have all bases covered, it is advisable to enlist the services of an immigration attorney to draft your appeal, especially in complex cases. Contact us for more information or assistance regarding VFS appeals.
Speak to a professional
Contact Le Roux Attorneys, South African Visa specialists about your visa application. Start by selecting one of the enquiry options below