The General Work Visa for South Africa lets a foreign national take a specific job with a specific South African employer, and since October 9, 2024 it is issued through a points-based system that scores your qualifications, salary, experience, and a few other factors. You need a job offer, at least 100 points, and a clean documentary file. The old requirement that your employer prove no South African could fill the role is gone.1Government of South Africa. Immigration Act: Points-Based System
How the Points System Decides Eligibility
Before the October 2024 gazette, the Department of Employment and Labour had to certify that no local candidate was available. That step has been waived. The Department of Home Affairs now scores the applicant directly.2South African Government News Agency. Home Affairs Clarifies Misunderstanding on Visas Older checklists at some consulates and VFS offices still list the labour certificate; those are out of date.
You need 100 points, and points come from these categories:1Government of South Africa. Immigration Act: Points-Based System
- Master’s or doctoral degree (NQF level 9 or 10): 50 points
- Bachelor’s degree, honours degree, or advanced diploma (NQF level 7 or 8): 30 points
- Salary above R976,194 gross per year: 50 points
- Salary between R650,796 and R976,194 gross per year: 20 points
- Ten or more years of work experience: 30 points
- Five to ten years of work experience: 20 points
- Offer from a Trusted Employer: 30 points
- Proficiency in at least one official South African language: 10 points
A job offer is mandatory whatever your score. Someone with a master’s degree earning above R976,194 clears 100 points on those two lines alone. A bachelor’s-degree holder earning in the middle band with seven years of experience lands at 70 and needs another source of points, such as a Trusted Employer offer or a qualifying language, to reach the threshold. The Trusted Employer Scheme is a Home Affairs registration for compliant South African companies; if your employer is on the list, 30 points come automatically with the offer.
Documents You Must Submit
The documentary file is where most applications stall. Missing paperwork or expired certificates are common reasons for delay.
Passport and Application Form
Your passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond your planned departure from South Africa. The application itself is Form DHA-1738, which asks for personal details, a ten-year residential history, and your proposed activities in the country.3Department of Home Affairs. Application for Visa to Temporarily Sojourn in the Republic
SAQA Evaluation of Your Qualifications
Foreign qualifications must be evaluated by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), which maps your credential onto the National Qualifications Framework and issues a Certificate of Evaluation.4South African Qualifications Authority. Evaluation of Foreign Qualifications The NQF level fixed by SAQA is what determines your points on the qualifications line, so this piece of paper carries two jobs. Evaluations take several weeks, so start early.5South African Government. Evaluate Foreign Qualifications
Medical and Radiological Reports
You need a general medical report on Form BI-811 and a radiological report on Form BI-806, both signed by a registered medical practitioner and both no older than six months at the date of submission.6South African High Commissioner in Ottawa. Basic Application Information and Requirements A yellow fever certificate is required if you are travelling from a yellow fever endemic area.
Police Clearance Certificates
Original police clearance certificates are required from every country where you lived for 12 or more consecutive months in the past five years. Certificates must be no older than six months. Scans and photocopies are not accepted.6South African High Commissioner in Ottawa. Basic Application Information and Requirements Some countries take months to issue these, so plan accordingly.
Employer Undertakings
Your South African employer must file written undertakings accepting responsibility for any deportation costs (including for your dependents), confirming your passport will remain valid throughout your employment, and agreeing to notify the Director-General of Home Affairs if you leave the company or move into a different role.7Department of Home Affairs. General Work Visa Requirements
Sworn Translations
Any document not in English must come with a sworn translation from a certified translator. That covers foreign police clearances, marriage certificates, and academic records.
Where and How to File
If you are already in South Africa on a valid visa, applications go through VFS Global, which handles intake for the Department of Home Affairs. Book an appointment, attend in person for biometric capture, and hand over the full document set.
If you are applying from outside the country, file at the nearest South African embassy or consulate. The steps are much the same: appointment, biometrics, originals of every required document. Some consulates accept certain items by mail, but biometrics are always in person.
Fees vary by mission. The South African Embassy in Washington, D.C. charges $127.8Embassy of South Africa. Schedule of Fees The Consulate General in Toronto charges C$115.9Department of International Relations and Cooperation. General Work Visa Applying through VFS Global adds a service fee. Processing time at the Washington embassy is estimated at three to four weeks, though complex cases and busy periods run longer.10Embassy of South Africa. Time Frames for Services Do not book travel around the minimum.
What the Visa Lets You Do
A General Work Visa is valid for the length of your employment contract or five years, whichever is shorter.7Department of Home Affairs. General Work Visa Requirements It binds you to one employer and one role. No freelancing, no second job, no switching companies on the same visa.
If you change employers or move to a materially different role, you must apply for a new General Work Visa before starting. Your employer has a legal duty to notify the Director-General of Home Affairs when you leave or change capacity.11Embassy of South Africa. General Work Visa – Section 19(2) Working outside the visa’s terms can lead to deportation and to being declared an undesirable person under the Immigration Act.
Renewals and Overstay Penalties
To keep working past the visa’s expiry, submit a renewal application at least 60 days before the expiry date. Filing within that window keeps you lawfully in the country while Home Affairs adjudicates. Missing the 60-day deadline can lead to outright refusal.
Overstays trigger automatic consequences under Section 30(1)(h) of the Immigration Act and Regulation 27(3):12LawLibrary. Immigration Act, 2002 – Section 30
- Fewer than 30 days over: declared undesirable and banned from entering South Africa for 12 months.
- More than 30 days over: declared undesirable and banned for five years.
Circumstances behind the overstay rarely factor into the initial declaration; the system flags the date and the ban follows. The Minister can waive undesirable status for good cause, but that is an appeal, not a plan.12LawLibrary. Immigration Act, 2002 – Section 30
Bringing a Spouse or Children
A General Work Visa does not automatically cover your family. A spouse or life partner applies separately for a visitor visa under Section 11(1)(b)(iv) of the Immigration Act, supported by a certified marriage certificate or proof of life partnership, a copy of your work visa, medical and radiological reports, and police clearance certificates. That accompanying spouse visa does not allow the holder to work, study, or run a business; any of those requires a separate authorization.
Children under seven can attend preprimary school on an accompanying minor visa. From age seven, a child needs their own study visa to enrol in school. Both routes call for the child’s birth certificate, copies of both parents’ passports and visas, parental consent affidavits (particularly when one parent is not travelling), and proof of financial support.
Moving Toward Permanent Residence
After five continuous years on a work visa, you may apply for permanent residence under Section 26(a) of the Immigration Act, provided you can show an offer of permanent employment from your South African employer.13SAFLII. Immigration Act 2002 – Section 26 Time on earlier General Work Visas counts toward the five years, so renewed periods carry forward.
Permanent residence removes the single-employer restriction and ends the renewal cycle. It also gives your spouse a basis to apply for permanent residence in their own right. Because the General Work Visa itself caps at five years per issuance, many holders reach the eligibility mark around their first renewal, and planning that transition ahead of time saves administrative work later.