Critical Skills Work Visa in South Africa

The South African Critical Skills Work Visa aims to attract highly skilled foreigners to the country to address skills shortages in specific categories.

The list is updated regularly, so if your profession isn’t on the current list, it could be added to the next edition. 
If your profession is on the list, then one of our immigration specialists can guide you through the application process.
The applications we put together are comprehensive, eliminating the need to go back and forth adding forms, double-checking requirements, and incurring greater costs.

All Required Application Forms can be found at our Immigration Resources

The documentation you need to apply for a Critical Skills Work Visa includes:

• All the usual personal documents and forms
• Your academic qualifications, including the transcripts (an overview of subjects taken for the degree). While many types of qualifications are considered, honour’s degrees and postgraduate work are preferred in South Africa
• A South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) certificate
• Confirmation of your skills or qualifications from a professional body, council, or board recognised by SAQA or any other relevant government department
• Registration with the professional body should it be required by law in South Africa

The costs to apply for a critical work visa in South Africa vary.
The best thing to do is contact IBN, and an immigration consultant will help you determine costs based on current markets.
Costs include all fees associated with compiling a comprehensive application pack, which your consultant will do on your behalf.

In general, the steps to approval include:

1. Check the Critical Skills List to ensure that your area of specialisation is required in South Africa
2. (The list is updated according to South Africa’s employment needs, so even if your employment category isn’t currently considered critical, it might be added to the list soon)
3. Ask your immigration consultant if you’re uncertain what category your skills fall under
4. Your immigration consultant will also be able to tell you if you meet the minimum requirements specified in your category
5. Submit your applications first to SAQA and then to the relevant professional body
6. Once you have all the documentation in place, your immigration consultant will help prepare your submission pack, ensuring that you have completed all the forms correctly and that you’ve paid the incumbent fees
7. If everything checks out, you can submit your application.
   Your consultant will be able to give you a realistic turnaround time

In October 2023, The Department of Home Affairs South AFrica, has released a new Critical SKills List.
This list has had a a few work categories added – Read More Here

Please find the new list below: