Life Partner Visa

Hi Joachim ,

Thanks for your quick reply ,

If I understand correctly, if he has the life partner visa and work endorsement and then changes jobs he will have to re-apply for another life partner visa and work endorsement (including all the previous documents).
I take it he can't start work with his new company until he gets the above granted (which could take another 5 months ).

Would this process be simpler if we were married or are there any other options we can pursue ?

Thanks again,

Hi Joachim,

I went to the SA Embassy in Budapest for another reason and just asked them about the LPP and they have never heard about it and told me that they only give permits to married couples. I have been with my South African boyfriend for 3,5 years and we would like to move to SA at the end of this year. We will have a holiday in Hungary before that so I thought I would apply for the permit while we are there. I am planning to use an agent but what is the guarantee that when I go back to the Embassy they will accept my application? What do you think the best would be to do?

Many thanks in advance,
Nori

norcsi wrote:

Hi Joachim,

I went to the SA Embassy in Budapest for another reason and just asked them about the LPP and they have never heard about it and told me that they only give permits to married couples. I have been with my South African boyfriend for 3,5 years and we would like to move to SA at the end of this year. We will have a holiday in Hungary before that so I thought I would apply for the permit while we are there. I am planning to use an agent but what is the guarantee that when I go back to the Embassy they will accept my application? What do you think the best would be to do?

Many thanks in advance,
Nori

Hi

There are a number of embassies that are not aware of the Life Partner Permit (which is provided for under Section 11(6) of the Immigration Act). We once assisted a client in Norway, and actually had to explain the law to the embassy officials, who turned out to be very happy about this, and these days they also take in LPP applications.

It is of course difficult with embassies who have not done this before, as the initial reaction will be "we do not deal with this". But that just shows the level of service you get there.

Things are getting better, and with the law changes many embassies will need to deal with things they have dealt with before, including the Life Partner Permit.

What we do is to call the embassy before and sort the matter out before a client goes there. I don't know if other agencies doe this, but I would certainly hope so.

I can see if we can't get some more info for you from the embassy.

Stay tuned folks!

Hi Joachim,

I'm trying to apply for the Temporary Residence Life Partner Permit in Korea right now.  They seem to not be too aware about it and whether or not they are able to process the visa. 

One of the people and the consulate said they had to contact home affairs to find out information about applying for this visa.  She can't find any information about it on the Home Affairs website.  You mentioned Section 11(6) of the immigration act, is that available on the Home Affairs website or some other place?

chrisgoudy wrote:

Hi Joachim,

I'm trying to apply for the Temporary Residence Life Partner Permit in Korea right now.  They seem to not be too aware about it and whether or not they are able to process the visa. 

One of the people and the consulate said they had to contact home affairs to find out information about applying for this visa.  She can't find any information about it on the Home Affairs website.  You mentioned Section 11(6) of the immigration act, is that available on the Home Affairs website or some other place?

Hi

Our company had the exact same problem with the embassy in Norway. But in the end, we managed to successfully submit the application, and the embassy staff even sent an email to us thanking us for the assistance.

We prepared the normal Life Partner application as well as extracts from the legislation. We also got in contact with the officials and "guided" them through the process.

You and the embassy will not get any information from Home Affairs. And if you do it may not be of much help.

I had a look at the Home Affairs website for you and it does contain copies of the Immigration Act of 2002, but not the Amendments. Also, the link to the Section 11 visas is wrong and on the website it takes you to Permanent Residency instead of the S(11) permits.

I don't know how much information I can provide on this forum, so send me a private message and I will try to send you some more info.

hi Joachim,
I am about to apply for a Life Partner Visa for South Africa and I'm soon going to the embassy in London, but I want to have everything I could possibly need to help get the visa.
I was wondering if you could tell me the essentials and also some things which could help with getting the visa.
It would mean so much to me,
Thank you in advance

I'm trying to apply for the Life Partner Permit in Korea.  They don't seem to have much knowledge about the visa and whether they are able to process such a visa.  I told them that other people outside of South Africa have successfully applied for this visa, and they told me it would be helpful if I could provide this evidence to them. 

Is there anyone who has successfully applied for the Temporary Residence Life Partner Permit who could send me some kind of proof that their application was approved through a private message on here?

Thanks for your help!

Hello all.

Thanks so much to everybody to posting all this useful information. Really helps tons.
No I have a bit of a specialised question.

I am currently living in South Africa on a work permit at a Lodge. My salary includes housing and my boyfriend lives with me here. As housing and electricity is part of my salary package, there is no paperwork such as joint rental agreement or similar.

Now we are going to move, and this time it is into the house that is given by his employee, hence, there won't be a joint rental agreement again.

Except for that I could give all the necessary documents.
Does anybody know what to do in this case?
I do not want to be stuck with my employer anymore, and therefore I think the LPP would make it a lot easier for me.

Thanks for the help in advance.
Greets,
Alex

Hello,

I have been skimming through this post and find the information very useful. I have a South African boyfriend, and we're currently living in Thailand. We're planning to relocate to South Africa early next year, and will be applying for a LPP. I'm currently looking for work, and am unsure whether we will be able to work in the same city. My boyfriend needs to be in Durban, and while I will try to get work there, it is not where most relevant jobs are located. What happens if you manage to get an LPP, but then end up living in different cities within South Africa because of work?

Cheers,
Elise

Hi guys,

My boyfriend is South African citizen and recently came back to SA. I have been living in UK for past 4 years, but I am originally from Poland. I would like to apply for the life partner's permit to join my boyfriend in SA, ideally in December. We have been in a relationship for over a year, but unfortunatelly never lived together as well as never had joint accounts etc.

I don't really know what to do right now, whether to apply for the permit in UK or go to SA and do it from there. The second option will be rather hard to achieve as being a Polih citizen I can only go to SA for a month, which I don't think will be enough to process visa.

Please help me, maybe someone knows how to tackle this...

Would appreciate any advices. Many Thanks.

Hi there! I've been in South Africa for 4 years and 7 months. Originally, my permit was a tourist for a month, extended for another 3 months and temporary resident visa for 2 years with a life partner permit. My question is, when does the 5 years starts for me to qualify to be a Permanent Resident? By the way, my 2 years Temporary Visa will expire end of this year (2011).

Hope you can guys can give a clue. Thank you.

milenaB wrote:

Hi guys,

My boyfriend is South African citizen and recently came back to SA. I have been living in UK for past 4 years, but I am originally from Poland. I would like to apply for the life partner's permit to join my boyfriend in SA, ideally in December. We have been in a relationship for over a year, but unfortunatelly never lived together as well as never had joint accounts etc.

I don't really know what to do right now, whether to apply for the permit in UK or go to SA and do it from there. The second option will be rather hard to achieve as being a Polih citizen I can only go to SA for a month, which I don't think will be enough to process visa.

Hi milena,
I'm Magda, also from Poland, my boyfriend also from South Africa:)
If I can give you some advice, try to apply in UK, as here in SA it seems a long process... The only thing is that ie. South African embassy in Poland have never heard about such a thing like life partner permit, they said I can apply only here in SA. Seriously, sometimes the lack of communication an competency scares me.

Anyways, you can also apply for LPP in SA, but first you should get visitors visa for 3 months (my application was processed in Warsaw in 5 days), collect all the documents you need for LPP and apply for it after coming to SA. Home Affairs won't rather accept LPP application if it is submitted shorter than 30 days before your visitors visa expires.

If you have any other questions, we can talk in polish on priv:)
Magda

Hi Magda and all

Thank you so much for your kind advice.  We did apply for a LPV through the SA embassy in Spain. It was pretty painfree because we submitted about a text book of supporting documents and evidence (following all the advice on the blog)and we received it. So all went well in the end!  Good luck to everyone who is also trying.

hello people  i am a german girl, in a relationship with a south african (durbanite) for 2 years now, and i want to apply for a life partner permit.
I have a million questions and hope somebody here can help me...
first information about me and my spouse that u can judge the situation.
I met him in germany, went to RSA for 10 months, then he came to germany for 6 months and at the moment im sitting in durban and i dont know where to start.
I have letters from my and my partners parents that we lived with them while we stayed with together.(theyre notarized).
i have a letter from my spouse to support me emotionally financially etc etc..
I have a bankstatement to say that i have some money..
i have my medical and radiology report.
I have my police clearence and a birth certificate..
i have 2 envelopes send to us both at the same adress.
i have a application form BI-1738 ( which is a very confusing form!!)
then i filled and notarized a from called BI-1712A) FORM12...
Then A Form that says PART 1: affidavit by life partners annexure B.(and annexure C)..

here my questions..DO I NEED SOMETHING ELSE?? we dont have a shared bank account but we swore in front of a commissioner of oaths that we support each other financially and my spouses parents swore to support us..same did my parents but its not official notarized because their in germany..
All of us also swor that we lived together then and then (in germany and sa)
Is that enough? my spouse only got a job recently but as a teacher he didnt get paid yet and i have to apply because im leavin for germany on the 16th october ..
So he hasnt got proof that he earns..

Then, I have a job offer to teach ( were both teachers) ..can my employee simply write a letter to say that he offers me a job_? or does he have to fill in the last 2 pages of the Bi 1738?? does he also need reasons why a south african has not been appointed.??

Why does home affairs not have a form for applicants for a life partner permit?? i am so confused with the temporary residence permit???
and i cant afford to get an visa agency to help me...please, if anyone here can help me, i am running out of time and i would appreciate help!!

HI Entchen

The best is to give as much information as possible. If you have 2 envelopes sent to the same address, try and get more - especially showing timelines, i.e. showing that you have been in a relationship for as long as possible.
Yes, your employer will need to fill out the form (well at least that's what we did).

Because you will be able to work legally then no, he doesn't have to advertise the job or say why he hasn't appointed a SAfrica.

I'm not sure why they don't have a form for LPs but you must fill in the one for 'family'.

I'm also not sure how home affairs will view the fact that your boyfriend has only recently started working and cannot show his salary if he is going to be the one who is going to support you, so this may be a problem, but I don't know!

The only advice I can give you is to provide as much information as possible.  Follow the instructions from the various people on this blog and if you have all the information they have, then you will be fine. Suggestion: do your application at the SA embassy in Germany. Also get notarised copies of your passport, affidavits etc so that you have copies of everything - they keep everything so you don't want to have to do everything again).

PS I am interested in how your boyfriend stayed in Germany for so long? We are planning to move to Spain and I'd like some advice from you if you can! Thaniks!

All the best
Julia

Hi Julia Thank you so much for ur reply to answear ur question : He was on a volunteer visa to work at a musicschool.
But only because we had good connections to the music school..I think the best sollution would be go on a tourist visa ( three months) and then to extend it..is your boyfriend spanish? then you can visit him for quiet a few months if he assures that he would pay for u etc..just to be sure that u dont get money from the government..It is a bit more difficult to stay in europe for a longer time than it would be in sa...if u have any more specific questions pls text me   Did u or ur boyfriend went through that life partners permit???

Take care x

Hello, everybody.

I am currently putting together an application for a life partner's visa. My girlfriend and I have been together for 3 years. We have never, however, lived together (though we intend to upon my getting down there - she is there now). As we have no shared address evidence of the relationship, we were thinking of getting notarized letters from friends and family, and maybe throwing in some photos, to prove that we've been together for enough time to warrant being called life partners.

Does this seem enough? And is there anything else that may be a good idea? I've been told that getting the visa without having lived together is possible by one of those immigration firms.

Thanks for help.

Thomas

Hi. My wife is British and I am South African. we have been married for almost 8 months now. we are in SA at the moment and she is on one of those three months visitors visa things that you don't have to apply for if your British. I'm guessing because we haven't been married for 5 years we have to apply for a temporary residence permit. She has also got a job offer (its with a charitable organisation) so how do we get a work endorsement? what is the paper work for that?

P.S. I know that this is a Life Partner Forum, but I think the paperwork is the same-ish. So I thought you may be able to help.

Thanx Guys
Ty

Hello!

So much good information here - thanks to everyone who's posted.

I leave for SA in 3 short months so will probably have to apply for the life partner permit when I arrive (not sure of the processing times in London but that seems a bit tight to me...).  This means that I should apply for a visitors visa before heading to SA, and when I arrive and apply for the LPP they will give me a Form 20 in my passport allowing me to stay in the country until the decision is made...  Do I have all that right?

For the LPP I'm pretty clear on most of the supporting docs, but have a few questions:

Radiology Scan/Medical Certificate - are these done in SA?  Or could/should we get them done in the uk?  Not 100% sure I know what they are...

Police Clearance - Does this need to be obtained from Canada (my home country) or the UK (my country of residence) or SA?

Any forms we use should be from the Home Affairs/Embassy directly and we should make certified copies of everything?

Thanks a lot for any guidance!

Niki

Hi everyone,

super confused that I think the problem is I have read hundreds of questions and replies which all say different things on the same subject that I'm not sure which is right!
I am english and have been with my South African boyfriend for 3.5 years living in the UK. We are moving to SA in December 2012 and I will be applying for a Life Partner Visa. My several questions are firstly, I intend on setting up my own business so I need a visa which a business endorsement can be added on to so which on would this be?
secondly, can I download this form from the internet and is there some kind of checklist of documents needed?
i have been reading that people have been given relatives visas where work endorsements can't be added on to?
would just be great if someone can just give a plain and simple reply!
Many thanks in advance!

Hi.

I would advise you to apply from your home country, it takes a long time to get anything here, you should properly apply for the LPP with a business endorsement, I am in the process of getting an LPP, however it has been more than 6 months now, and I am not allowed to work while I am waiting, so as I said, really apply from the S.A. consulate in your country.

No, you cannot download anything, TIA (This Is Africa) sorry you have to go there or get them to send it to you.. 
Good luck with it.

Regards Sarah

Hi,
Thanks for your reply.
How did you know what documents etc you needed for the LLP? I am going on what other people have written about on here. It's very hard to find info on it.
I shall apply for it here in London.

I was given a list at Home afgfairs, I also appliep for a drifferent visa from the S.A. consulate in CPH, there I also got a list of everything I needed. So I think you must just cntact the consulate and get it straight from the horses mouth.

JoachimS wrote:

Hi

The application form is available online on the Department of Home Affairs website. It is a generic form, where you will be required to tick the relevant boxes. Have you been able to collect all the required documents for the application?

Hi,

Where on the website? I can't find anything for LLP!
Could you possibly send email address or link?
Many thanks!

Hello, I've just applied for an LPP and now see there's a mistake on the affidavid. Basically the form has phrases on it and you must cross out the ones that don't apply (ie unmarried/widowed/divorced). We did not cross anything out. Anyone have any info on what will happen in this case?

Also for anyone thinking about applying in Johannesburg, the home affairs offices here are a bit of a nightmare. Best one (ive found) is the Germiston office and the best advice I can give you is to go there are 3 or 4am (not kidding) and get your name on the list the security guard has. Then make sure you're back at the office for 8am. If you dont do this and just show up, there will be 40 odd people in front of you. Also take copies and get them certified/notorized (done for free at the police station) as the can and do lose entire files. There was a helpful letter stating just that in the home affairs office.

Welcome to Africa! LOL.

Thanks!
Niki

Hi Everyone

Thanks for all the information provided on this blog.
I would like to find out if the SA Law has changed yet with regards to applying for a Life Partner visa.
Is it possible to apply once in South Africa or must it be done in the country of residence?

I ask these questions as my boyfriend really wants to move to Cape Town so we can be together and not have this distance between us. He is an EU citizen.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Jess

Hi Jess,

I'm Canadian and have just gone through the process from Johannesburg. It was an *awesome* african experience. So you can apply once here. I *simply* arrived and applied before the three month visitor allowance Canadians get expired. It was a pretty funny /rediculous process and I don't have an answer yet (we applied in May). It may take up to 9 months to get an answer... The good news is that they didn't lose the application! It'll be way less hassle to do it from literally any other country in the world and i'll bet you get your visa quicker. Good luck!

Niki

Hi Niki.

Thanks for your response. So does that mean you are allowed to remain in the country until you eventually get your visa?

Jess

As far as I understand it you can. I was told by home affairs that the official letter you get when you apply allows you to stay in SA until you get your answer, even if it takes 9 months. If you want to check you can call the home affairs hotline and you can ask them any questions. They have been pretty helpful and knowledgable to be honest.

Lastly for anyone else who's interested, I heard that they are possibly adding the ability to apply for an artist permit with the life partners permit. That's what home affairs said anyways. Great new for any artists in this scenario.

Good luck!

Hi joachimS i just came across this post, in the desperate attemp of finding a solution to my ever occuring issue!! I am a British citizen living and working in SA. i have been here for almost 11years now, studied and worked. When i was studying i was on a study permit, Since i started working i have been on a work permit, i have had to renew and apply EACH time i changed jobs or got an offer of employment, so as to have a work permit ON the NAME of the company.  It has been RIDICULOUSLY hectic getting all the documents every time, not to mention the cost implications EVERYTIME. 2 years ago i got my Life Partnership Permit, with my boyfriend whom i have been with for 5 years now. Now again i am changing jobs for the 3rd time and according to my immigration consultant, instead of just changing the name of the old company to the new one, i have to go through the WHOLE process again....my question is : isnt there a more permanent solution to this? I.e a SA IDi can apply for or based on my life partnership - Citizenship perhaps? It has cost me ALOT of money and time and headaches, botht the immigration cost, the cost of getting medical and radiology check ups everytime etc and the Home Affairs cost, im not sure if my consultant is charging me twice as much as the normal person!! Please advise urgently, as i now have a job offer and need to do something ASAP, Much Appreciated.

Hi Behindspaces

Being in a life partnership for 5 years means you can apply for permanent residency. This takes some time to be handed out, but thereafter you can apply and move from job to job like any South African.

I'd also need more info about your exact permit and situation to know if there is another option for you.

Jess

Where are all the Nigerians in capetown?

Hi Joachim,

Thank you for getting the immigration consultant/lawyers to contact me.

What is the process of getting the work endorsement on my LPP ? Do i need to submit a list of documents or ? And also, seeing that i gave my immigration consultant all the necessary documents for my work permit ( medical, radiology, police clearance etc etc) based on a list she gives me, for getting my current work permit, and they are still valid for 6 months, so does that mean Home Affairs still has them IF incase they do need any docs from me for the work endorsement?

Hi Behindspaces

Joachim no longer works in the immigration industry.

To your question: As long as the certificates are still valid upon the date of submission of your application, you are able to submit clear copies thereof, with proof that an application was submitted less than 6 months ago.

Hello JoachimS!

I am an LPP holder and been in SA for 5 years and 1 month. Reading threads that you contributed gave me an impression that you know what you are talking about. Like most of the members, I have a question for you.

1. I went to apply for Permanent Residence Permit and they asked me of our "First Agreement" signed in 2007.I was not able to submit as we were victimized by house robbery and took most of our stuff including documents. I provided a Police Report and requested to furnish me a copy of such but they didn't recognize it. Unfortunately, the lawyer who made such document disappeared and left no trace. Desperately, we spoke to the head of Home Affairs in Nelspruit and he managed to pull out our "1st agreement", but reckon it was not a legal agreement. As we asked "how can it be an illegal document knowing that was signed and notarized by SAP" and them accepting it. He just simply said "It happens sometimes". I am tired. It looks like I just have to renew my LPP every 2 years? Is there any way I could take this case to court? Anyway I could get a representative? Please help!

Hi Senith

Joachim no longer works in the immigration industry.

Unfortunately I am not allowed to give my email address on this forum, and to evaluate your papers I would literally have to see them.

What do you mean by First Agreement - your rental?

Jess

Hi all,

If someone could give me any answers to the following questions it would be greatly appreciated:

My girlfriend and I are thinking of moving to SA. She would move on a work visa as a charted surveyor whilst I would move on a student visa for a year. Following this year I would hope to find work and then apply for a work visa. My question is can I apply for a life-partner permit if, my girlfriend has a work permit but is not a SA permanent resident or citizen? We have been in a relationship for 7 years and living together for two of these.

If not, then what other options would I have open to me? Once my student visa expires, I guess I can get a tourist visa for 90 days in which to find work but how else can this be extended?

Thanks for any help in advance.

Henry

Hi Henry

You or your girlfriend would need to be SA citizens to apply for the Life Partner type of Relative's Permit. Both of you must apply for permits in your own rights.

Yes, you can extend your 90 days tourist visa, it's a simply procedure. You'll have to find a job and apply for a new permit to stay longer.

Hi thanks for clarifying this. Is it true that in order to extend your tourist visa you have to have a return flight to your country of origin booked?

Also do the rules change for spouses?

Cheers,
H