Critical skills are competency skills that are in demand for a certain profession, or one might say that they are rare skills that a country might be or is in short of. The critical skills vary depending on one’s profession; for instance skills such as communication skills, general management, customer handling skills, team work and communication technology skills are few of the rare skills that are in demand in the South African region.
A critical skills visa is a permit that is granted to applicants who have exceptional skills that the South African country is in need/short of. The critical skills visa is granted under a period of not more than five years and in an instance where the applicant has no job offer, the visa will be granted for a period of not more than a year.
If the applicant is married, the spouse and children will be granted a suitable visa of the period that does not exceeds the applicant’s critical skills visa, as they cannot say in the country once the visa has expired.
Critical skills visa-required documents
- VFS appointment letter.
VFS stands for Visa Facilitation Services Global, which is a company that provides many government and diplomatic missions worldwide have outsourced visa and passport issuance related administrative and non discretionary task.
- Applicants who apply/will be applying for critical skills visa from their country of origin, can apply at the South African embassy of their country.
- A correctly completed DHA-974 form online, for applicants who will be applying from South Africa. Handwritten forms will not be accepted by the Department of Home Affairs.
- Critical skills visa application payment fee of R2870. If the application fee was paid to VFS bank account or the mission, an original bank payment receipt, where the application fee was paid using the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), receipt for each applicant.
- The applicant must present an authentic original passport with reference to the applicant and passport photograph for all applicants one year of age and older, for the critical skills visa. A current passport-type, full face photograph with the names of the applicants on the reverse side thereof. (Machine-type or instant photographs are not acceptable).
- A valid critical skills visa temporary sojourn at the time of application with regards to each applicant, if the application is made in the Republic.
- The applicant must provide a marriage certificate or proof of relationship in respect of a spouse accompanying the applicant or joining the applicant in the Republic (Islamic marriages entered into within the Republic are not considered).
- Divorce decree to prove the termination/end of a marriage in the case where a party was a spouse in the previous marriage or the death certificate of a spouse that has passed on.
- The applicant must provide proof of financial support to each other.
- The applicant must provide proof of legal adoption, where applicable.
- The applicant must provide proof of parental responsibilities and rights or written consent in the form of an affidavit from the other parent or legal guardian, as the case may be with reference to the dependent children accompanying the applicant or joining the applicant in the Republic.
- The applicant has to provide an unabridged birth certificate, or extract from birth record for applicant(s) for the critical skills visa application.
- The applicant must provide a legal deed in the case of the applicant who has changed his or her name, surname or sex, for the critical skills visa.
- The applicant must provide an original police clearance certificate issued by the police or security authority in each country where the relevant applicant resided for 12 months or longer after turning 18 years, except for South Africa, in respect of criminal records of the applicant’s personality, the certificate should not be older than six months at the time of its submission: (provided that the certificate shall not be required from a foreign country in the case of renewal or extension of a visa).
- South African police clearance will be authenticated upon biometric enrolment at the VFS center effective as of 01 October 2016 at a fee R175 (Inclusive of Vat) per applicant, for the critical skills visa application.
- Biometric enrolment fee applicable: Yes
- Radiological report (not required in respect of children less than 12 years of age or a pregnant woman). The certificate must not be older than six months at the time the applicant submits an application.
- Medical report for all applicants. The certificate must not be older than six months at the time the applicant submits an application.
- Yellow fever vaccination certificate if that person travelled or intends travelling from or transit through a yellow fever endemic area: Provided that the certificate shall not be required where that person travelled or intends travelling in direct transit through such area or where an applicant is made in the Republic.
- The applicant must provide proof that they under the critical skills category.
- The applicant must provide the offer of employment in the form of a contract of employment.
- The applicant must also provide a letter from his/her employer confirming the current employment, which is not older than six months, for the critical skills visa application.
- They must also provide proof of application for a certificate of registration with the professional body, council, or board recognized by SAQA in terms of Section 13(1) (i) of the National Qualification Framework Act, if required by law.
- They must provide proof of qualifications evaluated by the South African Qualification Authority, in support of the critical skills visa application.
- They must provide proof of post qualification experience of at least five years.
- They must also bring testimonials from previous employers, in support of the critical skills visa application.
- They must provide comprehensive curriculum vitae, in support of the critical skills visa application.
- They must provide a motivational letter that indicates the critical skills that the applicant has obtained and how they will benefit the South African environment in which he/she intends to operate in and which relates to the critical skills in question.
- The applicant must present himself/herself for biometrics at the visa facilitation center when applying for the critical skills visa.
Services that we provide that come in handy when applying for critical skills visa.
Frenchside offers thorough legal interpretation services which helps the immigrant/expat understand the documents they have to provide and the reason why they have to provide them in order to get the critical skills visa application up and going. In the case of the immigrant not being in the country yet, the interpretation will then have to be done telephonically. Our well equipped team members are patiently waiting to be of assistance to you. Kindly contact us, we will surely come to your rescue, relief you of language barrier stress and grant you contentment. We are a reliable interpretation service provider that has qualified and native interpreters who have been interpreting diligently for a period of over a decade, with great results. We have fervently managed to keep 90% of its return clients coming for more service. This is surely a sign of satisfactory.
Critical skills visa multilingual translation services we provide:
- Educational qualification translation
- Marriage certificate translation
- Translation of decree of divorce
- Birth certificate translation
- Police clearance translation
- Offer of employment translation
- Visa translation
Contact us for additional information about our Virtual and Telephonic Interpreting services at +27 (0) 12-348- 3134 or e-mail us at info@frenchside.co.za and we will be more than happy to hear from you, and we will surely answer all the questions you may have.
