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De Saude Darbandi Immigration Attorneys

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De Saude Darbandi Immigration Attorneys. South African citizenship and immigration Law Expert

30/10/2026

Still waiting for Home Affairs to decide your application?

Delays can affect your work, family and ability to plan your life. Follow-ups and written representations may help, but they cannot guarantee a decision within a particular time.

Where a delay is legally unreasonable, court proceedings may be available to seek an order compelling Home Affairs to decide the application.

An order requiring a decision does not guarantee approval. Further enforcement proceedings may also be necessary if the order is not obeyed.

The available options, prospects, costs and risks should be assessed against the facts of your matter before you commit to litigation.

30/10/2026

Apologies for the confusion in the video, this applies to PARENTS who hold relative visas or wish to obtain relative visas based on their South African children.

In Rayment and Anderson, the Constitutional Court provided that a qualifying relative’s visa holder may work for the full duration of the visa where they are the parent of a minor South African citizen or permanent resident child and are fulfilling or demonstrate an intention to fulfil, their parental responsibilities.

For parents who meet those requirements, the entitlement arises from the law as read by the Court. The printed visa wording must be considered alongside that order.

This does not however give every relative’s visa holder permission to work or automatically authorise work while an application is pending. Your circumstances and immigration status must be checked.

22/10/2026

Rejected for reasons only Home Affairs can understand? You’re not alone.

We are seeing visa and permanent residence applications refused because of factual mistakes and incorrect application of the law. A rejection does not necessarily mean you do not qualify.

The general advice is to appeal and address the reasons for refusal. Starting again is not always possible and does not guarantee a quicker or different outcome. Each case is different, so get advice promptly.

In this video, I also discuss appeals being wrongly rejected as “late” despite compliance with the Minister’s directive. Contact our office if you need a copy.

08/10/2026

About time! 👏

Some welcome news from Home Affairs.

The Minister has issued Immigration Directive No. 13 of 2026, granting a blanket waiver of the requirement to submit visa extension and change of status or conditions applications at least 60 days before the existing visa expires.

This applies to future applications, applications still awaiting a decision and certain pending appeals involving the 60 day requirement.

The important condition: Your application must still be submitted while your existing visa is valid.

This is a sensible and much needed decision that removes an unnecessary obstacle for applicants and should hopefully also reduce avoidable refusals and appeals.

29/09/2026

There seems to be some confusion about proposed changes to South Africa’s immigration and citizenship laws.

The important point: they have not changed yet.

In this video I explain the current position regarding retired person visas, permanent residence based on retirement and citizenship by naturalisation and what is only proposed for the future.

Make sure you know the difference between what is being proposed and what the law actually says today.

21/09/2026

There is a lot of confusion about how often you can enter South Africa as a visitor if you are from a visa exempt country.

The short answer is that you can travel in and out of South Africa more than once during the year, provided you have a valid visa or visa exempt status for each stay. There are however some important exceptions and practical issues to be aware of.

Your nationality determines whether you are visa exempt for up to 30 or 90 days and in some cases there are restrictions on the number of entries. Always check the current list on the official Department of Home Affairs or DIRCO website.

Also remember:

• An entry visa can generally be extended once for a further period of up to 90 days, but the application must be made within the prescribed time.

• If you leave South Africa and return while your existing entry visa is still valid, you may simply be admitted on the existing visa rather than being given a fresh period.

• Where you return from a country bordering South Africa, different rules may apply to the period you are granted on re entry.

• Most importantly, always leave South Africa before your current visa expires. Leaving and returning does not give you permission to overstay.

I explain how it works in this video.

17/09/2026

I have had a few consultations recently with people who paid someone to obtain a visa for them, handed over little more than their passport and months later discovered that the visa they received was fraudulent.

Please be careful.

There is no lawful immigration process where you simply hand someone your passport and money and they somehow obtain a valid visa or permit for you. Every visa and permanent residence category has requirements that must be met. Where a regulatory requirement cannot be met, there may in appropriate circumstances be a lawful waiver process.

Do your own checks too. Look at the Immigration Act and Regulations. Check the requirements published by VFS or the relevant South African mission and make sure you understand what is actually being submitted on your behalf.

A fraudulent visa can have extremely serious consequences for your immigration status and can result in you being declared a prohibited person.

If something sounds too easy or you are being promised a visa without having to provide the documents required by law, please stop and check before you proceed.

17/09/2026

There are many people who have good immigration cases and who qualify to regularise their status, apply for a visa or permanent residence or pursue litigation but simply cannot afford specialist immigration legal fees.

After almost 20 years practising exclusively in this field, I have seen this far too often.

This is why we have launched a new initiative through DSDA specifically for people who have a good case but cannot afford our usual professional fees.

There is an eligibility process and where you qualify, further professional services will be charged on a sliding fee scale based on affordability.

If this applies to you or someone you know, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Please also share this with anyone who may benefit from the service.

16/09/2026

We have seen many individuals and families who genuinely need professional immigration guidance but simply cannot afford the fees of a specialist immigration law firm.

De Saude Darbandi & Associates (“DSDA”) is a new initiative of De Saude Darbandi Attorneys, created to help close that gap.

Access is eligibility-based so that the service reaches the people it was created to assist. Please feel free to share with whomever will benefit from the initiative.

Same values. A wider reach.

📩 [email protected]

10/09/2026

Visa refused? A rejection does not necessarily mean the application was legally or factually defective.

We are seeing a concerning number of visa applications refused for reasons that simply do not withstand scrutiny, documents said to be missing when they were submitted, reliance on incorrect filing requirements and even issues being raised that are not legal requirements for the visa concerned.

The difficulty is that appeals can take many months to finalise. Depending on your current visa status and whether you are legally able to apply again from within South Africa, a fresh application may sometimes be the more practical route. In other cases, an appeal is the only available option.

Whatever the position, remember that an appeal must generally be filed within 10 working days of receiving the refusal and the actual reasons for refusal need to be addressed properly.

Every case is different. Get proper advice before deciding whether to appeal, reapply or leave South Africa.

DSDImmigration

Address

The South Towers Unit 1E, 8th Floor 2 Heerengracht, Cnr Hertzog Boulevard
Cape Town
8001

Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 16:30
Tuesday	08:00 - 16:30
Wednesday	08:00 - 16:30
Thursday	08:00 - 16:30
Friday	08:00 - 16:30

Telephone

+27214183188

Website

http://dsdlaw.co.za/, https://www.instagram.com/saimmigrationlaw?igsh=NGhqbHFhaHNhOXI5

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