South Africa Department of Home Affairs

South Africa's Department of Home Affairs issued a stay-authorisation concession on 30 March 2026 extending the legal status of foreign nationals with pending visa, waiver or appeal applications. The concession was an operational acknowledgement that the department's own processing pipeline cannot meet statutory deadlines. The department processes passports, identity documents, citizenship applications and all immigration documents for South Africa.

The DHA has faced persistent criticism over processing delays, corruption and staff capacity shortfalls. South Africa's Digital Nomad Visa, launched in 2024, requires applicants to demonstrate a minimum monthly income of R65,000 (approximately €3,200). The department's backlog has disproportionately affected visa-dependent foreign nationals, including prospective digital nomads, whose ability to remain legally in-country depends on timely processing.

The March 2026 concession is legally significant because it sets a precedent: the department is acknowledging that backlogs constitute a systemic, not incidental, failure, and it is using discretionary stay authorisation rather than emergency legislation to manage the gap. Immigration lawyers have noted this creates legal ambiguity around the status of affected applicants during the extension window.