I'm a Saffa - get me out of SA!
Horrific news headlines. Corrupt government. State capture. Weak currency. High cost of living.
Many of us find ourselves in a state of doom and gloom and at some point....we start to ask....should we leave? If you are considering making the break from South Africa to the UK, your first exercise is to consider which visa options are available. Sadly, because of previous Saffas breaking a few laws, and tighter migration laws in the the UK, we no longer have access to the "working holiday" visa, and taking a transfer with your company is not that simple anymore.
You can do a simple test online to check if you will be needing a visa and which one is best for you by following UK.gov visa check.
So what is available to us, and where do we start?
Please note: this is a discussion on various visa options available to South African passport holders and not emigration advice. We always recommend speaking to a professional to assist you with your decision. This post only covers the visa options available to South Africans and does not cover the various restrictions or rights attached to each option.
First up, consider if you have any family links to the UK. A parent that was born in the UK could give you access to a British passport, which means that you could easily become a citizen. A simple test can help you determine whether this option is available to you, follow this link to check if you're a British citizen.
If you are eligible and wish to claim your passport, or you already have a passport, your next step is considering your spouse and/or children. Each family's circumstances are different and must be thoroughly assessed before making a decision, but you can follow this link to review the requirements of a family visa.
Another heritage route open to South Africans is the Ancestral visa. This visa is available to the people who have a grandparent that was UK born. This visa is only available to the Common Wealth and is very popular for South Africans, Australians and New Zealanders. You would have to prove your family link but it's a clean cut visa which extends to your spouse and/or children. You can follow this link to learn about the Ancestral visa and to assess your eligibility.
If you have no blood ties to the UK, the next option to consider is whether your set of skills is in high demand. The UK, like any government, does allow professionals from the skills shortage list to work and live in the UK. Follow this link to asses whether your skills fall on the skills shortage list, allowing you to apply for a Tier 2 visa. If your occupation appears on that list, firstly well done! Secondly, you can follow this link to learn what is required to receive a Tier 2 visa.
For those that have an EU citizenship, you have the right to live and work in the UK unrestricted. This has not changed and will not change until the UK officially leaves the EU, which is still approximately 2 years away. Your spouse and/or children will qualify for the EEA family permit. You can follow this link to read about the requirements for an EEA family permit.
For those that can't meet any of the criteria laid out above, there is an option available to investors and entrepreneurs, referred to as the Tier 1 visa. This visa has several sub-categories, you can follow these links to investigate the options available to Investors or Entrepreneurs and what the requirements are for each visa.
Lastly, for the younger South Africans, the option of a student visa exists, even though it has very tight restrictions and cannot just be converted to a long stay visa at a later stage. Follow this link to learn about the requirements of the Tier 4 or Student visa.
Even though the requirements are getting tougher and we have less options, we do still have options available to us. Explore each one, consider where you meet the requirements, seek professional advice and plan, plan, plan.
Many of us find ourselves in a state of doom and gloom and at some point....we start to ask....should we leave? If you are considering making the break from South Africa to the UK, your first exercise is to consider which visa options are available. Sadly, because of previous Saffas breaking a few laws, and tighter migration laws in the the UK, we no longer have access to the "working holiday" visa, and taking a transfer with your company is not that simple anymore.
You can do a simple test online to check if you will be needing a visa and which one is best for you by following UK.gov visa check.
So what is available to us, and where do we start?
Please note: this is a discussion on various visa options available to South African passport holders and not emigration advice. We always recommend speaking to a professional to assist you with your decision. This post only covers the visa options available to South Africans and does not cover the various restrictions or rights attached to each option.
First up, consider if you have any family links to the UK. A parent that was born in the UK could give you access to a British passport, which means that you could easily become a citizen. A simple test can help you determine whether this option is available to you, follow this link to check if you're a British citizen.
If you are eligible and wish to claim your passport, or you already have a passport, your next step is considering your spouse and/or children. Each family's circumstances are different and must be thoroughly assessed before making a decision, but you can follow this link to review the requirements of a family visa.
Another heritage route open to South Africans is the Ancestral visa. This visa is available to the people who have a grandparent that was UK born. This visa is only available to the Common Wealth and is very popular for South Africans, Australians and New Zealanders. You would have to prove your family link but it's a clean cut visa which extends to your spouse and/or children. You can follow this link to learn about the Ancestral visa and to assess your eligibility.
If you have no blood ties to the UK, the next option to consider is whether your set of skills is in high demand. The UK, like any government, does allow professionals from the skills shortage list to work and live in the UK. Follow this link to asses whether your skills fall on the skills shortage list, allowing you to apply for a Tier 2 visa. If your occupation appears on that list, firstly well done! Secondly, you can follow this link to learn what is required to receive a Tier 2 visa.
For those that have an EU citizenship, you have the right to live and work in the UK unrestricted. This has not changed and will not change until the UK officially leaves the EU, which is still approximately 2 years away. Your spouse and/or children will qualify for the EEA family permit. You can follow this link to read about the requirements for an EEA family permit.
For those that can't meet any of the criteria laid out above, there is an option available to investors and entrepreneurs, referred to as the Tier 1 visa. This visa has several sub-categories, you can follow these links to investigate the options available to Investors or Entrepreneurs and what the requirements are for each visa.
Lastly, for the younger South Africans, the option of a student visa exists, even though it has very tight restrictions and cannot just be converted to a long stay visa at a later stage. Follow this link to learn about the requirements of the Tier 4 or Student visa.
Even though the requirements are getting tougher and we have less options, we do still have options available to us. Explore each one, consider where you meet the requirements, seek professional advice and plan, plan, plan.
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