Immigration Law

Our Immigration Law team is made up of experienced lawyers at all levels from across our various practice areas that have specialist knowledge of the immigration laws of South Africa, Kenya, and Namibia.

Immigration Law Services

Our Immigration Law team assists international and South African companies with immigration requirements normally associated with the import of foreign skills.

The team consists of experienced lawyers at all levels from across our various practice areas that have specialist knowledge of the immigration laws of South Africa.

All of our immigration lawyers are trained and qualified in all aspects of employment law, which gives them the ability to offer a full corporate employee migration service involving all legal aspects in relation to recruitment, obtaining work authorisation, appointment, contracts, statutory compliance with local labour laws and dispute resolution.

Whether you wish to second an employee to a foreign entity, subsidiary or parent company or you need to import talent for a local business, our Corporate Immigration team offers tailor-made advice and assistance, at a fee appropriate to the complexity and scope of the instruction.

Our services include:

  • Providing advice on a wide range of immigration related matters.
  • Internal audits to ensure compliance with applicable South African immigration laws.
  • Advising corporates on the South African immigration laws and the recruitment of highly skilled foreign nationals.  
  • Identifying appropriate work visas and assisting with visa and waiver applications for individual and corporate applicants.  
  • The provision of training on various aspects of immigration law and its impact in the workplace.
  • Representation in court proceedings adverse to the Department of Home Affairs.  
  • Verifying the validity of work visas and permits.
  • Appeal processes through the Department of Home Affairs.
  • Dealing with undesirable and prohibited status determinations.
  • Rejection of visa applications.
  • Misconduct and incapacity processes arising from fraudulent or expired work visas.
  • Advising on own business visas, issued to foreigners who intend to establish or invest in their own business in South Africa.
  • Identifying tax exposures and advice on tax planning strategies in the employment of foreign nationals.
  • Advising corporate applicants on the South African income tax and exchange control laws that are likely to affect them in relation to the employment of foreign employees.

Immigration Law Brochures

Services

Immigration Law Services

Our Immigration Law team assists international and South African companies with immigration requirements normally associated with the import of foreign skills.

The team consists of experienced lawyers at all levels from across our various practice areas that have specialist knowledge of the immigration laws of South Africa.

All of our immigration lawyers are trained and qualified in all aspects of employment law, which gives them the ability to offer a full corporate employee migration service involving all legal aspects in relation to recruitment, obtaining work authorisation, appointment, contracts, statutory compliance with local labour laws and dispute resolution.

Whether you wish to second an employee to a foreign entity, subsidiary or parent company or you need to import talent for a local business, our Corporate Immigration team offers tailor-made advice and assistance, at a fee appropriate to the complexity and scope of the instruction.

Our services include:

  • Providing advice on a wide range of immigration related matters.
  • Internal audits to ensure compliance with applicable South African immigration laws.
  • Advising corporates on the South African immigration laws and the recruitment of highly skilled foreign nationals.  
  • Identifying appropriate work visas and assisting with visa and waiver applications for individual and corporate applicants.  
  • The provision of training on various aspects of immigration law and its impact in the workplace.
  • Representation in court proceedings adverse to the Department of Home Affairs.  
  • Verifying the validity of work visas and permits.
  • Appeal processes through the Department of Home Affairs.
  • Dealing with undesirable and prohibited status determinations.
  • Rejection of visa applications.
  • Misconduct and incapacity processes arising from fraudulent or expired work visas.
  • Advising on own business visas, issued to foreigners who intend to establish or invest in their own business in South Africa.
  • Identifying tax exposures and advice on tax planning strategies in the employment of foreign nationals.
  • Advising corporate applicants on the South African income tax and exchange control laws that are likely to affect them in relation to the employment of foreign employees.

Brochures

Immigration Law Brochures

Immigration Lawyers

Our Immigration Law team provides specialist legal advice and services around immigration in South Africa and Kenya.  

Our Immigration Lawyers

Immigration Law News

More news

New developments regarding the Immigration Amendment Bill

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has introduced the Immigration Amendment Bill, 2024 (Bill), to address constitutional deficiencies identified by the Constitutional Court in sections 34(1)(b) and (d) of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002. The Bill is currently at the public participation phase, with Parliament considering comments and submissions made by interested parties. For a more detailed analysis of the Bill’s background and the relevant Constitutional Court judgments that led to the Bill being introduced, see our previous alert on the issue.

New developments regarding the Screen Talent and Global Entertainment Scheme

In our alert on 28 July 2025, we highlighted the announcement by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) that it would be launching two new digital visa initiatives. One of these was the Screen Talent and Global Entertainment Scheme (STAGES), which is aimed at simplifying visa access for film production companies. 

2025 Overview: Developments in South African Immigration Law

Cabinet approved the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) 2025 White Paper and the Employment Services Amendment Bill (ESAB) for implementation and submission to Parliament. The ESAB is designed to regulate the employment of foreign nationals more closely and empowers the Minister of Employment and Labour to, amongst other things, set maximum quotas for the employment of foreign nationals. These quotas may be sector-specific, occupational, or geographical. The ESAB is currently at the public participation stage.