Covid-19’s been having such a severe impact on the world.
We witnessed how other countries were infected and the impact it had on them, not realising that soon it would be something we would face as well.
South Africa was in total shock and individuals went into a panic state when President Ramaphosa announced a national disaster and a complete lockdown of the country on 15 March 2020.
All our employees were faced with different fears and obstacles.
Some had to travel far to go and be with their families who are in different states. Another problem that we faced as a company, was the fact that not all employees had printers, Wi-Fi at home, computers and all other necessary electronic devices to be able to complete the necessary tasks.
Even though we had to face a lot of obstacles, we have managed to stay together as a company, help wherever we can and support one another in this difficult time.
We are now more than five weeks into lockdown and finally there seems to be some light shed upon us.
From the 1st of May 2020 the lockdown will be lifted gradually by means of different levels.
Level 4 will be implemented whereby certain sectors will be allowed to start operating again under certain conditions. At this stage our borders remain closed and therefore no international travel can take place, with the exception to South African citizens and foreign nationals who will be repatriated.
However, if you are you looking to travel in the near future, we can assist you!
We are accepting new cases, but we do need to advise you that all applications will only be sent to the Department of Home Affairs to be processed, once they are operational.
They have confirmed that the VFS and Department of Home Affairs will in fact not open on the 1st of May, and they are currently not processing any applications until restrictions to operate are lifted. This might only happen when the country is on level 2 of lockdown.
What we advise, is to therefore start with your visa application, rather sooner than later, in order to avoid the expected huge delays that will occur due to a high volume of applications. This will save you time by already having the completed and necessary documents ready for when the Department of Home Affairs are operational again.
As soon as the Department of Home Affairs are operational again, we can submit this completed application instantly and save you time.
During this challenging time, we realised once again what great team we have. Our employees are driven, positive and they are willing to go the extra mile for you.
Do not hesitate to contact us for a consultation.
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By Angelique Wernich
