Hoping someone will have some advice for me. I'm dealing with the Dept. of Home Affairs on 3 different issues at the moment for three different people - and I am so confused I can't even think straight!
Due to DOH's refusal to put my husband's name on my son's birth certificate because he is not South African - we had to reapply and have now been waiting 4 months for a certificate that still shows no sign of arriving anytime soon. Of course the waiting period was 6-8 weeks. All this has delayed his application for American citizenship which in part is keeping us in SA longer than the validity of my husband and daughter's relative visa.
We don't have time to reapply for my husband's visa as he'll now leave in January so that we can at least be together for the holidays. The police clearance alone takes 8 weeks...so no point in even trying. We are prepared to pay the penalty for him overstaying his visa by 60 days. In my daughter's case - I am only seeing us leave around April to give everything time to get sorted - her penalty would be R5000. I would prefer to apply for her relatives again to avoid the fine.
What is the procedure when renewing for a child? I can't get hold of anyone on the phone and after visiting Bellville office this week, I actually left more confused than before going there. Do you still schedule an interview in Cape Town? Is there a better way to avoid this penalty? Should I look at a different visa?
All the officials question why I never got my daughter's citizenship - but after dealing with them for the last few months I don't have the energy or even the desire for her to be a citizen. Plus I hear today that that even takes 3 years for a child born in a foreign country.
Any advice would be great. Getting my US citizenship was a piece of cake in comparison to getting a relatives visa in South Africa - it's really a joke.
Due to DOH's refusal to put my husband's name on my son's birth certificate because he is not South African - we had to reapply and have now been waiting 4 months for a certificate that still shows no sign of arriving anytime soon. Of course the waiting period was 6-8 weeks. All this has delayed his application for American citizenship which in part is keeping us in SA longer than the validity of my husband and daughter's relative visa.
We don't have time to reapply for my husband's visa as he'll now leave in January so that we can at least be together for the holidays. The police clearance alone takes 8 weeks...so no point in even trying. We are prepared to pay the penalty for him overstaying his visa by 60 days. In my daughter's case - I am only seeing us leave around April to give everything time to get sorted - her penalty would be R5000. I would prefer to apply for her relatives again to avoid the fine.
What is the procedure when renewing for a child? I can't get hold of anyone on the phone and after visiting Bellville office this week, I actually left more confused than before going there. Do you still schedule an interview in Cape Town? Is there a better way to avoid this penalty? Should I look at a different visa?
All the officials question why I never got my daughter's citizenship - but after dealing with them for the last few months I don't have the energy or even the desire for her to be a citizen. Plus I hear today that that even takes 3 years for a child born in a foreign country.
Any advice would be great. Getting my US citizenship was a piece of cake in comparison to getting a relatives visa in South Africa - it's really a joke.
