South Africa

Visa Information and Lodgement

Country coverage

The visa office provides immigration and visa service to clients in South Africa and 25 other countries in Southern and West Africa including: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde, Gambia (The), Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast (cote d'Ivoire), Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Togo and Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Note: Visa and citizenship applications from Mauritius and bordering countries (Comoros (Union of), Madagascar, Reunion Islands and Seychelles) can be lodged at the Australian High Commission in Port Louis, Mauritius or direct with Pretoria.

Biometrics collection

Clients in Zimbabwe

All people in Zimbabwe, regardless of nationality lodging paper-based visa applications in Zimbabwe, will be required to attend an Australian Visa Application Centre (AVAC) in person to provide biometrics.
See: VFS Global – Zimbabwe
Exception: Refugee and Humanitarian visas.

Lodging a visa application

At an AVAC in South Africa

The department has an agreement with VFS Global to provide Australian visa lodgement services though any of the four AVACs in South Africa. You can lodge your application in person or by courier at any of the AVACs in South Africa.
Exception: Applications for Refugee and Humanitarian visas.
See: VFS Global – South Africa

At an AVAC in Nigeria or Zimbabwe

Clients in Nigeria may lodge visa applications at an AVAC in Abuja and Lagos.
Note: VFS will charge a fee for this service. This fee is in addition to the visa application charge.
See: VFS Global – Nigeria

Clients in Zimbabwe may lodge visa applications at the AVAC in Harare. Clients lodging paper-based applications in Zimbabwe will need to provide biometrics.
Note:There is no additional fee when you lodge your application with the AVAC in Harare.
See: VFS Global – Zimbabwe

By post or courier to the Australian High Commission Pretoria, South Africa

Please ensure you have enclosed the appropriate visa application charges. Sponsors can also pay at any department office in Australia and you can include the official receipt with your application.
Note: Zimbabwe clients, who lodge an application directly with the Australian High Commission Pretoria, will still need to go to the AVAC in Harare to provide biometrics.

At the Australian High Commission Pretoria, South Africa in person

If you wish to lodge an application in person at the Australian High Commission you must make an appointment. Appointments are arranged either through the South African AVACs or directly with the Australian High Commission.
Note: Due to the high demand for appointments it may be a few weeks before an appointment can be scheduled, however, you can lodge your application at an AVAC at anytime during business hours without an appointment.
See: Contacts – South Africa > Client Counter Hours

Permanent entry visas

Permanent visa applications (except general skilled, business skills, Distinguished Talent (subclass124), Former Resident (subclass 151) and parent subclasses, from countries in the country coverage list above are lodged and processed in Pretoria.

General skilled migration applications are lodged at the Adelaide Skilled Processing Centre.
See: General Skilled Migration Processing Centres

Business skills applications are lodged and processed at the Perth Business Skills Processing Centre.
See: Perth Business Skills Processing Centre

Applications under the Special Migration stream – Distinguished Talent (subclass 124) and Former Resident (subclass 151), are lodged and processed at the Perth Office.
See:
Perth Office
Distinguished Talent Visa Enquiry form

Contributory parent and parent migration applications are lodged and processed at the Parent Visa Centre.
See: Parent Visa Centre

Refugee and Humanitarian visas

Refugee and Humanitarian (Class XB) visa applications from countries in the country coverage list above are lodged and processed at the Australian High Commission Nairobi, Kenya.
Exception: Those described below in ‘Lodging Certain Humanitarian Applications in Australia from Applicants in Any Country in Africa’
See: Contacts – Kenya

Clients from Africa whose application for a Refugee and Humanitarian (Class XB) visa is accompanied by a proposal form (Form 681) must lodge their application at the department's Sydney office. This applies to people who are lodging a visa for consideration under the Global Special Humanitarian Program or as an immediate family member.
See:
Lodging Certain Humanitarian Applications in Australia from Applicants in Any Country in Africa ( 27KB PDF file)
NSW Offshore Humanitarian Processing Centre

Temporary entry visas

Student visa applications

Student visa applications from clients in countries in the country coverage list above as well as clients in the following African countries are lodged and processed at the Africa Student Hub (ASH) Pretoria, South Africa.

Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.

Some African nationals may apply online for a Student visa.
See: Student Visa Online Applications

If you are not eligible to apply for a Student visa online, you will need to lodge a paper application with the ASH Pretoria. Please ensure you have enclosed the appropriate visa application charge.
See: New Africa Student Hub (ASH) Australian High Commission Pretoria ( 87KB PDF file)

Biometrics and clients lodging student applications in Kenya or Zimbabwe

Clients in Kenya or Zimbabwe lodging paper-based student visa applications in Kenya or Zimbabwe, regardless of nationality, are required to attend the relevant AVAC in their country of residence, in person, to lodge their application. All student visa application lodged in Kenya or Zimbabwe will be transferred from the AVAC to the ASH Pretoria for processing.

Other temporary entry visa applications

Temporary entry visa applications from countries in the country coverage list above are lodged and processed in Pretoria.

416 Special Program applications are lodged and processed at the Hobart Special Program Processing Centre.
See: Hobart Special Program Processing Centre

420 Entertainment sponsorship and visa applications are lodged and processed at the Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre.
See: Sydney Entertainment Processing Centre

442 Occupational Trainee sponsorship and visa applications are lodged and processed at the Adelaide Occupational Trainee Processing Centre.
See: Adelaide Occupational Trainee Processing Centre

Sponsored Family Visitor visa (subclass 679) applications must be lodged in Australia by the sponsor. 679 Sponsored Family Visitor visas will be processed at one of the Sponsored Family Visitor processing centres.
See: Sponsored Family Visitor Processing Centres

If you are sponsored by an Australian employer for a subclass 457 Business (Long Stay) visa, you may lodge your visa application online or at an Australian office of the department. If you are sponsored by an overseas business, you can lodge your visa application with the Australian Immigration Office responsible for applications in your country.
See:
Centres of Excellence
Online Applications

If you are sponsored by an Australian employer, you must lodge your visa application at the same office in Australia where your employer lodged papers to support your application. Please ask your employer at which office they lodged these papers.
See: Contact Us – Australian Offices

Citizenship

Applications for Citizenship by Descent can be lodged at the Australian High Commission, South Africa or at the AVAC.

All applications for Australian citizenship general eligibility and other situations, and applications to resume or renounce (give up) Australian citizenship should be lodged at the Melbourne CBD Office.
See:
Application process for Australian citizenship
Application process to resume Australian citizenship
Giving up your citizenship
Melbourne CBD Office