Population · Chart
Home Affairs cleared about 94% of its visa backlog in under a year
306,000applications April 2024 · Highest
The queue fell from 306,000 applications to roughly 18,000, and was declared eradicated in early 2025.
From our storiesPart1: Adding Your Child to Your South African VisaRead the full story →
Method and sources
Each bar is the number of unprocessed visa and permit applications held by the Department of Home Affairs, as reported in the article.
April 2024: 306,000. February 2025: about 18,000, which the article describes as about 94% cleared. The February figure is given as an approximation in the article.
The article adds that long-term visa applications still pending on 1 April 2026 were automatically extended until 30 June 2027.
The article gives months rather than dates, so the period runs from the start of April 2024 to the end of February 2025.
Sources: Department of Home Affairs, backlog clearance reported February 2025 (https://www.dha.gov.za/)
Figures as published in our article on adding your child to your South African visa (chart last checked 14 September 2026): Department of Home Affairs backlog clearance reported February 2025. Link to the publisher, not the exact table.
Chart updated · 29 Sep 2026. The observation dates above describe the data, not today’s conditions.
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