Are you a citizen of Lesotho who is wondering if it is possible to work in South Africa without a work permit. Don’t go anywhere, in this article you will learn all about Lesotho work permit requirements for you to work in the Republic of South Africa.

I do believe that it is possible to work in South Africa without a work permit. However, be warned that you will work low salary jobs because it is necessary for you to have a legal work permit in order to work in South Africa.

During the Christmas holidays, many Basotho citizens cross the border to Lesotho. This is an indication that you don’t necessarily need a South Africa’s work permit to work in that country. I am saying this because many Basotho citizens don’t have a legal permit to work in that country. 

 Now let’s take a look on how this article is structured:

• How can I get a work permit in South Africa?
• How much does a South African work permit cost?
• Can a foreigner work in South Africa without a work permit?
• Do you need a passport for lesotho from south africa
• Lesotho home affairs in South Africa
• Lesotho work permit requirements

Alright, let’s get on with this article then. I hope you love it because if you are a Lesotho citizen who wants to work in South Africa, you will need to read this article throughout. This article will help you most if you have never been to South Africa and you want to work in that country for a qualified job.

How can I get a work permit in South Africa?

I do believe that you are reading this article because you are itching to be in South Africa. The question I am going to answer is how you can get a work permit in South Africa. 

Ok, now let’s dive in. 

For you to get a South African work permit, you need to follow these procedures. For foreigners, you need to apply for the work permit at the home affairs of that country. From there, you may be given one of the following work permits:

• General work visa
• Critical skills work visa
• Intra-company transfer work visa
• Corporate visa

Once your application is accepted, you will be granted one of the above work permits in South Africa. Now let’s take a look at how those work permits differ.

South African General work visa

General work visas may be issued to foreigners when there are no South African citizens or permanent residents with the relevant skills available. This works in a case where there is a need for certain skills and people who applied don’t have the required skills are not available. In this case, you will be considered for this type of general work visa.

South Africa’s critical skills work permit

The department of home affairs South Africa issues this type of work permit for skills which are in short supply. For example, let’s people who know how to manufacture farming machines were not many. The department will have to outsource those skills. 

If you bring skills which are important in South Africa, and are in short supply, you will be granted a critical skills work permit. If your profession has many people who are South African citizens, you will not be granted a critical skills work permit.

Intra-Company transfer work visa

This is a permit issued to foreigners being transferred by their own Company to an affiliate company in South Africa. This happens in companies which have branches in other countries, and when they need a candidate of certain skills. 

As an example, let’s say Vodacom which is a South African telecommunication company based in Lesotho. If there is a need for someone with digital marketing skills, and in Lesotho there is such a person already working at Vodacom Lesotho, they would consider that person. 

For such a person to work in Vodacom South Africa, he will be issued an intra-company transfer work visa. This is a work permit prepared by the company he or she is working for.

Corporate Visa

The last but not least type of work permit that can be issued to foreigners is a corporate visa. This type of work permit in South Africa is given to foreigners who will for a limited period of time. 

For example, if you got a 3 year contract job, you will be given this type of South African work permit. I am sure you now realize how all these South Africa’s work permits work. The question is, which work permit do you think you need right now? I am going to leave that question for you to answer on your own. Let’s now move on to another section of this article.

How much does a South African work permit cost?

One of the factors you need to put into consideration whenever you need to buy something is the cost price. If you want to know how much it costs to get a South African work permit, just know that you will have to pay R1520,00 per visa application.

If you really want to work freely, you will apply for this official work document so that the Police force won’t have to deport you back to your country. I know it sounds like it is a huge amount to pay just for a document. But people spend more than that on unnecessary things; things like a sleep over with a mistress. This work document will open doors for you my friend, ensure that you apply for it.

Can a foreigner work in South Africa without a work permit?

While doing research for this article, I came across this question and I felt obliged to answer it. When I commenced this article, I indicated that many Basotho citizens cross the border to Lesotho during the Christmas holidays. Most of these people don’t even know there is a work permit. 

If you were to ask individually those people who work abroad when crossing the border, you would find that 90% don’t have a work permit. This therefore tells that it is possible for a foreigner to work in South Africa without a work permit. Even if you are not from Lesotho, you can still assess your own nation regarding this.

One thing I must emphasize is that it is risky to be working in a foreign country without proper working documents. I am saying this because you never know when the police might request them. It is better to be prepared than to face jail time or being sent back to your country penniless.

Do you need a passport for Lesotho from South Africa

This is one of the questions I consider hilarious. I am saying this because for a person who wants legit things, he may say it is not possible to go to South Africa without a passport. Well it is possible my dear friend.

You should have seen what happened during the covid-19 saga when border gates were so strict. Many Basotho citizens crossed to Lesotho through a river, most of them were scared to face jail time because some of them don’t even have a legal passport to cross a border post. 

During covid-19 lockdown, there were so many police forces and the army at the border. This scared people who don’t have legal passports because they were going to be arrested.

Lesotho home affairs in South Africa

Lately, Lesotho through the ministry of home affairs has established a branch in South Africa for Basotho. This was done so that Basotho who are working in that country can get their passports easily. Despite that, there is a high rate of human trafficking. This ministry helps in such cases if Basotho become the victims of human trafficking.

If you encounter a problem regarding your passport, just go to Lesotho home affairs offices in South Africa, they will gladly assist you. 

Lesotho work permit requirements

So far, I have not heard of a work permit in Lesotho. All I know is that if you want to work in Lesotho, you are allowed to work if you have proper documents which allow you to be in Lesotho. But I will have to look into it to check if you need a work permit to work in Lesotho. But maybe you need Lesotho special permit 2022. But like I said, I will look into it.

Finally, I would like you to comment below this article and tell me which work permit you need for your work. I also want you to share this article with your friends so that they learn about these work permits they need to choose from. Don’t forget to subscribe so that whenever I post a new article it goes straight to your inbox. Until next time, ciao!