While this provides relief for many, that come end of September, employees still awaiting their outcome will be allowed to remain in country and legally continue to work per their previous valid work visa status, although expired, for others it comes with dismay.
At its core, it predicts that the processing of visas will continue to move slow for the next 7 months.
The news comes on the heels of the announcement on the weekend to reverse the central adjudication system, and subsequent announcement that all applications submitted prior to 31 August will continue to be adjudicated by Head Office.
The Directive as such may elude to the fact that applications submitted abroad, will receive preference in adjudication as relief has been provided to those who have submitted locally through the Directive and automatic extension.
This would negatively impact on any applicants who had submitted a visa to change employer, as the Directive will not allow them to legally commence new employment; or where an employee has applied to change roles within the organisation.
It further impacts those seeking to travel and who need to submit an application for a visa, some countries are not regarding the Directive as legal status and applicants are experiencing difficulties to apply for travel visas.
The Directive also does not allow for those with pending waiver applications to travel out of the country as they will then be deemed to have “abandoned” their waiver applications and as such will need to travel abroad to apply for their visa status once the waiver has been ultimately issued.
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