People migrate to other countries for different reasons. But whatever that reason may be, there’s always a process that must be followed to get a hold of a desired citizenship.

Requesting citizenship in South Africa requires certain steps. Of course, an immigrant couldn’t just apply for citizenship as a permanent resident immediately, he must be settled first. It actually takes up to 30 long months to obtain permanent residency. Logically, immigrants should first deal with the attainment of a temporary residency, and at the same time, they can await the approval of their permanent residency.

As soon as the permanent residency has been approved, immigrants are to apply for citizenship to the Minister of Home Affairs. Conditions for the immigrants are: He/she must be over 21 years old; He/she must possess a permanent residence permit; He/she must have resided in South Africa for no less than 5 years prior to the application of the citizenship, though this 5-year requirement may be shortened to 2 years if the immigrant is the husband or wife of a citizen living in South Africa. The immigrant must also be able to communicate in at least one of South Africa’s languages. And lastly, he/she should be of good character.

Immigrants should also bear in mind that applying for citizenship is a privilege, not a right. Therefore, the Minister owns all the authority to deny an application, even though the immigrant manages to fulfil all the given conditions.

Residing in a foreign country necessitates other vital preconditions that are to be considered aside from the aforementioned prerequisites. One should always weigh up all the factors.