It's a scenario that plays out more often than it should. You're living in South Africa on a valid spousal visa, you interview for a position you've been dreaming about, you excel in every assessment, and the company extends a formal offer. You hand your passport to the HR department for onboarding, confident everything is in order.
Then comes the call. The offer has been withdrawn. "Your visa shows you're classified as a visitor," they explain. "We can't employ you legally."
The confusion is immediate. You're married to a South African citizen or permanent resident. Surely that means you can work?
The short answer is yes, you can work—but the right to do so isn't automatic. This is hands down the most widespread misunderstanding among foreign spouses living in South Africa.
The "visitor" versus "worker" confusion
The confusion arises from the visa category itself. What most people refer to as a spousal visa is officially classified by the Department of Home Affairs as a Section 11(6) Visitor's Visa under the Immigration Act. By default, this visa—even though it's based on marriage—only grants you the right to reside in South Africa. It does not automatically include the right to work, study, or operate a business.
To work legally, you must apply for a specific addition known as a work endorsement.
The catch: you need a job offer first
Unlike permanent residency, which allows you to work for any employer or even freelance, a Section 11(6) work endorsement is tied to a specific company. You cannot apply for a general work endorsement that gives you open-market job-hunting flexibility. The process works in a specific sequence: you must first secure a firm job offer, then take that employment contract to VFS Global and apply to have your visa endorsed for that particular employer. Only once the updated visa sticker is placed in your passport—with a condition stating "To take up employment with [Company Name]"—are you legally permitted to begin working.
The employer-specific restriction
This endorsement isn't a universal work authorization. If you resign or lose that position, your work rights expire immediately. If you accept a new job elsewhere, you cannot simply show up on your first day. You must submit a fresh application for a new endorsement tied to the new employer.
This creates considerable risk for employers. If they allow you to work before the endorsement is finalized, they are violating immigration law and face potential fines or even criminal charges. This is precisely why cautious human resources departments sometimes retract offers when they don't see the correct endorsement stamp in the passport.
How NAC Travel bridges the gap
The delay between receiving a job offer and obtaining the endorsement is where many opportunities fall through. Employers understandably don't want to wait several months for a visa process to complete.
The immigration team at savisa.nac-travel.org helps foreign spouses navigate this critical transition by providing employer education—speaking directly to prospective employers to explain the Section 11(6) process and reassure them that the candidate is eligible and the procedure is standard. They also conduct contract reviews to ensure the employment agreement meets Home Affairs standards, such as appropriate duration and salary clauses, to prevent rejection. Finally, they prioritize the submission of Section 11(6) endorsement applications to minimize the gap between the job offer and the official start date.
Your marriage certificate is not a work permit. Getting the correct endorsement in your passport is essential to building your career in South Africa legally and without interruption.