Legal
Terms of Service
Version: 2026-10-20-draft
1. Important: we cannot guarantee the outcome
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) alone decides whether your visa application is approved. We prepare guidance, checklists and templates and, if you buy a Professional Review, we review the documents you have prepared. We cannot guarantee that your application will be approved, how long it will take, or how VFS Global or DHA will process it.
If a visa or permit is granted, DHA alone decides how long it is valid for. DHA also sets its own processing times, which are beyond our control. We are not responsible for how long DHA takes to respond or to decide your application, whatever any website or other source says about expected timeframes.
Strategies Migration Services is an independent business. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs or VFS Global.
2. Who we are and what these terms cover
These terms apply to your use of this website, your portal account, the toolkits we sell, the Professional Review and any add-on services we quote for. In these terms, “we”, “us” and “our” mean Strategies Migration Services South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, and “you” means the person buying or using our services. Our full company details are set out in section 16.
By completing checkout you confirm that you have read and accept these terms (version 2026-10-20-draft). We record the version you accepted with your order.
3. What the toolkit is, and what it is not
Each toolkit (Spouse Visa, Life Partner Visa and Relative Visa) gives you checklists, guidance, templates and a secure portal where you can organise and upload your documents. It is a self-help product: you prepare your own application with our guidance.
Buying a toolkit does not:
- make us your representative or agent;
- mean that we submit your application to VFS Global or DHA;
- mean that we check every document or confirm that your application is complete, unless you have also bought a Professional Review (and then only within its scope, set out below).
You remain responsible for the accuracy and completeness of your application and for submitting it.
Our guidance is general information about the visa categories covered. It is not legal advice about your specific circumstances, and it is not a substitute for legal, financial, tax or medical advice from a suitably qualified professional. Buying a toolkit or a Professional Review does not create an attorney and client relationship between you and us.
If your situation is complex, please ask us about our other services or take independent legal advice. If we refer you to an attorney or another service provider, their services are separate from ours, and we are not responsible for their work, errors or fees.
4. Professional Review
The Professional Review is an optional paid service. When you submit your prepared documents for review, one of our consultants will:
- review the documents you have uploaded against the checklist for your visa category;
- point out documents that appear to be missing, incomplete, expired or inconsistent; and
- give you written feedback in your portal.
The review is based only on the documents and information you give us. It does not include verifying that documents are genuine, obtaining documents for you, submitting your application, or representing you before VFS Global or DHA. A review reduces the risk of avoidable mistakes but does not guarantee an outcome (see section 1).
We aim to complete reviews within 48 business hours after all your documents have been submitted for review.
5. Add-on services
Add-on services (such as sworn translations, apostille help, police clearance guidance, courier collection and appeals) are quoted separately. Each quote will describe the scope, price and timing of the service, and these terms apply to it together with the quote. Appeals have strict deadlines, so please contact us as soon as you receive an outcome.
6. Your responsibilities
You agree that you will:
- give us information that is true, complete and up to date;
- upload and submit only genuine documents. We may stop providing services, without a refund for work already done, if we reasonably believe documents are fraudulent;
- check that the requirements are still current before you submit. DHA and VFS Global can change requirements, fees and procedures at any time, and we cannot guarantee that our materials reflect every change immediately;
- meet all deadlines, including appointment dates, appeal deadlines and the expiry date of your current visa or permit;
- comply with the conditions and restrictions of your current visa or permit, and with all applicable immigration laws; and
- make sure that you do not remain in South Africa without valid status.
You are responsible for your own immigration status. We are not liable for any overstay, penalty, ban or other consequence of your visa or permit expiring.
If you invite a sponsor (your spouse, partner or relative) to upload documents, you confirm that they have agreed to this, and they must also give us truthful information and genuine documents.
7. Your account and security
Keep your sign-in details private and do not share your account with anyone else. Tell us immediately at info@immigrationspecialists.co.za if you think someone has accessed your account without your permission. You are responsible for activity on your account unless it results from our failure to take reasonable security measures.
8. Intellectual property and your licence
The toolkit materials (including checklists, guides and templates) belong to us or our licensors and are protected by copyright. When you buy a toolkit, we grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the materials to prepare your own application and the application of the people included in it.
You may not copy, resell, publish, share or distribute the materials, or use them to provide services to other people, without our written permission. We keep the copyright in any work we prepare for you, such as review feedback. You may use and copy it for your own application, but not for other matters unless we agree in writing. The documents you upload remain yours.
9. Confidentiality
We keep the information you give us confidential. We use and disclose it only to provide our services to you, except where you authorise it, the law requires it, it is already public through no fault of ours, or disclosure is reasonably necessary to prevent an illegal act or harm to you or someone else. How we handle personal information is set out in our Privacy Policy.
10. Limitation of liability
To the extent permitted by law, including the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA):
- we are not liable for the decision made on your application, the validity period of any visa or permit granted, or for delays, errors or changes by DHA, VFS Global or any other authority;
- we are not liable for any consequence of a breach of your visa conditions, including a penalty, ban or deportation;
- we are not liable for loss caused by incorrect, incomplete or false information or documents that you or your sponsor give us, or by your failure to meet a deadline;
- we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, such as loss of income, travel costs or accommodation costs; and
- our total liability to you for any claim relating to an order is limited to the amount you paid us for that order.
You agree to compensate us for any claim made against us by a third party, and for our reasonable costs of dealing with it, to the extent that it arises from false information or documents you gave us, your breach of these terms, or your breach of your visa conditions.
Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability for gross negligence, wilful misconduct or fraud, requires you to accept a risk or liability that the law does not allow us to place on you, or limits any right you have under the CPA or other law that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.
11. Events beyond our control
We may suspend our services, or withdraw a quote, if we are prevented from performing by events beyond our reasonable control. These include changes to immigration law, regulations or DHA and VFS Global procedures, strikes, unrest, pandemics, power failures, fire, floods and natural disasters. We will tell you as soon as reasonably possible and resume the services when we can. If we cannot perform for more than two months, either of us may cancel the affected service, and your rights to a refund are set out in our Refunds and Cancellations policy.
12. Cancellations and refunds
Your right to cancel, and our refund policy, are set out in our Refunds and Cancellations policy, which forms part of these terms.
13. Governing law and disputes
These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
If you are unhappy with our services, please email us at info@immigrationspecialists.co.za first, so that we can try to resolve it with you. If we cannot resolve it within a reasonable time, either of us may refer the dispute to arbitration before a single arbitrator in Johannesburg, under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) and the Arbitration Act 42 of 1965. The arbitrator will be chosen by agreement or, failing agreement within 10 business days, appointed by AFSA. Either of us may ask the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, to make the award an order of court, or to grant urgent interim relief.
This does not affect your right to approach the National Consumer Commission, a consumer court, an ombud or any other forum available to you under the Consumer Protection Act.
14. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time, for example when the law or our services change. The version you accepted at checkout applies to that order. We will publish any new version on this page with a new version number, and if a change materially affects an ongoing service we will tell you before it applies.
15. General
- These terms, our Refunds and Cancellations policy, our Privacy Policy and any accepted quote are the whole agreement between us about your purchase. If a quote conflicts with these terms, these terms apply.
- If we allow you extra time or do not enforce a right straight away, we have not given up that right unless we confirm it in writing.
- If any part of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, it is removed and the rest of the terms remain in force.
- You may not transfer your rights or obligations under these terms to anyone else without our written consent.
16. Information required by the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (section 43)
Section 43(1) of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 requires us to make the following information available to you.
Full name and legal status
Strategies Migration Services South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Private company, trading as Strategies Migration Services.
Physical address and telephone number
Physical address: 145 Second Street Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa
Telephone: 010 446 0244
Website address and email address
Website: http://localhost:3000
Email: info@immigrationspecialists.co.za
Membership of self-regulatory or accreditation bodies
FIPSA IP0076
Code of conduct
[code of conduct subscribed to, and how to access it, or confirm none: to be confirmed before launch]
Registration number, office bearers and place of registration
Registration number: 2015/217251/07
Directors: [names of directors: to be confirmed before launch]
Place of registration (registered office): [registered office: to be confirmed before launch]
Physical address for receipt of legal service
145 Second Street Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa
Main characteristics of the goods and services
We sell self-help immigration toolkits for South African Spouse, Life Partner and Relative visa applications. Each toolkit includes checklists, guidance, templates and access to a secure portal for organising and uploading documents. We also offer an optional Professional Review (described in section 4) and quoted add-on services. Full details of each toolkit are on the toolkit pages:
Full price, including transport costs, taxes and fees
- Spouse Visa Toolkit: R 2 500
- Life Partner Visa Toolkit: R 2 500
- Relative Visa Toolkit: R 2 500
- In-Person Review of Submission Pack: R 1 500
- Add-on services: quoted individually before you agree to them.
All prices are in South African rand and include VAT. Our VAT registration number is 4130275375. Toolkits and reviews are delivered digitally, so there are no transport costs. We do not add any other fees at checkout. Fees charged by DHA, VFS Global or other third parties are not included and are paid by you directly to them.
Manner of payment
Payments are processed by Netcash on its hosted payment page. You can pay by card or EFT. Your card details are entered on Netcash's secure page and never reach our servers.
Terms of agreement, including guarantees
These Terms of Service, together with our Refunds and Cancellations policy and Privacy Policy, are the terms of our agreement. We do not guarantee the outcome of any application (see section 1). Your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, including the right to services of good quality, are not affected. You can save or print this page for your records.
Time within which the goods or services will be delivered
You get access to your toolkit in your portal as soon as "Netcash confirms your payment". Professional Reviews are completed within 48 business hours after all your documents have been submitted for review. Timing for add-on services is set out in each quote.
Access to a full record of the transaction
We send you an order confirmation email after payment. Your orders and their status are also available in your portal for as long as your account is active, and you can ask us for a copy of your transaction record at any time.
Return, exchange and refund policy
See our Refunds and Cancellations policy.
Alternative dispute resolution
Arbitration in Johannesburg under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA), as set out in section 13 of these terms.
Security procedures and privacy policy
Payments are handled by Netcash and card details never reach our servers. Documents are stored in a private, access-controlled vault. How we collect, use, protect and retain your personal information is explained in our Privacy Policy.
Minimum duration of the agreement
Each purchase is a once-off transaction, not a subscription. There is no minimum duration and nothing renews automatically.
Cooling-off right (section 44)
Under section 44 of the ECT Act you may cancel without giving a reason and without penalty within 7 days after receiving goods, or within 7 days after concluding the agreement for services. If you cancel, we refund your payment within 30 days of cancellation. See our Refunds and Cancellations policy for how to cancel.