Nigerian man refused permanent residency

A NIGERIAN man who wanted to be granted permanent residency had his application dismissed by the Cape Town High Court after it was revealed that his methods to remain in the country were riddled with inconsistencies and illegal conduct.

- SINENHLANHLA MASILELA [e-mail]

Peter Sunday Akinsanya took the department of home affairs in the Western Cape to court after it had rejected his appeal for a permanent resident application. He first applied for permanent residence in February 2019.

Akinsanya initially arrived in South Africa in November 2014 under a visitor's visa that allowed him a 10-day stay.

However, following the expiration of his visa, he overstayed his welcome and attempted to convert his visitor's status into a work visa - a move that is prohibited under South African immigration laws.

He claimed he applied for the work visa after using the services of an agent only known as Sam who he met at Gautrain station and paid him R23,000. He said he was already eyeing a job at a company called Mortu Mortu (Pty) Ltd.

Moreover, he wanted to be allowed to live as a permanent resident because he owns property in the country and has a valid driver's licence which for him, was compelling enough to have his application considered.