Senior corporate executives seeking to make visa and permit applications will no longer have to visit the usual Home Affairs branches in Johannesburg‚ after a ‘premium’ visa and permit centre was launched by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba in Sandton today. The application process at the centre takes about ten minutes and thereafter the applicant will wait for about four months to get the visa or permit as opposed to the initial eight months‚ according to the department‚ SANews.gov.za reports. Prior to visiting the centre‚ applicants can make an appointment online. Most of the application process is done electronically‚ including payment.The biometrics and applications are approved at the department’s Head Office in Pretoria. The premium one-stop-shop for visa and permit renewals comes as a result of a partnership between the department and VFS Global and the Gauteng Provincial government’s Gauteng Growth and Development Agency to facilitate increased investment into South Africa. The centre is expected to alleviate the pressure of visa applications management for senior executives of companies who are holders of temporary residence visas as well as other foreign employees within these corporates. – SANews.gov.za..