Appeal Process

Evaluation of foreign qualifications is a two-phased process followed by SAQA to:

1. Verify foreign qualifications (authenticate the status of institutions and the qualifications offered by them; and investigate the authenticity of qualification documents and the awards made to individuals); and
2. Compare foreign qualifications with South African qualifications, considering the structure and outcomes of the foreign qualifications, to locate them within the South African NQF.

The evaluation process is concluded by one of two decisions; each of which is reached after the verification phase:

• Decision A, to recognise a qualification, leads to the comparison phase, which results in the issuing of a Certificate of Evaluation indicating how the qualification is located within the NQF.
• Decision B, to not recognise a qualification, is communicated to the applicant in a letter and reasons for the decision provided.

Qualification holders can appeal against the outcome of Decision A, or against Decision B. A two-stage appeal process (review and final appeal) is in place to resolve appeals. This process is based on the approved Foreign Qualifications Evaluation Appeal Policy. A fee is charged for appeal. This fee is refunded when an appeal is upheld. The current fee is indicated in the Appeal registration form, which is updated annually.

Before resorting to a formal appeal, qualification holders have the option of seeking clarification of the outcome of the evaluation process and the recognition decision taken by SAQA. This provides the opportunity to deal with issues of misunderstanding.