Government brought brief relief to Angolan former refugees when it
granted a blanket exemption to those who qualified but would not
provide reasons why it was limited to a period of four years.


In a landmark decision made last month the Department of Home Affairs
awarded rights equivalent to permanent residency to 1227 Angolans â€"
many of whom have been living in South Africa for nearly two decades â€"
after the Western Cape High Court ruled in November that the minister
consider their applications to stay.


Department spokesperson David Hlabane said the minster considered the
special circumstances of each Angolan and the decision was made in
line with the Immigration Act.


The Immigration Act provides for exemption to be granted for a
specified or unspecified period Hlabane said.


The decision for four years is therefore in accordance with the act.
As to what happens after four years the department will make a
decision at an appropriate time.


Applicants without criminal records or pending police clearance
certificates were granted exemption until 2021 and 72% of the 1702 who
applied will now be entitled to all the rights of a South African
citizen except for voting.


Most of the applicants fled Angola in the late 1990s after civil war
broke out and came to South Africa seeking asylum‚ but in 2013 the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees declared Angola safe and
their refugee status was revoked.


Government then awarded the former refugees two-year cessation permits
which expired in 2015 leaving those who remained in

SA
undocumented.


The decision by government not to grant indefinite residency to the
group has ensured that their future remains uncertain and has created
further anxiety among many of the former refugees including
47-year-old Abrantes Brito who fears for his childrens future.


We applied for [indefinite] permanent residency and thats what we
expected not four years said the businessman who has lived in Cape
Town with his wife and two children for 18 years.


“What is going to happen after that? Our children know nothing about
Angola. This is their home. They see their future here and we hope
they wont live their lives as refugees.


Miranda Madikane director of the Scalabrini migrant centre in Cape
Town said they welcomed the decision to grant applicants rights of
residency. However there was concern over the uncertainty they would
face again in 2021.


These applications were based on the long stay of these applicants and
their deep socioeconomic links to SA said Madikane.


We do not know the reason behind Home Affairs granting these
Applicants with permanent residency for only four years but we will
engage with the department and hope to understand the reasoning behind
this decision.


A data analysis by Scalabrini found a high rate of economic activity
among the applicants. Over 90% of adult applicants are employed and
nearly one in five own their own businesses. Nearly a quarter of
applicants also have South African partners and children.
-TimesLIVE V.2009

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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