In Aussie airport first.
The Department of Home Affairs’ initial ‘face on the move’ passenger
recognition technology trials at an Australian airport have correctly
matched 94 percent of travellers.
The result is from a Canberra Airport trial of the department’s new
automated biometric border control solution that uses facial
recognition to clear travellers at arrivals.
The new solution is intended to match individuals against facial
images stored in airlines’ advanced passenger processing systems,
removing the need for travellers to present their passports at the
gate to clear immigration
Home Affairs is in the process of replacing its fleet of ageing
Morpho-based arrivals smartgates at all international airports with
the solution.
It awarded border technology provider Vision-Box �` who currently
provide the newer smartgate technology at departure gates around the
country �` a $22.5 million deal last July to overhaul the arrivals
process.
The department is aiming for 90 percent of international travellers to
be processed by automated means by 2020.
Canberra Airport was the first to receive the new smartgates last
November, but initially operated in ‘contact’ mode only and still
required travellers to insert their passports to be processed.
But now the department has used the automated solution to conduct a
‘face on the

move’ trial with 2200 travellers.
“A ‘face on the move’ trial was undertaken at the Exit Marshall Point
and involved 2200 travellers,” the department said in answers to
questions on notice from budget estimates.
“On average, 94 percent of the participating travellers were correctly
matched, and no identification errors occurred.”
Sydney airport trial
The department also revealed that it has begun trialling the new
smartgate technology at Sydney Airport.
The “biometric data capture exercise” collected images from around
20,000 travellers to “assess the matching performance of the latest
facial biometric matching algorithm from a world-leading vendor that
will be used in protection systems”.
The trial’s false accept rate for matching “captured traveller images
against reference images” was “measured to be below 1-in-4000” or
0.025 percent.
However this was “for a high throughput threshold setting”.
Sydney Airport began conducting its own `couch-to-gate` biometrics
trial with select international Qantas passengers last week.
The facial recognition technology, which is also provided by
Vision-Box, allows passengers to complete most pre-boarding processes
using just their face. V.2323

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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