Over the past 10 years, the Department of Home Affairs processed 633 395 applications, only granting 99 624 of these applications.
This means 533 771 people, mostly coming from war-torn and severely distressed countries, had to leave South Africa or face deportation during this period.
However, there were 184 976 documented active asylum seekers in South Africa on December 31, 2018.
These statistics are contained in parliamentary replies by Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi to written questions by IFP MP Liezl van der Merwe, EFF MP Vuyani Pambo and DA MP Joe McGluwa.
The department has five Refugee Reception Centres â€` in Pretoria, Musina, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
`The department does not provide shelter to asylum seekers and refugees,` Motsoaledi said in response to McGluwa`s question.
`All centres have security personnel. Centres have private security in uniform 24 hours, whilst the department`s security personnel are present during the day.`
According to Motsoaledi`s answer, the department has personnel appointed at the Refugee Reception Centres to guide asylum seekers who want to legalise their stay in South Africa.
`The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is the UN agency operating in South Africa with offices and implementing partners across the country that is also assisting new and existing asylum applicants through the asylum process. The agency is fully equipped and mandated to provide support to both clients and the department,` his answer reads.
Research recently published by the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town found that almost 40% of migrant children in South Africa are undocumented, which means they run the risk of being stateless.
McGluwa asked `whether any

difficulty in obtaining a full birth certificate for any asylum seeker has been eradicated`.
`There are no difficulties in registering children of asylum seekers born in South Africa. Asylum seekers are issued with recognition of birth document. It is the responsibility of the parents to take such document and submit them to the Refugee Reception Centre with immediate effect to allow their children proper registration and issuance of the asylum permit.`
The highest number of asylum applications granted went to Somalians, with 36 512, followed by 25 953 successful applications for nationals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 18 022 for Ethiopians.
Ethiopians are the largest group of asylum seekers in the country with 50 135, followed by 34 754 nationals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 27 243 Bangladeshis and 14 861 Zimbabweans.
According to the department`s website an asylum seeker `is a person who has fled his or her country of origin and is seeking recognition and protection as a refugee in the Republic of South Africa, and whose application is still under consideration`.
`In case of a negative decision on his application, he has to leave the country voluntarily or will be deported.`
A refugee `is a person who has been granted asylum status and protection in terms of the Refugee Act`.
`Under the 1951 United Nations Convention, a refugee can be a `convention refugee` who has left his home country and has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group,` reads the website. V.2912

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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