A number of migrant and non-governmental organisations that help
asylum seekers have reported anecdotal incidents of these offices,
including the ones in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Durban, not
accepting new applicants.

The Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town and the Nelson Mandela Refugee
Rights Centre in Port Elizabeth say they have heard of asylum
seekers being told that the refugee reception offices in these
cities won’t be taking new applicants until staff members have
been supplied with masks, gloves and hand sanitisers.

The Department of Home Affairs has not confirmed the measures that
have been put in place to deal with the arrival of asylum seekers,
with phone calls and WhatsApp messages to the minister’s
spokesperson, Siya Qoza, and the department’s media manager, David
Hlabane, going unanswered.

Linton Harmse, director of the Refugee Rights Centre, said the
closure of these offices could have a severely negative impact on
new asylum applicants as well as existing asylum seekers in South
Africa wanting to renew their permits.

“The impact will be wide. If you have a bank account and your
permit expires, the day it expires your bank account is frozen. It
will only be opened again if you come with a new permit. So if you
don’t get the new permit in that week or the next month, you will
be without your money,” he said.

“You won’t have access to your funds. Obviously, you would not be
able to buy food, pay school fees, buy sanitiser, go to the
doctor. You know everything costs money. That is one of the
immediate ways it will impact asylum seekers.

“That is if you are already documented,” Harmse continued. “There
are hundreds of asylum seekers who have not been documented yet.
They are given an appointment in 30 days’ time. They come then and
are just given another 30 days. They are not seen because [home
affairs] does not have staff capacity.”

Harmse warned that asylum seekers could either remain undocumented
or lose their legal status if their permits expire and they are
unable to renew them because of coronavirus-related delays.

Closed borders not the answer

Jean Bwasa, chairperson of The Right to Live and a leader of the
Congolese community in Johannesburg, said he is worried about
asylum seekers. “It will have a negative impact on new applicants
who are already in the country because they will become illegal.
Closing the borders is a good thing in that each and every country
wants to protect its citizens, but it goes against the goals to
have a borderless Africa.

“There are still countries in Africa where there is conflict and
war. We need to think of strategies other than closing the
borders,” he said.

Sally Gandar, head of advocacy and legal adviser at the Scalabrini
Centre, said the closure of ports of entry is a concern. “We call
on the government to ensure that the manner of implementation does
not violate South Africa’s obligations in terms of international
and domestic law and the principle of non-refoulement.”

Non-refoulement is a principle under international human rights
law which guarantees that no person be returned to a country where
they may face persecution or harm.

“In addition, if [refugee reception offices] are not accepting new
asylum applications, which would mean the asylum applicant does
not adhere to the five-day requirement in asylum transit visas,
the [department] must ensure that there is a general amnesty from
strict adherence to those provisions during this time,” Gandar
said. “This would be the correct and sensible strategy to take to
ensure protection of all persons within South Africa, and better
public health outcomes.

“Now, more than ever, the department needs to communicate more
effectively and urgently with this population. The implications of
ignoring or continuing to treat this part of our

population as
invisible will be felt by all persons in South Africa. Health, and
by implication illness, knows no borders and a virus does not stop
and ask for an individual’s immigration status prior to being
transmitted. Vulnerable populations need to be specifically
addressed and catered for in the government’s response. Failure to
do this would simply mean that the response is not a comprehensive
one.”

Overcrowding a concern

Michael Clements, acting national director of Lawyers for Human
Rights (LHR), called for a moratorium on the detention and
deportation of migrants as well as unnecessary arrests and
detention for Schedule 1 offences.

“Detained individuals in overcrowded detention centres such as
Lindela Repatriation [Centre], police stations and remand prisons
are at high risk of contracting and spreading the virus. These
facilities are ill-equipped to deal with an outbreak of the
disease. This is especially true in relation to the elderly and
those suffering from chronic illnesses,” said Clements. “LHR
further calls on the Department of Home Affairs to present its
plan of action regarding the renewal of asylum seeker permits,
considering the president’s prohibition on gatherings of more than
100 people.”

Gandar added: “We understand that at least two refugee reception
offices, in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, are closed, apparently
until the staff are provided with protective gear. We have also
been told that the Durban office is no longer accepting new asylum
applicants, only processing renewals.

“While gloves, masks and hand sanitiser may provide some
protection to [department] staff members, it does not contain the
spread from person to person … and so these types of measures
would be wholly inadequate if they’re the only measure
implemented.

“This is particularly evident when one considers that, on any
single day, far more than 100 people try to access services at a
refugee reception office. The president has prohibited gatherings
of over 100 people and all non-essential travel. These
prohibitions should also be implemented in a way that ensures that
asylum seekers and refugees rights are respected, protected,
promoted and fulfilled,” Gandar said.

Refugees in limbo

The International Organisation for Migration and the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) have meanwhile
announced that they would temporarily suspend the resettlement of
refugees.

In a statement on the UNHCR’s website, the organisations said: “As
countries drastically reduce entry into their territories owing to
the Covid-19 global health crisis, and restrictions around
international air travel are introduced, travel arrangements for
resettling refugees are currently subject to severe disruptions.
Some states have also placed a hold on resettlement arrivals given
their public health situation, which impacts on their capacity to
receive newly resettled refugees.

“Refugee families are being directly impacted by these quickly
evolving regulations in the course of their travel, with some
experiencing extensive delays while others have been stranded or
separated from family members.”

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Minister of Home Affairs Aaron
Motsoaledi spoke about the possibility of renewing long-term visas
that are due to expire soon. He said the department would “very
gladly renew visas” until July, but people would have to give a
good reason for wanting to stay in South Africa. He said nothing
about refugees or asylum seekers.

www.samigration.com V.3052

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...
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- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

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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.
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-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.

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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