The long wait for a Cape Town Refugee Reception Office will finally come to an end on Monday. A new office on Grenville Avenue in Epping is expected to open its doors officially for asylum and refugee services on 20 March.

This comes after more than ten years of court battles since the Department of Home Affairs closed its Cape Town refugee office.

In October last year, GroundUp reported that the new centre had finally started to take shape in Epping.

According to the UCT Refugee Rights Clinic Facebook page, all new asylum and refugee matters will be heard at the Epping offices. “If anyone has any matters that still need to be dealt with before the 20th, you may still be required to attend their old office at Foreshore where the remaA notice issued by Home Affairs states: “The department has moved most of the officials and equipment to the new office site effective from 1 March 2023. Skeleton staff will remain in the office for two weeks, ending on 17 March 2023. Thereafter, the department will leave a notice that advises the clients on the new office location. The skeleton staff at Customs House will mainly assist in redirecting clients and attending to minor service requests.”

“At this stage only clients with appointments/appointment letters will be received at the new site. No client will be assisted without prior arrangements until further notice. Clients which were issued with an appointment letter to report to the old address on a future date are requested to all report to the new premises. Any in-person visit will be as per appointment.”

Home Affairs also said that those wanting extensions of asylum documents and refugee status should apply online.

The legal battle between refugee advocacy organisations and Home Affairs dates back to 2012 when the department closed its Cape Town Refugee Reception Office. The closure meant that refugees could

only apply for asylum in Durban, Musina and Pretoria.

The Western Cape High Court ruled that the closure was unreasonable and irrational in 2012. Home Affairs was ordered to re-open the office by the High Court in 2016, and again by the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2017.

The department then sought leave to appeal from the Constitutional Court, but the application was denied.

When Home Affairs had still not opened the Refugee Reception Office by 31 March 2018, the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) took the matter back to court on behalf of the Scalabrini Centre and the Somali Association of South Africa. In May 2021, Acting Judge Alma de Wet ordered Home Affairs to submit monthly reports on its progress in opening the office.

Devon Turner of the LRC told GroundUp they had accompanied court staff and Home Affairs officials to the new office in February. Asked about the new site, Turner said IDs and passports would also be issued at the Epping office which would mean refugees would not have to visit the Barrack Street offices for those services. “This is quite positive.”

Turner said the office in Epping has separate entrances, one for asylum seekers and refugees, and another for Home Affairs staff. “They are trying to prevent any kind of bribery,” he said.

He said that the office works on a ticketing system to aid the flow of people through each point of service. There are “children-friendly” spaces, he said, and an open space for the Refugee Status Determination Officer’s decision-making and interviews. “The space has smart cameras all over. The open spaces have been designed so that there are no blind spots where someone can try to elicit a bribe,” he said.

www.samigration.com V.4737

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article