The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has made further progress in improving service delivery when it launched online applications for passports and short-term employment permits yesterday.
Over the past few years, the ministry has introduced e-passports in 2018, visa-on-arrival, the inauguration of the state-of-the-art headquarters and the national migration policy. Less than a month ago, the usage of ID-cards as travel documents between Namibia and Botswana was added.
Minister Albert Kawana announced that the ministry will continue to expand its digital services, including online visa applications for tourists, by the end of the year to keep up with the fast-growing digital world as well as attract more tourists to the country.
During the launch in Windhoek, he emphasised the importance of embracing technology to achieve global best-practices and the Namibian government’s reform initiative by adopting e-governance.
The minister said these services will reduce the cost to clients, and enable the ministry to achieve more with less. “Thus, having devised and deployed online technology, we will add more services online, in addition to work-visa and passport applications.
With the escalating and exorbitant costs of IT service providers, we have harnessed and capitalised on our own internal capabilities from our IT units to realise this vision,” he added. The work-visa application allows applicants to

complete all relevant forms and upload all required documents online.
Completed and submitted forms and documents will be received, considered and responded to online. Payments can also be done online via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
For passports, applicants only need to complete the application form, while all other required documents, such as IDs and birth certificates, will be imported automatically through system integration. Kawana furthermore acknowledged that the public previously had little confidence and trust in the ministry due to factors such as a lack of transparency, poor service delivery and long queues. However, with improved service delivery, it now takes only two to three days to process a passport, or three hours in an emergency.
A national identity document takes one to two weeks to process, and a duplicate takes only one to two weeks. “All of these achievements were made despite severe economic headwinds, which were mainly attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said, adding that the ministry is determined to improve its services even further.
“We are constantly benchmarking our services with those countries which are regarded as
advanced in efficient service delivery,” Kawana noted. All the options are available through the ministry’s online portal.
www.samigration.com V.4751

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.

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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.

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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.

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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