One day after he was sworn in as the new Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber made a range of announcements regarding extending temporary visa concessions and other arrangements affecting legal foreign nationals in South Africa.
It drew attention to him as one of the six new ministers of the DA in the Government of National Unity (GNU). Eleven new ministers were appointed from the DA, PAC, IFP, Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Freedom Front Plus and two from the ANC in the GNU.
Most of them have parliamentary but not ministerial experience. It, therefore, becomes a question of how long it will take for them to master the intricacies of parliamentary procedures and their executive responsibilities.
Schreiber was highlighted as one who started quickly, but what awaits him down the line?
He is qualified in political science and, in 2018, published a book on coalitions in South Africa. Until this year’s election, he was the DA spokesperson of public services and administration and, in that capacity, launched several court cases against the ANC to reveal information on its cadre deployment policy.
Now as the Home Affairs minister, his academic knowledge must assist him in a post that has become a hot issue globally: the growing antagonism against refugees, illegal immigrants and foreigners in general.
The right-wing populism in Europe against refugees from the Middle East and North Africa has changed the politics in countries like Hungary, Türkiye, France, the Netherlands and Spain. The American election later this year will also be influenced by this factor.
In the recent national election, the PA, Operation Dudula and others linked themselves to these immigration sentiments. Only the EFF distanced itself from it. The election indicated to government leaders that a clearer policy on immigration and managing of illegal economic immigrants in South Africa are urgent priorities.
Schreiber will have to be the architect of that approach.
Home Affairs is a key ministry and department because it manages the demographic aspects of the population. For most other ministries, from a planning point of view, Home Affairs and Statistics SA are pivotal components of a system that must manage many civic services related to the population.
The first is to maintain the National Population Register which must be aligned to managing all birth, marriage and death records. The department must also determine and grant South African citizenship.
One institution for whom the Home Affairs functions have been important in recent times is the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). The department must keep the IEC regularly informed of all the deaths of registered voters and persons who have lost their citizenship. They will automatically be removed from the national voters roll.
Also part of the department’s civic services is its task to issue travel documents, passports and IDs to South African citizens and permanent residents. The challenges the department and Schreiber

will have to contend with in this respect are unreliable government ICT infrastructure, long queues at Home Affairs offices and corruption in the process of issuing the documents.
Online applications and the use of bank branches have improved the situation. Investigations by the Special Investigative Unit and other components of the criminal justice cluster are slowly exposing syndicates and departmental officials, increasing Home Affairs’ integrity.
In addition to its civic services, the department’s second main function is managing immigration admissions into South Africa. It includes determining the residency status of foreigners. Extensions of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit or the extension of temporary visa permits are two examples of a range of immigration hot potatoes.
In 2022, as part of Operation Vulindlela, the work visa review was conducted under the leadership of a former director-general, Dr Mavuso Msimang. It concentrated, in particular, on the category of visas for high-level skills. Most high-growth economies depend on an inflow of foreign high-level skills.
In the past, this visa category was politically contested and, therefore, South Africa requires a pro-active policy approach in this respect.
The former minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, recognised the policy need and therefore requested the 2022 review. Schreiber will have to take it further and identify the best practices used by countries like Australia, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US and other countries in exploiting skills.
Directly relevant for immigration and refugee management is the management of South Africa’s international borders.
In October 2023, the Border Management Agency (BMA) was launched to ensure that immigration laws and regulations were upheld. It will be the third armed force in South Africa after the military and police, responsible for border law enforcement, while the SANDF is responsible for border protection.
The BMA is an autonomous agency with its commissioners, but the Minister of Home Affairs serves as its executive authority.
Border management is not limited to the BMA. Schreiber will also be the chair of the inter-ministerial consultative committee on border management, which will include the other portfolios also involved in border management such as the SA Revenue Service, the Department of Agriculture, SANDF, SAPS and Transport.
The key to a better functioning Home Affairs will be good communication and understanding between the ministry and the department.
Key policy adjustments will be expected, while the department will have to incorporate the most advanced ICT infrastructure which can reduce the long queues at its offices and reduce the human factor in processing of documents, especially of illegal foreigners. V.5488

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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