Germany is set to expand border checks following a knife attack which left three people dead in the town of Solingen in August.

The government has come under pressure to take a harder line on immigration since the stabbing, in which the suspect is a Syrian national who was facing deportation after a failed asylum bid.

The attack has been claimed by the Islamic State group.

The new controls - which will be introduced on 16 September and initially last six months - were announced days after the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) made big gains in local elections.

German Interior Minster Nancy Faeser insisted the government was `taking a hard line` against irregular migration, and said the checks would reduce Islamist extremism and cross-border crime.

`We are doing everything in our power to protect the people of our country against these threats,` she added.

Germany already has controls at its eastern and southern borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Austria, primarily spot checks on roads and in trains. Similar measures will be introduced at all border points.

However, critics said the move is more about politics than security.

Germany`s mainstream parties were thrown into turmoil by the AfD`s performance in regional elections in the east, which saw a far-right party top a poll for the first time since the Nazi era.

The governing SPD and other mainstream parties appear to have viewed the results as a message from voters to take a tougher

stance on immigration and borders.

Successive governments in Berlin have allowed relatively large numbers of asylum seekers to settle in the country in recent years.

Germany took in more than one million people mostly fleeing war in countries such as Syria during the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, and has received 1.2 million Ukrainians since Russia`s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

However, with polls indicating the AfD could perform strongly in a regional election in Brandenburg on 22 September, parties on both the centre-left and centre-right are coming up with proposals that would have been unthinkable until recently.

The CDU - the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel - has proposed turning all asylum seekers back at the border, even those who are eligible, on the basis they have travelled through other safe EU countries.

Gerhard Karner, Austria`s interior minister, told Bild newspaper on Monday that his country would not take in any migrants rejected by Germany.

`There`s no room for manoeuvre there,` he said.

Since the Solingen stabbing, Chancellor Olaf Scholz`s government has announced a raft of measures on migration.

They include changing the rules so asylum seekers facing deportation will lose benefits, and resuming the deportation of convicted Afghan criminals to their home country for the first time since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. V.5598

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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