SA to Restrict Asylum Applications for Refugees From Other Countries

• Asylum seekers who already have refugee status in another country will no longer be able to apply for the same protection in South Africa
• The new system will not change the rule that a child born to at least one South African parent automatically acquires citizenship
• The public can submit feedback on the White Paper until the end of January, with consultations planned in all provinces for mid-January 2026

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

In the future, asylum seekers who already hold refugee status in another country will not be allowed to apply for the same protection in South Africa.

Tighter asylum rules on the cards

The proposal is part of a revised draft White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration, and Refugee Protection, released on Friday by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber. He also plans to introduce merit-based criteria for naturalisation and citizenship. The minister said the reforms aim to reduce fraud and abuse while strengthening national security. Instead of granting citizenship based only on the number of years a foreigner has lived in South Africa, future applications will be evaluated against specific criteria.

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A Citizenship Advisory Panel will review and advise on applications, and a points-based system will apply to those seeking citizenship for economic reasons. Applications will be accepted only during an annual window to help prevent backlogs. The new system will not change the rule that a child born to at least one South African parent automatically becomes a citizen. Children of non-South African parents will still need to apply for naturalisation. A “first safe country” rule will apply to asylum seekers, meaning those who have already passed through safe third countries before arriving in South Africa will not qualify for asylum.

The White Paper proposes a merit-based points system for certain visas and permanent residency, following the introduction of new visa categories under Operation Vulindlela. It also outlines reforms to civil registration for births and deaths ahead of the planned rollout of a digital identity system. The public can submit feedback until the end of January, with consultations planned in all provinces for mid-January.

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South Africans weigh in

Social media users shared their opinions regarding the new proposal.

Nhlengo Smart Makhubele said

"It's not very useful to make more laws if they won't be enforced. We have a law enforcement problem."

BraConnz Adams said:

"Korsten, Durban road has they own Embassy, but the officials are working with these foreigners, They getting paid more than their salary."

Xabhashe Makhathini said:

"In the process of proposing, they change the minister and have a different one that comes with his own sets of proposals."

Theo Harding said:

"Sounds like Trump."

3 More stories about the Department of Home Affairs

• Briefly News also reported that Naledi Pandor talked about the corruption within the Department of Home Affairs back when Jacob Zuma replaced Dr Dlamini Zuma, who had joined the African Union.
• The Department of Home Affairs has introduced deportation buses to use to deport illegal immigrants.
• The Department of Home Affairs has made strides in clearing the ID backlog it has been struggling with.

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Source: Briefly News