Law clinics under pressure from asylum seekers

Law clinics are overwhelmed with queries from asylum seekers blocked from accessing SA’s asylum system. Asylum seekers are required to apply for an asylum seeker’s permit (also known as a section 22 permit) in person at a Refugee Reception Office within five days of arriving in SA.

Red faces over stateless Cape Town teen

Sixteen-year-old Daniela Rodriguez, born in Cape Town to Cuban parents, cannot complete grade 12 next year due to her lack of legal status in SA.

Digital visa system to go live in September

SA’s fully digital visa system will go live in September, enabling visitors to apply online and store their QR-coded visas on their mobile phones, reports News24.

Ramaphosa and Trump square off in Oval Office clash

President Cyril Ramaphosa can take credit for his role for steering SA away from a full-blown race war in the 1990s, but he walked into a Donald Trump trap in the Oval Office yesterday.

SA slams Trump’s ‘refugee’ resettlement plan

Forty-nine Afrikaners granted refugee status by the US departed from SA on a chartered flight last night. The US Embassy earlier informed Pretoria in a diplomatic note that the first batch of members of the Afrikaner community would be admitted into the US, making good on its offer of ‘refugee status’ for those seeking to leave the country.

Home Affairs officials cannot be gatekeepers

The Western Cape High Court Judge Constance Nziweni has told Department of Home Affairs (DHA) officials to stop acting like gatekeepers by refusing to accept residence and status applications.

Gupta son's citizenship bid for daughter rejected

The Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) has dismissed an application by the son of the fugitive Ajay Gupta, seeking to compel the Department of Home Affairs to issue a birth certificate and passport for his daughter.

Mandla Mandela refused UK visa over Hamas stance

Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla, has been refused a visa to visit the UK by the British Government for his alleged support of and for ‘glorying’ Hamas, according to The Citizen.

Home Affairs urged to revoke lawmaker’s SA citizenship

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has criticised Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber for failing to act against Phil Craig, leader of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group (Ciag).

Illegal immigrant seeks R1m from Home Affairs

The Department of Home Affairs will likely have to pay damages to the tune of R1m to an illegal immigrant after the Eastern Cape High Court (Mthatha) ruled that she was unlawfully detained for a month.

Polyamorous woman fights to join lovers in UK

An SA woman is fighting for her right to join her two lovers who are currently in the UK.

Lamola to address new Irish visa requirements

International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola and his counterpart in Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, are tackling the newly imposed visa requirements by Ireland for South Africans with the Irish Government.

SCA issues landmark judgment on asylum seekers

In what a Business Day report calls a landmark judgment, the SCA has found in favour of two Burundi asylum seekers whose bid was refused by the Department of Home Affairs.

‘Fake marriages’ contributing to massive visa backlog

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has noted that fake marriages are on the rise in SA, adding to the challenges faced by the department as it tries to clear up a major backlog in visa applications.

Illegal immigrants lose detention case

Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg) Judge Dunstan Mlambo has ruled in favour of Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi following an application by a group of illegal immigrants that their detention at the Modderbee Correctional Services Centre in Benoni was unlawful and against the Immigration and Refugee Acts.

Home Affairs’ memo restricting visas hits a nerve

The Department of Home Affairs has told international visitors hoping to extend their stay by a further 90 days that they must leave two months earlier than they would otherwise have expected.

Motsoaledi warned of contempt for ignoring court order

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi could find himself in contempt proceedings this year after failing to comply with a court order to review a foreign worker’s prohibited status, notes Business Day.

Home Affairs accused of sabotaging visa applications

SA’s immigration landscape has changed drastically over the past 18 months, bringing with it a host of new hurdles that have become a nightmare for businesses to navigate.

‘Prohibited person’ gets second chance at visa

The Western Cape High Court has granted a second chance to Robert Arthur – declared a ‘prohibited person’ by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) – to have his status reconsidered after it emerged that the reason for the declaration was based on an error.

ZEP decision unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid

The decision by the Minister of Home Affairs to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit programme has been declared unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid, reports GroundUp.