South Africa is set to launch a new biometric asylum registration system on November 10, replacing the current walk-in asylum application process at refugee reception offices. The system, announced by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber, aims to bring order to a process that has been overwhelmed and politically explosive. The new system will involve online registration, biometric verification, and scheduled appointments, with the goal of speeding up processing and curbing abuse of the system.
The new system will not confer asylum status, permanent residence, citizenship, voting rights, or amnesty, and applicants will still need to go through the full asylum application process. The department has emphasized that registering is not the same as being granted asylum. Under the new model, applicants will register their intention to seek asylum online and receive a receipt recording their personal particulars, biometric information, reference number, and an appointment at a Refugee Reception Office.
The system is designed to verify identities, identify people who previously submitted unsuccessful applications, authenticate passports and other travel documents, and check for other recorded immigration infringements. The department aims to target repeat applicants who have repeatedly submitted claims to delay their removal. The new system will not allow people whose claims have been finally rejected to lodge new asylum applications.
The launch of the new system follows a turbulent few weeks, including a Constitutional Court ruling in July that declared certain provisions of the Refugees Act unconstitutional. The government has since described the ruling as one that removed procedural barriers to asylum applications. However, implementing the ruling has not gone smoothly, with refugee reception offices being overwhelmed and the government withdrawing a directive meant to give effect to the judgment.
The government has also moved to counter misinformation about refugees, asylum seekers, and immigration processes, running a "Facts versus Myths" social media campaign since October 9. Separately, the state has warned against online incitement amid migration tensions. The department has also brought in 74 advocates to help process appeals, but critics have raised concerns about the department's capacity to handle the demand.
One of the major challenges facing the department is staff shortages, with no additional employees appointed to process asylum applications. The backlog is large, with Schreiber putting the number of pending asylum appeals at roughly 120,000 cases. The department has acknowledged that it needs to establish how many people will come forward before it can properly plan staffing and processing capacity.
The success of the new system will depend on its day-one performance, the court's response to the supervisory order, access and rights for applicants, and social cohesion. The government has staked its credibility on regaining control of the system, and the launch of the new biometric asylum registration system is a test of both technology and state capacity. Key issues to watch include whether the platform withstands demand, whether appointments are scheduled quickly enough, and whether the exclusion of finally rejected applicants survives legal challenge.
Key points
- The new biometric asylum registration system aims to speed up processing and curb abuse of the system.
- The system will not confer asylum status, permanent residence, citizenship, voting rights, or amnesty.
- The department faces staff shortages and a large backlog of pending asylum appeals.
