The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has extended the implementation of its digital transformation vision to the asylum seeker and refugee domain by developing its new digital platform to record intentions to apply for asylum.
In a statement, the DHA says the portal constitutes the first phase of a project to build a new end-to-end Digital Asylum System that eliminates the scope for corruption, while reducing turnaround times and associated abuses.
It is now live for a first batch of test cases and will begin public intake following the department’s next scheduled routine software release this weekend.
The new platform gives effect to the Constitutional Court judgement of 7 July in a sustainable manner that enhances national security and protects the capacity of Home Affairs.
The judgement triggered a wave of anti-immigration protests in October, after Home Affairs issued a directive on 28 September instructing refugee reception offices to accept asylum applications regardless of applicants' immigration status.
The directive led to thousands of foreign nationals queuing outside the country’s five Refugee Reception Offices, placing pressure on the department’s processing capacity.
Anti-immigration groups subsequently disrupted operations at refugee centres, particularly in Durban, where protesters blocked access to the facility and confronted asylum seekers.
On 8 October, protests in Durban and Soweto turned violent, with vehicles torched, foreign-owned shops looted and businesses vandalised.
The unrest was fuelled partly by misinformation circulating on social media suggesting the Constitutional Court ruling granted undocumented foreigners an automatic right to remain in South Africa, permanent residence, citizenship or voting rights.
Intention to apply
The department explains that the portal enables individuals seeking asylum to record their intention to apply digitally, while requiring them to upload facial biometrics, personal information and supporting documents.
It notes that in the rollout of subsequent phases of the new system, it will incorporate advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enable the department to clear the decades-old asylum appeals backlog. It will also dramatically reduce the time it takes to process new asylum applications and appeals, enabling swift deportation of the 95% of asylum applicants who are routinely rejected.
At this stage, the platform only records an individual’s intention to apply for asylum. According to the department, this will enable the DHA to understand the anticipated application volumes, allocate capacity and plan accordingly as it implements the subsequent phases of this project.
Importantly, it adds, registering an intention to apply for asylum does not confer any status on an applicant and does not constitute a formal asylum application, nor does it automatically grant asylum, refugee status or South African citizenship to anyone.
Individuals will still be required to follow the formal asylum application process in accordance with South African law.
The rollout of the first phase of the new Digital Asylum System builds on Home Affairs’ accelerating broader digital transformation programme, which already includes the Electronic Travel Authorisation system that is digitally transforming South Africa’s immigration system by strengthening security and reducing opportunities for fraud and corruption.
Home affairs minister Dr Leon Schreiber says: “The end-to-end digitalisation of the asylum seeker process presents a major opportunity to finally end the long-standing abuse of this system. The central problem we are working to solve is the inordinate delays traditionally associated with the asylum application and appeals processes. Opportunistic applicants have long abused the length of time it takes to finalise these applications.
“These delays were caused by a chronic shortage of funding and personnel over many years. For example, at the start of the current administration, Home Affairs had only nine officials to handle thousands of outstanding appeals. But we are systematically working to overcome these capacity constraints by harnessing cutting-edge biometric, machine learning and AI technology, in line with our overall vision for digital transformation.
“Over the next few months, we will roll out subsequent phases of this project until the time required to adjudicate an asylum application and appeal is dramatically reduced, ensuring protection for the small minority of applicants in genuine need, and swift deportation for all failed asylum seekers.”
How registration process works
Online registration: Individuals can register their intention to apply for asylum through Myhomeaffairsonline.dha.gov.za by providing personal information and capturing biometrics.
Confirmation of intention: Applicants will receive a receipt confirming their declared intention to seek asylum. This does not constitute a formal asylum application or grant any status to anyone.
Assisted registration: Individuals without access to digital devices or the internet can receive assistance at Refugee Reception Offices.
Further improvements: The platform will be expanded in phases to include appointment scheduling, additional biometric verification and checks against existing Home Affairs records, as well as full digitalisation to ensure rapid adjudication of all applications and appeals.
Immigration enforcement: Deportations will continue in accordance with the law. Registering an intention to apply for asylum does not provide blanket protection against immigration enforcement.
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