South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs is developing an online asylum application platform that will collect biometric information to verify applicants’ identities and check whether they have previously submitted claims that were rejected. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber expects the system to become operational by November 10.
The platform will also enable checks on the authenticity of passports and other travel documents and identify other infringements recorded against applicants. Schreiber outlined the project during an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration briefing in Pretoria, describing it as part of efforts to accelerate adjudication and prevent repeated applications from delaying removal.
The minister said initial asylum applications are being processed in approximately 30 days, while the main delays arise during appeals. He estimated the appeals backlog at around 120,000 cases and said the department had reduced it by about 20 percent during the previous financial year.
Home Affairs has brought in 74 advocates to strengthen appeals processing. Schreiber said the administration inherited a system in which only nine people handled that work. The digital platform is intended to help the department establish the volume of applications it needs to manage and plan processing capacity.
The reforms follow a Constitutional Court judgment concerning asylum procedures. Schreiber said the July 7 judgment did not grant refugee status or citizenship, and that Home Affairs remained responsible for deciding whether applicants qualify for protection. The government intends to seek a supervisory order from the court for guidance on implementing the judgment.
The inter-ministerial committee has also directed relevant departments and entities to participate in an October 29 hearing before a panel of judges in the Gauteng Division of the High Court. That hearing will consider conflicting asylum-seeker judgments issued within the division.
The department is drawing on experience with its Electronic Travel Authorisation system, which combines online document capture and a live facial image with border processing. The ETA moves eligible visitor applications away from in-person consular appointments.
The asylum project also follows a broader migration enforcement and biometric digital identity program involving stronger border controls, Smart ID services and digital access to Home Affairs functions. For asylum processing, the planned identity checks will support adjudication of claims and verification of applicants’ previous interactions with the department.
Sources: SAnews
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
