The Department of Home Affairs has launched a digital platform that will let asylum seekers register their intention to apply online. The department said the system aims to stop corruption, clear backlogs and speed up the deportation of failed applicants.
The first phase of the Digital Asylum System is live for a small batch of test cases. Public registration is expected to open after the department’s next scheduled software release.
“The end-to-end digitalisation of the asylum seeker process presents a major opportunity to finally end the long-standing abuse of this system,” Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber said.
The platform forms part of the minister’s plan to move Home Affairs services online. It follows a Constitutional Court judgment handed down on 7 July 2026.
Applicants will have to submit personal details, facial biometrics and supporting documents through the online portal. People without internet access or a digital device can get help at Refugee Reception Offices.
Carli van Wyk, spokesperson for the minister, said the platform was built to fix long-running weak points in the asylum process. Van Wyk said the system would first help the department work out how many people were likely to apply.
“This will enable the department to understand the anticipated application volumes, allocate capacity, and plan accordingly as it implements the subsequent phases of this project,” Van Wyk said.
The department warned that registering an intention to seek asylum does not give anyone legal status in South Africa. It said the registration is not a formal asylum application. It also does not give refugee status or citizenship.
Applicants will still have to follow the formal process set out in South African law, according to the department.
Home Affairs said it plans to add more features later. These include booking appointments, extra biometric checks and checks against existing Home Affairs records.
The department also plans to bring in artificial intelligence and machine learning. It said these tools would help clear the asylum appeals backlog, which goes back decades. Van Wyk said the department was working towards a system that would sharply cut processing times.
The department has pointed to the size of its staffing problems. At the start of the current administration, it reportedly had only nine officials handling thousands of outstanding asylum appeals.
Home Affairs said about 95% of asylum applications are usually rejected. It said the new system should make it easier to deport people whose applications fail.
Van Wyk said the department would keep enforcing deportations in line with the law. “Registering an intention to apply for asylum does not provide blanket protection against immigration enforcement,” he said.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.