The Department of Home Affairs is developing a new biometric online platform aimed at speeding up asylum applications, strengthening identity checks and preventing rejected applicants from repeatedly submitting claims to delay deportation.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the platform is expected to become operational by 10 November 2026 as part of broader efforts to improve the efficiency of South Africa’s asylum system and strengthen immigration law enforcement.
Address longstanding administrative challenges
Speaking at an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration media briefing in Pretoria on Sunday, Schreiber said the department planned to use technology to address longstanding administrative challenges.
The new platform will require asylum applicants to submit biometric information, allowing Home Affairs to verify their identities and establish whether they have previously submitted applications that were rejected.
It will also enable officials to check the authenticity of passports and other travel documents and identify other recorded infringements.
Schreiber said the reforms would help the department process legitimate applications more efficiently while preventing abuse of the system.
“The ConCourt did not remove our right as Home Affairs to adjudicate a refugee application. If someone doesn’t qualify, it is our job to say you don’t qualify and you must be deported,” he said.
He emphasised that the Constitutional Court judgment of 7 July 2026 dealt with procedural aspects of processing asylum claims and did not automatically grant refugee status or citizenship to foreign nationals.
