The first phase allows asylum seekers to register their intention online, as Home Affairs plans a wider digital overhaul to tackle backlogs, speed up decisions and curb abuse…reports Africa Daily News Desk
South Africa has launched the first phase of a new Digital Asylum System aimed at reducing processing delays, clearing decades-old backlogs and curbing abuse of the country’s asylum process.
The Department of Home Affairs said the new online platform, which allows individuals to register their intention to apply for asylum, is now live for an initial batch of test cases. Public registration is expected to begin following the department’s next scheduled routine software release this weekend.
The initiative forms part of a wider digital transformation programme designed to establish an end-to-end asylum system, reduce opportunities for corruption and speed up the processing of applications and appeals.
The new platform also gives effect to a Constitutional Court judgment delivered on July 7, 2026, which the department said would help strengthen national security while protecting the operational capacity of Home Affairs.
Under the first phase, asylum seekers can register their intention to apply through the online portal, MyHomeAffairsOnline, by submitting personal information, facial biometrics and supporting documents.
Applicants will receive a confirmation receipt acknowledging their intention to seek asylum. However, the department stressed that this registration does not constitute a formal asylum application and does not automatically grant asylum, refugee status or South African citizenship.
The platform will initially record applicants’ intentions, allowing the department to estimate anticipated application volumes, allocate resources and plan for subsequent stages of the project.
Individuals without access to digital devices or the internet will be able to receive assistance with registration at Refugee Reception Offices (RROs).
Further phases will introduce appointment scheduling, additional biometric verification and checks against existing Home Affairs records. The department also plans to fully digitise the process to accelerate the adjudication of asylum applications and appeals.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber said the complete digitalisation of the asylum seeker process presented an opportunity to address longstanding abuses and delays.
“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,” he said.
Schreiber attributed the delays to chronic shortages of funding and personnel over several years. At the beginning of the current administration, Home Affairs had only nine officials handling thousands of outstanding appeals, he said.
The department is working to overcome these capacity constraints by using biometric technology, machine learning and artificial intelligence as part of its broader digital transformation programme.
Over the coming months, further phases of the project will be rolled out to reduce the time required to adjudicate asylum applications and appeals.
Schreiber said the objective was to ensure protection for the small minority of applicants with genuine needs while enabling the swift deportation of those whose asylum applications are unsuccessful.
The department clarified that registering an intention to seek asylum does not provide blanket protection against immigration enforcement. Deportations will continue in accordance with the law.
The Digital Asylum System builds on other Home Affairs digital initiatives, including the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, which is intended to strengthen immigration security and reduce opportunities for fraud and corruption.
