Home Affairs visa backlog plan welcomed, but reforms urged

The Home Affairs Department has reported making significant strides in addressing its backlog of visas.

The Select Committee on Security and Justice has welcomed the Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) progress in addressing visa-related backlogs, while emphasising that clearing overdue applications must be accompanied by reforms to prevent backlogs from recurring.

The department briefed the committee this week on visa processing, appeals, overdue-reduction interventions and digital transformation. It identified several key factors which contribute to processing delays.

The committee expressed particular concern about the scale of pending appeals.

The department reported 21,847 pending appeals as of July 28, of which 13,148 (60.2%) were overdue. It indicated that appeals remain a significant workload requiring targeted, fair and risk-based adjudication.

The chairperson of the committee, Jane Seboletswe Mananiso, said they recognised the complexity of visa adjudication, particularly where applications require verification or involve potential fraud and misrepresentation.

“The committee welcomes the measures being implemented to reduce the backlog, but the ultimate test is whether these interventions result in predictable, fair and efficient turnaround times. We cannot continue responding to backlogs only after they have accumulated,” she said.

The department reported an average processing capacity of 13,000 to 15,000 applications per month, and has set a target of clearing all overdue applications by March 31, 2027.

The committee also welcomed progress in addressing corruption and irregular visa processing. Since 2022, the department has investigated 41 allegations involving irregular processing and issuance of visas, with 20 cases referred for disciplinary processes. The department reported that 18 officials have been convicted and sentenced since 2022 for contraventions of home affairs legislation.

While this was welcomed, the committee stressed that enforcement must be accompanied by stronger preventive measures.

The department identified fragmented data and non-integrated systems as risks contributing to duplication, manual intervention, reduced traceability, fraud, and corruption.

“We are encouraged by action against officials implicated in corruption, but enforcement must go hand in hand with prevention. Systems should reduce unnecessary human discretion, strengthen traceability and make it more difficult to manipulate immigration processes,” Mananiso said.

The committee welcomed the department’s move towards electronic travel authorisation (ETA) and the Population Master Database, while emphasising that digital transformation must deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, accountability, verification and service delivery.

The committee further welcomed the extension of the temporary status of pending waiver, visa and appeal applicants until June 30, 2027, helping to prevent law-abiding foreign nationals from becoming irregular due to administrative delays.