Cabinet says that under new national security objectives, refugees will be required to seek assistance in the first safe country they pass through before reaching SA.
This forms part of the key enhancements in the revised draft white paper on citizenship and immigration, which the cabinet approved on Friday for public consultation.
On Wednesday, minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni briefed the public on the cabinet’s latest decisions, including updates to the immigration and refugee policy framework, which the government has been attempting to overhaul for several years.
The draft white paper was originally approved in April 2024, but the government has since made further changes, incorporating new recommendations and tightening policy details before releasing it again for public input.
Ntshavheni said the new document builds on the final white paper that was already approved.
“The revision builds on the final White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration, and Refugee Protection approved by cabinet in 2024,” said Ntshavheni.
She said it is also an update on certain policy propositions and adds detailed guidance on proposals contained in the original version.
The changes support national development and national security objectives, she added.
“These include the First Safety Country Principle, which encourages refugees to seek protection in the first country they reach that is considered safe,” Ntshavheni said.
These include the First Safety Country Principle, which encourages refugees to seek protection in the first country they reach that is considered safe
— Khumbudzo Ntshavheni,
The approved white paper served as a policy framework to guide the drafting of new legislation, which aims to overhaul the entire migration system by consolidating the Citizenship Act, Immigration Act, and Refugees Act into a single piece of legislation.
Ntshavheni said the revised policy framework also incorporates recommendations from Operation Vulindlela’s visa reform programme.
The operation pushes for, a more efficient visa regime, fast-tracking work permits for scarce skills, improving the waiver system, fixing delays and dysfunction at home affairs and modernising the visa system (online/automated processes).
“Key enhancements of the white paper include integration of recommendations from Operation Voluntary Report on Visa Policy Reforms and additional clarity and detail to strengthen implementation of immigration and citizenship policies. The revised white paper aims to ensure a coherent, modernised approach to citizenship, immigration, and refugee protection,” she said.
Sowetan
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