South African immigration lawyers and specialists have lately expressed concern over its weak migration policy saying the government would need to stiffen laws to ensure security for the country. Even once the new immigration regulations were published, the organization criticized for how this was done, and Home office officials were criticized to the stage that certain immigration professionals are considering legal action against the Department of Home Affairs.
The country is home to thousands of refugees from Somalia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, India, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of Congo among others. Malusi Gigaba was recently appointed Home Affairs Minister.
South African Home Affairs said that the brand-new Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) centers (called VACs) would open now in an effort to reinforce its immigration policy.
The Department of Home Affairs spokesman, Thabo Makgola, said a private company, VFS Visa Processing SA Pty Ltd (VFS Global), is going to receive and manage visa and permit applications in South Africa. He said South Africa is taking immigration matters “seriously.”
South African Minister of Home Affairs Said:
The decision to approve or reject applications still lies with the Department of Home Affairs, although VFS Global will be responsible for processing visa applications. “We will manage to exercise full control over the decision-making processes to make sure that our national interests and security imperatives are served at all times,” Gigaba said.
