South Africa Department of Home Affairs

South Africa's Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is the government body responsible for identity documents, passports, citizenship and all immigration documents. Under Minister Leon Schreiber, the DHA has issued two significant policy instruments in 2026. On 1 April 2026, the department issued Immigration Directive 7 of 2026, extending the lawful stay of foreign nationals with pending Visa, waiver or appeal applications until 30 June 2027, a 15-month window that also restored exit-and-reentry rights for waiver applicants who had been unable to leave the country since March. Two days later, on 3 April 2026, Cabinet approved the Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection, introducing a points-based migration system, named Visa categories for remote work, start-ups and skilled workers, an Electronic Travel Authorisation programme, and a First Safe Country Principle for asylum seekers. Parliament must pass enabling Acts before any element binds in law.

The DHA's existing Remote Work Visa framework dates from the October 2024 Third Amendment to the Immigration Regulations, which set a minimum monthly income floor of R65,000 (approximately €3,200). The points-based overhaul described in the April 2026 White Paper is still in consultation, with full implementation slated for late 2026 at the earliest; no implementing regulations have taken effect as of June 2026. Directive 7/2026 is therefore the operative instrument keeping pending applicants' status regular.

The DHA faces persistent structural challenges: processing delays, documented corruption, and staff capacity shortfalls. The Helen Suzman Foundation and Scalabrini Centre continue to litigate DHA delays before the Constitutional Court. Immigration specialist Jaco Brits has noted that applications are often rejected for 'unclear or nonsensical reasons, creating a new backlog of appeals', suggesting Directive 7 addresses the symptom rather than the operational root cause.