ActionSA proposes only 10k new asylum seeker applications be considered per year

ActionSA is proposing that only 10,000 new applications for asylum seekers be considered by government every year.

It’s making the proposal as part of its submission on the revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection, published for public comment by the Department of Home Affairs in 2025.

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The party said its proposals are based on the reality that uncontrolled immigration, policy failures and weak enforcement have resulted in the exploitation of foreign nationals, while at the same time displacing South Africans from fair access to jobs, services and opportunities.

ActionSA is proposing that quotas be set per nationality for determining asylum and refugee applications to ensure no single nationality dominates inflows while still protecting genuine cases.

Member of Parliament (MP) Malebo Kobe said annual migration targets should be presented to Parliament to improve oversight, fiscal planning and service delivery.

The party said it supports the first safe country principle proposed in the White Paper making it clear that those who pass through safe third countries are ineligible to seek asylum in South Africa.

“Our system currently rewards non-compliance, undermines labour standards and national security and leaves citizens competing for scarce resources in their own country.”

Furthermore, ActionSA is proposing replacing refugee reception offices with integration and repatriation centres near borders and inland hubs to accommodate asylum seekers for a limited period, providing basic services and limited self-sustaining and work opportunities.

ActionSA believes asylum permits should only be valid for 12 months - that refugee status be reviewed upon renewal - and automatically revoked or rejected if the individual returns to their country of origin at any point.