South Africa Grapples With Migration Policy and Identity

South Africa is overhauling its migration governance with a new system that aims to track the identity of every person in the country, citizen and foreign national alike. This ambitious project, the most significant change since the 2002 Immigration Act, seeks to create an Intelligent Population Register (IPR) through biometric data capture and AI-driven processing.

The Intelligent Population Register and Electronic Travel Authorisation

The Department of Home Affairs plans to transition from the existing National Population Register (NPR) to a digital system. This IPR is envisioned within a draft White Paper on citizenship, immigration, and refugee protection, published in December 2025. Complementing this is the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, which utilizes AI for background checks and biometric capture, already rolling out at major airports like OR Tambo and Cape Town since September 2025.

Migration Policy and Global Displacement

While the IPR aims to improve government visibility, it doesn’t address the existing administrative backlog, leaving many migrants in a state of legal limbo. Globally, the numbers are staggering: by mid-2025, 117.3 million people were forcibly displaced, representing one in every 70 people on Earth. Low- and middle-income countries host 71% of the world’s refugees, placing South Africa in a unique position as it absorbs migrants from neighboring countries while its own citizens face high unemployment and strained public services.

Proposed Policy Changes

South Africa’s White Paper proposes a points-based system for economic migration, specialized immigration courts, and the Electronic Travel Authorisation for biometric processing. The Department of Employment and Labour is finalizing a National Labour Migration Policy that will empower the minister to prescribe employment quotas for foreign nationals and designate specific sectors for South Africans.

The Human Cost of Policy

Experts warn that policies focused solely on control, without attention to integration and human development, can deepen precarity for both migrants and host communities. This has been tragically demonstrated by the July 2025 death of a one-year-old Malawian boy who was denied medical treatment in Alexandra due to his family’s lack of South African identity documents, blocked by a vigilante group. Surveys indicate widespread distrust of immigrants among South Africans.

A Two-Tier System

The White Paper creates a divide, offering new visa categories for remote workers, start-ups, and skilled professionals, while lower-skilled migrants face increased informality. The policy explicitly postpones addressing lower-skilled migration to a separate labor policy framework, creating a two-tier system for different categories of people.

The Meaning of Belonging

The concept of the “third culture” highlights the experiences of individuals who develop an identity shaped by shared experiences rather than nationality. Experts observe that migrants often build relationships and a sense of home despite legal uncertainty. South Africa’s system, with its lengthy bureaucratic processes, can exacerbate this fragility.

The Importance of Community Institutions

Integration occurs in classrooms, neighborhoods, and workplaces, requiring political will, funding, and human infrastructure. Addressing UN Women, former executive director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka emphasized the importance of universal respect for human dignity. The question remains whether South Africa’s new system will promote this standard or further marginalize vulnerable populations.

The Modern Border

The modern border extends beyond geographical lines, encompassing systems of permissions and databases. While these systems can facilitate movement for some, they create barriers and prolonged uncertainty for others. South Africa’s development of a sophisticated system raises questions about its purpose and who it ultimately serves.