The Department of Home Affairs will recruit an additional 301 Immigration Officers as part of a major drive to strengthen immigration enforcement and bolster the country’s capacity to combat illegal immigration.
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The Department of Home Affairs will recruit an additional 301 Immigration Officers as part of a major drive to strengthen immigration enforcement and bolster the country’s capacity to combat illegal immigration.
The appointments will increase the department’s frontline enforcement workforce from 868 to 1,169 officers, a 35% increase in immigration enforcement capacity.
Announcing the recruitment drive on Monday, the department said the expansion had been made possible through internal reprioritisation despite ongoing budgetary constraints. It added that discussions with National Treasury were continuing to secure additional funding for digital transformation and further capacity-building initiatives.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber said the appointments form part of the department’s broader Home Affairs @ Home reform programme, which seeks to modernise South Africa’s immigration system by combining technological innovation with stronger frontline enforcement.
“The Home Affairs @ Home reforms are about building an immigration system that works from beginning to end. That means using technology like the Electronic Travel Authorisation to strengthen the enforcement of lawful entry into South Africa, while also investing in the frontline officers who enforce our laws every day,” Schreiber said.
He said the department had long struggled with an insufficient number of officers responsible for enforcing immigration laws across the country.
“For too long, just 868 frontline Immigration Officers have been responsible for enforcing our immigration laws across the entire country,” he said.
“By appointing 301 additional Immigration Officers, we are now making one of the biggest investments in immigration enforcement capacity in years, strengthening our ability to uphold the rule of law and protect the integrity of South Africa’s immigration system.”
The recruitment drive complements a series of reforms already underway within the department, including the rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system. The digital platform is intended to strengthen screening and border management while making legitimate travel to South Africa more efficient.
The department said the combined investment in technology and additional enforcement personnel is aimed at creating a more secure, efficient and modern immigration system capable of responding to growing migration pressures.