Intervention Categories: Legal and policy; Regulatory change
Level of Jurisdiction: National
Overview: The Government of South Africa announced the following temporary measures to deal with immigration issues during the national lockdown.
Holders of temporary residence visas which expired from mid-February 2020 will not be declared illegal. Any person whose visa expired before or during the lockdown will not be arrested or detained, and those who return to their country of origin instead of renewing will not be declared undesirable.
Any asylum seeker whose visa expired from 16 March 2020 to the end of the lockdown period will not be penalised or arrested provided they legalise their visa within 30 days of lockdown being lifted.
Full details here: https://www.gov.za/speeches/home-affairs-immigration-matters-during-covid-19-coronavirus-lockdown-14-apr-2020-0000