Immigrants and asylum seekers data from administrative systems in South Africa

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1 Immigrants and asylum seekers data from administrative systems in South Africa Ramadimetja Matji Health and Vital Statistics Division Statistics South Africa

2 Outline of presentation Legislation on asylum Seekers and refugees Administrative data sources on immigration, including asylum seekers and refugees Statistics South Africa s releases on travellers and immigrants

3 Legislation on asylum Seekers and refugees The main international [United nations(un)] legislation that covers asylum seekers and refugees is: o The 1951 Refugee Convention relating to the Status of Refugees that established the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and o The 1967 Protocol relating to the 1951 Convention In addition to the UN legislation is the 1969 Organisation of African Unity (OAU) ~ African Union (AU) which governs aspects of refugee problems in Africa

4 Legislation on asylum Seekers and refugees, Cont. The department of home affairs (DHA) is the government department responsible for movements of nationals and non-nationals across the borders of the country, including voluntary and forced movements. This jurisdiction is enshrined in the Immigration Act of 2002 (Act No. 13, 2002). The Department s core Immigration services duties are o Administering admissions into the country o Determining the residency status of foreigners and issuing permits thereof o Custodianship of refugee affairs o Inspectorate

5 Legislation on asylum Seekers and refugees, Cont. DHA is mandated by the Refugee Act of 1998 (Act No. 130 of 1998) The act provides for the reception into South Africa of asylum seekers, regulates applications for and recognition of refugee status, provides for the rights and obligations flowing from such status The policy context The fundamental principle guiding the unwritten asylum policy in South Africa is an inclusive and self-integration refugee regime in a non-encampment refugee system. All asylum seekers are immediately integrated into local society (DHA).

6 Legislation on asylum Seekers and refugees, Cont. This policy encourages greater interaction with local communities, however it has its negative implications as the close physical proximity tends to breed potential confrontation and xenophobic attacks from the local residents Refugees are eligible for grants for the aged, the disabled, care dependency and child support

7 DHA administrative data sets on International migration Access to DHA administrative datasets is governed by a MOU between the two departments, which states among others: Datasets that will be made available to Stats SA Variables that will be made available The frequency with which datasets will be made available Metadata of the datasets DHA provides unit records of data Data must be transported via a secure network in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act

8 DHA administrative data sets on International migration, cont. Movement control System: Tracks movements of both foreign nationals and South African residents through ports of entry/exit. This data set is used by Stats SA to produce statistics on international tourism through monthly releases and 1 annual report Permits system: Provides information on temporary and permanent residence permits applications Stats SA produces an annual report on Documented immigrants using this data set

9 DHA Administrative data sets on International migration, Cont. National Immigration Information System: Repository of information on asylum seekers and refugees: Used to register and process asylum seekers until their cases are adjudicated. ** Stats SA has not been granted access to this data set at this stage, but the Memorandum of understanding is undergoing revision and will include access to the NIIS and variables agreed on.

10 DHA Administrative data sets on International migration, Cont. Movement Control System

11 DHA Administrative data sets on International migration: Movement Control System Number of South African residents and foreign travellers by travel direction Travel Direction January December January % Change % Change Dec 2016 Jan 2017 Jan 2016 Jan 2017 Total % 0.03% South African residents % 2.0% Arrivals % 2.9% Departures % 0.6% Transit % 15.8% Foreign travellers % 0.6% Arrivals % 0.03% Departures % 1.3% Transit % 4.6% Foreign arrivals % 0.03% Non visitors % 2.6% Visitors % 0.2% Visitors % 0.2% Arrivals only % 6.9% Single trips % 4.5% Multiple trips % 3.4% Visitors % 0.2% Same day % 7.1% Overnight (tourists) % 2.8%

12 DHA Administrative data sets on International migration: Movement Control System. Cont. Number of tourists from the ten leading overseas countries in January 2016 and January 2017 Number of tourists Country of residence

13 DHA Administrative data sets on International migration: Movement Control System. Cont. Number of tourists from the ten leading Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries (excluding South Africa) in January 2016 and January 2017

14 DHA Administrative data sets on International migration: Movement Control System. Cont. Number of tourists from the ten leading 'other' African countries in January 2016 and January 2017

15 DHA Administrative data sets on International migration, cont. Permits System: Temporary Residence Permits

16 Distribution of recipients of Temporary Recipients Permits (TRP)

17 Distribution of recipients of Temporary Recipients Permits by country of residence

18 Distribution of recipients of Temporary Recipients Permits: Age

19 DHA Administrative data sets on International migration, Cont. Permits System: Permanent residence permits (PRP)

20 PRPs: Types of permits issued

21 PRPs: Ten leading countries

22 PRPs: Age group

23 PRP: Region & Type of permit issued

24 National Immigration Information System * *Information source: DHA Asylum Seeker Management report on asylum trends, 2015

25 National Immigration Information System. Cont. Registered Asylum Seekers by Year: YEAR

26 National Immigration Information System. Cont. NIIS data suggests a substantial drop in the number of registered asylum seekers A total of new arrivals were registered as asylum seekers in 2015, as opposed to registered in 2014 and registered in 2013

27 NIIS: Regional breakdown Regional Classification SADC Eastern Africa West Africa South Central Asia Central Africa Eastern Asia Northern Africa Middle East South East Asia Eastern Europe Carribbean Western Europe ,69% ,11% ,44% ,00% 2 0,00% 3 0,00% 19 0, ,04% 75 0,12% 652 1,05% 251 0,40% ,11%

28 National Immigration Information System. Cont. Top ten sending countries: Zimbabwe Ethiopia Nigeria DRC Bangladesh Pakistan Malawi Somalia India Ghana

29 NIIS: Breakdown by Gender Female, , 33% Female Male Male, , 67%

30 Thank you