The Department of Home Affairs says it has made its biggest reduction in the refugee appeals backlog in years after introducing reforms to speed up decisions.

According to the department, more than 19 000 cases were removed from the system during the 2025/26 financial year.

The backlog is handled by the Refugee Appeals Authority of South Africa, known as RAASA. The department said the active refugee appeals caseload dropped from 79 870 cases at the end of 2024 to 70 976 by the end of 2025.

That means 8 894 active appeals were cleared, a decrease of more than 12%.

Cases Date Back More Than 15 Years

Home Affairs said 19 064 cases were removed from a ringfenced backlog of 133 582 appeals. This represents a 14.2% decrease.

The cases were cleared through appeal decisions, withdrawals, finalisations and paper-based decisions where applicants did not attend scheduled hearings.

The refugee appeals backlog has built up over more than 20 years. Some unresolved cases reportedly date back to 2008.

For asylum seekers, these delays can leave people waiting years for final answers on their status. For the state, the backlog has also placed pressure on a system already dealing with high demand.

Extra Advocates Brought in

Home Affairs linked the improvement to a reform programme at RAASA.

The department said 40 additional advocate members were appointed to increase adjudication capacity. It also increased the number of daily appeal hearings and introduced targeted plans to deal with high-volume and less complex appeals.

Performance management systems were also strengthened.

RAASA has expanded its work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to improve the quality and consistency of decisions.

More advocates from the Cape Bar are also being brought in to support work in the Western Cape. The province has the country’s second-largest refugee appeals caseload.

Schreiber Says More Work Remains

Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber welcomed the progress, but said the department was not done yet.

He said the efficiency gains had already produced the biggest reduction in the backlog in years.

Schreiber added that clearing the backlog would help applicants and the wider public by improving the integrity and efficiency of the asylum system.

He said the reforms form part of government’s broader push to modernise immigration management while still meeting South Africa’s constitutional and international obligations.