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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 2721
DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 31 July 2015
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 26 OF 2015
2721. Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:
Whether his department has any reliable indicator of the number of
undocumented foreign nationals in the country; if so, how many undocumented
foreign nationals are currently residing in the country?
NW3152E
REPLY:
The phenomenon of foreign nationals entering the country in contravention
of the Immigration Act is difficult to quantify because, by their very
nature, such movements do not take place through designated ports of entry
and are therefore not recorded. As a result of this, the Department does
not have a comprehensive view of the number of undocumented foreign
nationals in the country.
Departmental systems do indicate, however, that since 2010, a total of
333Â 874 foreign nationals have overstayed the duration of their visas and
have not departed through a designated port of entry. Further, in the first
quarter of the 2015/16 financial year, 10 242 illegal immigrants were
deported (and are therefore no longer residing in the country), whilst
4Â 860 were arrested during âOperation Fielaâ as well as in normal
operations. These figures only provide an indication of undocumented
foreign nationals detected.