On May 12, 2025, the U.S. State Department’s Missions for South Africa published online guidance for Afrikaaners and other racial minorities to apply for refugee resettlement in the United States (REFUGEE ADMISSIONS PROGRAM FOR SOUTH AFRICANS, DOS; Archived Version). The guidance was issued to implement President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14204, titled Addressing Egregious Actions of The Republic of South Africa. In most cases, prospective refugees who are found to have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home countries on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group are referred for resettlement by international organizations. The South Africa program is distinct from the regular refugee process in that qualifying individuals from South Africa may file a Statement of Interest in resettlement.
The State Department lists three requirements that an individual must meet to be eligible for admission under the Refugee Admissions Program for South Africans: (1) Must be of South African nationality; and (2) Must be of Afrikaner ethnicity or be a member of a racial minority in South Africa; and (3) Must be able to articulate a past experience of persecution or fear of future persecution. Point one limits limits eligibility for the program to nationals of South Africa. Thus, an individual present in South Africa who is not a national of South Africa would not be eligible. Point two limits the program to Afrikaners or other racial minorities within South Africa. Point three requires that the applicant must be able to articulate either an incident of past persecution or why he or she fears future persecution in South Africa. The website includes a link to an online form for applying for consideration for the South African refugee program (we recommend consulting the live version of the State Department website for the most up-to-date application instructions).
Regarding point one, the State Department’s guidance does not explicitly foreclose South Africans who hold a second nationality from eligibility. With that being said, it may be the case as a general matter that such applications may be disfavored (see our article on Matter of B-R-, 26 I&N Dec. 119 (BIA 2013), a decision where the Board of Immigration Appeals held that an alien who is a national of more than one country and only fears persecution in one country of nationality is not eligible for asylum). The current version of the form for expressing interest in the program contemplates that applicants may not be currently residing in South Africa. Thus, South African nationals residing outside of South Africa are clearly not precluded from eligibility for the program.
Regarding point three, while the impetus for the Refugee Admissions Program for South Africans is to protect racial minorities in South Africa, the application form indicates that qualifying applicants may be eligible if they fear persecution on account of any of the regular protected grounds for refugee status: Race, Religion, Nationality, Political Opinion, or Membership in a Particular Social Group. Moreover, applicants may indicate fear of persecution on account of more than one protected ground.
The online form for applying for consideration for the Refugee Admissions Program for South Africans is a Statement of Interest form. The State Department explains the process for filing the Statement of Interest online and what follows the initial filing:
Individuals who meet all the above criteria and would like to be considered for referral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) should complete and submit the below Statement of Interest form. You should complete this form even if you have previously emailed the Embassy, or other U.S. government entity, expressing your interest. Given the volume of interest, individuals may not receive a response for an extended period.
That is, the Statement of Interest is not a formal application like the Form I-589 for asylum. It is intended to indicate to the State Department that an individual (and optionally, family members) are interested in refugee resettlement and to briefly indicate why he or she wants resettlement (past persecution and/or a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of at least one of the five protected grounds). While it is not a formal application, prospective applicants should be aware that providing false information in connection with immigration benefit applications may lead to ineligibility for future immigration benefits.
While the State Department’s website makes it easy to file a Statement of Interest in the Refugee Admissions Program for South Africans, South Africans who believe that they qualify for refugee resettlement under the Refugee Program for South Africa and are interested in resettlement may also consult with an experienced immigration attorney for an assessment of whether they have a colorable case for refugee status under the current iteration of the program and for additional guidance on how to proceed.
