Parliament committee welcomes Home Affairs visa backlog plan, but calls for sustainable reform [SOUND]

# Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice has welcomed the Department of Home Affairs’ progress in addressing visa-related backlogs, while emphasising that clearing overdue applications must be accompanied by reforms to prevent backlogs from recurring. The department reported 21-thousand-847 pending appeals as of July 28, of which 13-thousand-148 were overdue. Committee chairperson Jane Mananiso says they recognise the complexity of visa adjudication, particularly where applications require verification or involve potential fraud and misrepresentation: