Illegal immigration to South Africa refers to

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

of foreign nationals to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

without the authorisation of the South African authorities. Several estimates on the size of the population of irregular migrants in South Africa exist but are described as inaccurate. The use of the term "irregular", as opposed to "illegal", is the accepted academic terminology.

Profile and demographics

No accurate estimates of the number of undocumented migrants living in

exist. Estimates have been published and vary widely. According to Statistics South Africa's 2011 census, 6.2 million foreigners live in South Africa, and the organisation's 2015 estimate places the number of undocumented migrants between 1,200,000 and 1,500,000 undocumented migrants. Many Zimbabweans have fled to South Africa as a result of instability in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

, and many live as undocumented migrants in South Africa.

Xenophobia

The sociologist Alice Bloch notes that migrants in South Africa have been the victims of xenophobia and violence, regardless of their immigration status. Refugees from poorer neighbouring countries include many immigrants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and others, who represent a large portion of the

informal sector An informal economy (informal sector or grey economy) is the part of any economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government. Although the informal sector makes up a significant portion of the economies in developing countrie ...

. With high unemployment levels for poorer South Africans, xenophobia is prevalent, and many South Africans feel resentful of immigrants, who are seen to be depriving the native population of jobs, a feeling that has been given credibility by the fact that many South African employers have employed migrants from other countries for lower pay than South African citizens, especially in the construction, tourism, agriculture, and

domestic service A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

industries. Illegal immigrants are also heavily involved in informal trading. However, many immigrants to South Africa continue to live in poor conditions, and the South African immigration policy has become increasingly restrictive since 1994.

References

Immigration to South Africa

{{SouthAfrica-stub