We are aware of and actively working to resolve a technical error impacting some applicants who are unable to submit their USRAP Intake Questionnaire after entering both their national identification and passport information. If your application was affected by this error, please monitor this page for updates on when to resume your USRAP Intake Questionnaire. Thank you for your patience.
A note immediately below clarifies that anyone who has already successfully submitted the questionnaire can disregard the message.
Context of the USRAP Intake Questionnaire
This questionnaire is the current primary way for eligible individuals in South Africa to request consideration for referral into the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) under Executive Order 14204 (“Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa”). It targets people of Afrikaner ethnicity or members of a racial minority in South Africa who can articulate a past personal experience of persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Key eligibility criteria (all must be met) include:
- South African nationality.
- Afrikaner ethnicity or membership in a racial minority in South Africa.
- Ability to articulate past persecution or fear of future persecution on a protected ground.
- Age 18+ (or referred with a parent).
- Currently living inside South Africa (no out-of-country processing anticipated).
The online questionnaire replaced or supplemented earlier Statement of Interest processes. Completing it is free. Designated partners (Amerikaners for referrals and RSC Africa/Church World Service for case processing) review submissions. Not everyone who submits will be referred; the U.S. government makes access decisions based on eligibility, the persecution claim, and other factors including background checks. Only USCIS adjudicates final refugee status.
What the technical error means
Some applicants encounter a problem that prevents final submission specifically after they enter both national identification (e.g., South African ID) and passport information. This appears to be a system/validation glitch rather than a deliberate policy change. The Embassy states they are actively working on a fix and directs affected people to monitor the same page for an update on when submissions can resume.
As of the most recent check of the official page, the notice remains active with no announcement that the issue has been resolved. Community discussion (including posts from the designated partner Amerikaners) has highlighted the same message and directed people back to the Embassy page.
Practical advice if you are affected
- Do not keep repeatedly trying to force a submission while the error persists—this can create incomplete records or other complications.
- Save any progress if the system allows it, and retain confirmation emails, verification codes, or personal links you have already received.
- Monitor the official Embassy page regularly for the update. That is the authoritative source.
- If you previously submitted a Statement of Interest but have not yet been contacted by a USRAP partner, you still need to complete the Intake Questionnaire once the error is fixed (unless you have already successfully submitted it).
- The process is free. Beware of anyone offering to “expedite,” verify documents for a fee, arrange travel outside official channels, or handle pets through the program—these are common scam vectors. Official partners do not charge fees. Report suspected fraud via the USRAP Tip Form linked on the Embassy page.
- Once the system is fixed and you can submit, complete all sections thoroughly and accurately. Family groups generally need all members’ data complete before final submission of the group.
If your questionnaire has already been successfully submitted, no further action is needed regarding this particular error. Processing timelines can be lengthy due to volume, and partners will contact applicants as needed.
For the latest status, always check the official source: https://za.usembassy.gov/refugee-admissions-program-for-south-africans/
If you have additional details about the exact error message you are seeing, whether you have a verification code/link, or other specific questions about next steps, feel free to share more (without posting sensitive personal data here) so I can try to provide more targeted information.
