JOHANNESBURG, April 8 (Xinhua) -- South Africa will implement wide-ranging reforms to its immigration, citizenship and refugee protection system in line with national security and economic priorities, the Department of Home Affairs said Wednesday.

The Cabinet last week approved a revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection, which the department said is the most fundamental policy reform in a generation.

The department said it would initiate the process of drafting and tabling in the Parliament the necessary legislative amendments to implement the revised White Paper.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber welcomed the Cabinet's approval, saying "the policy direction outlined in the revised White Paper charts a new course for our country to build modern, efficient and secure systems that serve South Africa's interests."

"We will now work with the same focus and determination to convert the revised White Paper into legislative amendments that consolidate and comprehensively reform our country's citizenship, immigration and refugee protection systems, ensuring that they are fit for purpose for generations to come," Schreiber added.

Under the reforms, South Africa will adopt the first safe country principle, under which asylum seekers who have already been granted refugee status or lawful protection in another country, or who transit through safe third countries before arriving in South Africa, will generally be ineligible for asylum. The department said the change aims to curb abuse of the asylum system.

The reforms also introduce a merit-based approach to naturalization, moving beyond residence-based criteria to consider skills and investment when granting citizenship.

According to local media reports, South Africa currently hosts asylum seekers and refugees from countries including Pakistan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi. Authorities estimate the population at about 250,000 to 260,000. ■