There have been almost 1,400 applications for the north’s “migration amnesty” so far, the north’s ‘labour minister’ Sadik Gardiyanoglu said on Thursday.

Speaking to Gunes Web TV, he said the amnesty is allowing for “the most important data regarding working life” to be collected, and that “anyone who somehow fell off the register” can apply for the amnesty.

He also said the amnesty is “different from other amnesties”, as it is only open to those who can find employment.

The amnesty opened on August 5, with undocumented migrants in the north, including those fined for having lived there illegally on or after January 1, 2021, able to register and be incorporated into the north’s system if they can find a job.

They are required to pay a fine of 33,926TL (€917) within ten days of their registration.

Registrations are carried out online on the ‘interior ministry’s’ website, with applications approved by the ‘labour ministry’. If the relevant procedures are not completed within 60 days, applicants will be subject to the north’s usual penalties for living there without a permit.

In addition to the large number of applications being filed, another unintended consequence of the amnesty is that a small number of irregular migrants have now chosen to cross from the Republic to the north with the aim of acquiring some form of migration status in the north.

A total of eight people appeared in court in northern Nicosia on Wednesday, having reportedly travelled across the buffer zone into the north near Ercan (Tymbou) airport.

All eight were arrested on the road between the airport and the village of Afaneia on Tuesday night, and reportedly told the police they had crossed into the north to benefit from the migration amnesty.

The police’s representative in court on Wednesday said they had also found a substance believed to be a controlled drug in a black waist bag belonging to one of the eight, and that the substance would be taken to the north’s ‘state’ laboratory to be tested.

All eight were remanded in custody for two days.

When the amnesty began, ‘interior minister’ Dursun Oguz said it would make the north “safer”, while also emphasising its humanitarian element.

“People abroad who have knowledge in certain professions will also be registered and be able to return to the country. Families with ties to the TRNC will also be reunited within the scope of the amnesty,” he said.

He added, “this article was put in place to protect the integrity of people’s families. It will reveal the number of people in normal working life in the labour ministry’s system, and those who have been employed in some way until now, unfortunately off the books. This is a step towards legality.”

The amnesty had been announced after employers in the north had expressed concern about a lack of available workforce.

Oguz had said the amnesty would allow them to take advantage of the undocumented population which is already present in the north rather than find people from overseas and increase the population further.