Cyprus has relocated more than 3,000 asylum seekers to nine different EU member states between 2022 until September 2025, the deputy ministry of migration said on Thursday.
“The relocations are being implemented in close cooperation [with] the European Commission as well as with the European Agency for Asylum (EUAA) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM),” the ministry said.
The deporting of the migrants took place under the EU’s “Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism,” a scheme that allows asylum seekers arriving in one of the five so-called frontline countries to move to other member states that have offered to host them.
The one-year program aims to support those countries, including Greece, Spain, Malta, Italy and Cyprus, through financial contributions or direct relocations, as they are considered as most exposed to migrant arrivals due to their location.
According to the ministry, Cyprus currently records the highest number of relocations, describing the development as a “milestone”.
“Achieving this milestone confirms the effectiveness of operational coordination between the Republic of Cyprus and our European and international partners and highlights the importance of practical European solidarity (…),” the ministry said.
It emphasised that the migrants had been fully briefed and explicitly consented to their relocation, the ministry said the transfers included unaccompanied minors, families, and people with disabilities or other vulnerabilities.
The figures referred to by the ministry cover relocations carried out between August 17, 2022, and September 17, 2025. During that period, a total of 3,006 migrants were transferred to other EU member states.
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