#Asylum seekers

Illegal migration flows to Cyprus have fallen by 92 per cent since 2022, Deputy Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides told the House finance committee on Monday, as he presented his department’s budget ...

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) this week ruled in favour of a Moroccan national, an asylum seeker who sued Cyprus for his prolonged detention on national security grounds. ...

Greece said on Thursday that the EU should develop an emergency mechanism to temporarily suspend applications for asylum in major migration crises such as the arrival of tens of thousands ...

The construction and hotel industries often complain about labour shortages, while labour unions counter-protest over the use of temporary hiring agencies which they say lead to poor treatment of foreign ...

Authorities have revoked asylum status for nearly 100 people due to their involvement in criminal activity, as part of a new get-tough policy, media reported on Monday. On the instructions of ...

The number of asylum seekers receiving state rent and food allowances in Cyprus has fallen to around 2,000, as the government pointed to lower illegal migration, reduced welfare spending and faster ...

Cyprus and Lithuania on Friday signed a memorandum of cooperation on the relocation of applicants for international protection from Cyprus to Lithuania, marking one of the first concrete solidarity measures ...

Authorities on Thursday identified as a Congolese national the man who fell to his death earlier this week while trying to escape a raid by immigration officers in Larnaca. Though ...

The Supreme Court ruled that the detention of a 26-year-old asylum seeker from the Congo had become unlawful after approximately 15 months in custody, finding there was no realistic prospect of ...

A 23-year-old third-country national was found to be staying illegally in Cyprus after being spotted acting suspiciously near the central prisons in Nicosia, police said on Thursday. They received information ...

Cyprus is pursuing a comprehensive restructuring of its asylum system within the framework of the EU’s new migration pact, deputy migration minister Nicholas Ioannides assured on Saturday. “Our goal ...

Approximately five per cent of Cyprus population are refugees, ranking the island first among the three countries recording the highest share of immigrants in the European Union, a report by ...

A bill amending the Refugee Law is entering its final stage before a vote, following the completion of its examination by the House interior committee, with the aim of fully ...

A local court on Friday reportedly suspended the deportation of an asylum seeker convicted of domestic violence, ruling that the decision was in the best interests of his two children ...

By Asbel Bohigues As governments around the world tighten migration controls, Spain has taken a strikingly different path. In January 2026, the Spanish cabinet approved a decree opening a pathway to ...

Combating illegal migrant smuggling remains a daily operational challenge, deputy migration minister Nicholas Ioannides admitted on Thursday, Speaking at Europol’s joint parliamentary scrutiny meeting, Ioannides said the government had ...

Parliament on Thursday approved legislation reducing the time limits for appeals against rejected asylum applications, as courts simultaneously upheld deportation decisions. The bill, amending the law governing the establishment and ...

Following the passage of a new bill on Thursday, migrants granted asylum in Cyprus will soon be at risk of losing their international protection status if they commit crimes, making ...

At 23.9 applicants per 100,000 people, Cyprus recorded the second-highest rate of asylum applications in the European Union in August 2025, Eurostat said on Monday. Across the EU, most first-time applications were submitted ...

A small boat with a total of 21 Syrian nationals on board arrived in Cyprus, near the village of Rizokarpaso, on Thursday morning. The 21 people, all male, were spotted by the ...

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 ...

Deputy Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides on Thursday presented the relaunch of the ‘voluntary repatriation plan‘ for Syrians, set to open on June 2, in response to the collapse of the Assad ...

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a habeas corpus ad subjiciendum demand for release filed by an international protection applicant, who had admitted various crimes, including murder, to the police. ...

A group called ‘Syrians in Cyprus’ has called for the partial lifting of a freeze on asylum applications from Syria, saying in letters to the interior minister and deputy migration ...