‘Drastic measures’ needed to curb migration
Two issues: the status of the buffer zone and the failure to return rejected asylum seekers to countries designated as safe The interior minister...
Asylum seekers
Kisa calls for criminal inquiry into separation of Syrian family
Migrants’ support NGO Kisa on Friday called for an independent criminal investigation into the treatment of refugees sent back to Lebanon – including the husband...
Chlorakas landlord arrested for renting to asylum seekers
Police arrested the owner of an apartment building in Chlorakas after he rented flats to asylum seekers in violation of a government decree banning them...
Six countries urge EU not to halt deportations of rejected Afghan asylum seekers
Six EU member states have sent a letter to the bloc’s executive warning against halting deportations of rejected Afghan asylum seekers despite major advances of...
European office has helped speed up asylum applications
Cyprus processed a record number of asylum applications in the first three months of 2021 with the European Asylum Support Office’s (EASO) help, head Nina...
Almost 7,500 asylum applications received in 2020
Overall asylum applications across the EU fell in 2020, but Cyprus is among the member states that received the most applications relative to their population...
New migrant housing to help speed up asylum bids
Limnes migrant detention centre in Menoyia on Wednesday received a donation of 80 housing units from the Polish embassy to help speed up processing asylum...
UN refugee agency scorns Denmark’s law on asylum claims
The U.N. refugee agency has voiced strong opposition to a law passed by Denmark’s parliament that would allow processing of claims lodged by asylum seekers...
Denmark agrees law to deport asylum seekers outside Europe
Denmark’s parliament on Thursday passed a law enabling the Nordic country to relocate asylum seekers to countries outside Europe, defying calls to abandon the plans...
Over 7,000 asylum applications in 2020, backlog now almost 20,000
A total of 7,036 new asylum applications were submitted in 2020 in Cyprus, raising the year’s backlog to nearly 20,000, Unhcr Cyprus reported on Thursday....
Ministry eyes tough penalties to clamp down on ‘fake’ students
The interior ministry has proposed a bill to further clamp down on ‘sham students’ which could lead to a hefty fine of €250,000. The bill...
24 lawyers hired to speed up asylum applications
The state Legal Service has recruited 24 lawyers who will be handling asylum cases in a bid to speed up procedures, it was announced on...
US begins processing asylum seekers as Biden unwinds Trump program
The United States began rolling back one of former President Donald Trump’s most restrictive immigration policies on Friday, allowing in the first of thousands of...
Cyprus to lobby EU over irregular migration
Intense discussions are taking place in Cyprus over what it expects from the EU’s proposed new migration policy, with the government insisting the Republic is...
Asylum seekers at Pournara protest over living conditions
Hundreds of asylum seekers staying in the Pournara reception centre protested on Monday over delays in their application process and what they described as the...
MPs propose compromise over third-country students
The House education committee plans to propose to the government to introduce sanctions on colleges whose third-country students abandon them as a compromise to a...
UN agency calls for decongestion of migrant camp after brawl (Updated)
By Nick Theodoulou and Evie Andreou The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called on Wednesday for the Pournara migrant reception centre to be...
Cyprus top in asylum applicants relative to population in EU
Cyprus recorded the highest rate of registered first-time asylum seekers relative to population in the EU in the third quarter of 2020 with 1,848 first-time...
Interior ministry defends clampdown on third country student visas
The interior ministry lashed out at private colleges on Wednesday, saying they were greatly responsible for the ‘tragic’, high number of asylum seekers. “We leave...
Coronavirus: Health ministry to investigate living conditions at slaughterhouse
The health ministry on Monday said it would investigate the living conditions of Cypra slaughterhouse workers in Kati Moni, where 92 of them tested positive...