The Council of Ministers approved on Thursday the bill for the establishment of a Deputy Minister for Immigration and Asylum. Minister of the Interior Konstantinos Ioannnou said after the Cabinet meeting that the Deputy Minister’s goal will be the management of immigration and the protection of those who are legitimate beneficiaries. The Council of Ministers, he said, approved the bill for the establishment of the “Deputy Ministry of Immigration and Asylum and related matters” noting that the creation of the Deputy Ministry was a key pillar of the government’s policy. According to an official press release, the Minister added that the implementation of an integrated strategy for immigration and asylum will fall under the Deputy Ministry, with the aim to ensure the best management of the phenomenon and to offer protection to those who are legal beneficiaries, within the framework of the international and European obligations of the Republic, with respect for human rights. Ioannou noted that the establishment of the Deputy Ministry is expected to contribute to a more effective management of the various parameters related to immigration and asylum, based on a series of priorities. These priorities concern the prevention of irregular flows and the fight against the networks of traffickers, the acceleration of the procedures regarding asylum applications, especially those that are clearly unfounded, the fight against undeclared work, and the improvement of conditions in the reception and centers. Other priorities of the Deputy Ministry will include the integration of those third-country nationals legally residing in the country, through the utilization of qualifications and skills, which are lacking in the Cypriot labor market, through the promotion of a policy for unaccompanied minors, and the implementation of effective return procedures of third country nationals, who do not have the right to live in the Republic. The bill will be submitted to the House of Representatives. Replying to questions by journalists, the Minister said that the aim is to have the House vote on the bill as soon as possible. Regarding the situation in Cyprus, he said that it appears the measures taken by the government as far as returns are concerned, yield results. The Minister of the Interior noted that the returns of third country nationals have more than doubled. He referred to the voluntary return scheme, saying that financial incentives, co-financed by the EU, are given to migrants to return to their country of origin. Comparing last year’s period between March-May with this year’s corresponding period, he pointed out that “returns have more than doubled.” In addition, he said that in the two months of April-May, for the first time in many years, fewer total arrivals of immigrants were recorded, compared to returns. He noted that in recent months there has been a reduction in the arrivals of irregular immigrants, which he said is due to external factors, but also to the measures taken by the Republic of Cyprus, in consultation with the European Union. Ioannou also said that the number of examiners of asylum applications has doubled in the last two months. The goal, he explained, is to process applications as quickly as possible to end both benefits and the right to work.
Source: Cyprus News Agency