Nicosia: In the last three years, illegal arrivals to the Republic of Cyprus have decreased by 86%, Deputy Minister of Immigration and International Protection, Dr. Nicholas Ioannides, announced on Thursday. He further noted that legal residence permits for immigrants now number 200,000, while asylum holders have reached 30,000.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Ioannides provided these insights during a session with the House Committee on Internal Affairs. He highlighted that when the Deputy Ministry was established two years ago, there were 24,000 pending asylum applications, a number that has since been reduced to 13,500.
In 2025, Cyprus recorded 12,029 departures, with the ratio of arrivals to departures standing at 1 to 5. In the first half of 2026, illegal arrivals saw a 92% drop compared to 2022. Since the beginning of the current administration, approximately 35,000 third-country nationals have left Cyprus.
During the Committee meeting, Ioannides explained the objective to "transform migration from a problem of uncontrolled flows into a solution." The goal is to reduce illegal flows, increase returns, and emphasize the growth role of migration while maintaining the protection of human rights at the core of migration policy.
Addressing the issue of Syrian nationals, Ioannides noted that over 5,200 Syrians have either withdrawn their asylum applications or renounced their subsidiary protection status, with most voluntarily returning to Syria. He reported that nearly 2,000 asylum applications from Syrian nationals have been rejected, and rejections are ongoing.
In collaboration with the House of Representatives, the Refugee Law was amended to allow revocation of subsidiary protection status in cases of delinquent behavior by foreigners, aligning with international and European law standards.
Ioannides spoke of infrastructure upgrades, mentioning that the Pournara Reception Center was improved with full funding from the European Union. Additionally, the capacity for returns in Cyprus has increased sixfold with the Reception/Pre-removal Centre at Limnes.
He highlighted the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, which occurred in the first half of the year, marking key milestones such as the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and the new regulation on returns. The new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum aligns with the government's policies to provide protection while safeguarding the interests of frontline states like Cyprus.
In closing, Ioannides announced the launch of a new electronic service that allows for the renewal of certain immigration permits, with plans for further expansion of this service.