Nicosia: The Presidency announced a drop of 26% in pending applications for international protection so far in 2025, posting the latest data of the Deputy Ministry of Immigration and International Protection on X. The data also indicate a fast-track process of applications.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the data the presidency posted on X indicates that between January-August 2025, 8,123 out of 8,546 applications processed (that is 95% of total) received a negative response.
In cases of Syrian citizens, 4,112 applications in total were either withdrawn or the international protection was revoked, and 3,541 individuals were repatriated.
Total third-country nationals’ departures between January-August 2025 reached 9,033, compared to 2,358 in 2022. Illegal arrivals during January-August 2025 were 1,606, a decrease from 9,307 in 2022.
Additionally, the population in the Pournaras reception center, which had reached 1,890 people in 2022, has dropped to 266 during January-August 2025.
According to the Deputy Ministry, Cyprus ranks first in relocations among the front-line countries in the Mediterranean, with more than 3,000 voluntary relocations.