Nicosia: The Republic of Cyprus recorded a 92% decrease in irregular arrivals and a 93% drop in new asylum applications in the first half of 2026 compared with the corresponding period of 2022, while the backlog of pending asylum applications has fallen by 41.5% since the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, Nicholas Ioannides said on Friday, presenting the results of the government's migration policy for the first half of 2026 and a review of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
According to Cyprus News Agency, speaking at a press conference, the Deputy Minister said the government's policy had shifted the country "from the passive management of arrivals to the decisive and strict management of migration flows," based on providing protection only to those who are entitled to it, returning those who have no legal right to remain, and creating organised legal migration pathways.
Referring to pending asylum applications, he said they had fallen from 24,000 in June 2024, when the Deputy Ministry was established, to 14,000 at the end of June 2026, while by the end of July they had dropped below 13,500.
He made particular reference to applications by Syrian nationals, noting that new applications had declined by 96.8% compared with the first half of 2024. At the same time, nearly 2,000 applications had been rejected between the beginning of 2025 and the end of June 2026, while around 5,200 Syrians withdrew their applications or renounced their international protection status and voluntarily returned to Syria following the change of government in the country in December 2024.
The Deputy Minister called on Syrians residing in Cyprus who no longer meet the criteria for international protection to take advantage of the revised assisted voluntary return programme, which runs until October 30, 2026, stressing that those who have no legal right to remain should leave the country, otherwise forced return procedures will be implemented.
Reviewing the Cyprus Presidency's work in the field of migration, the Deputy Minister described the conclusion of negotiations on the European Union's new Return Regulation as its most significant and politically demanding achievement.
He said the new Regulation establishes faster and more effective return procedures, strengthens member states' tools for dealing with persons posing a threat to public order and national security, and creates the legal basis for the establishment of return hubs in third countries, in full compliance with international and European law.
He added that during the Cyprus Presidency, the first common European list of safe countries of origin and the revised concept of a safe third country were approved, while the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum entered into force on June 12.
The Deputy Minister said that the successful conclusion of negotiations on the Return Regulation and the launch of the implementation of the Pact from Nicosia demonstrate that Cyprus, despite its size, can play a meaningful role in shaping European migration policy.