Filenews 8 April 2025 - by Vasos Vassiliou
The numbers of third-country nationals who arrived legally in Cyprus in the period 2014-2023, but do not seem to have left, is awe-inspiring considering that the Audit Service estimates that they amount to 290,000.
In a report by the Agency, which attempts to answer the question "whether the management of the migration issue is achieved on the basis of the defined legislative framework and in accordance with the principles of economy, effectiveness and efficiency", the following are also recorded:
"A significant number of Third Country Nationals (TCNs), who according to data from the Police, amount to approximately 290,000 and who initially arrived legally in Cyprus during the period 2014-2023, do not have a registered departure in the Register of Arrivals and Departures, despite the fact that the prescribed deadline set by the terms of their residence permit or entry visa has passed. Therefore, they may be illegally in the Republic of Cyprus (CC). The competent State Services, although they provided some explanations, did not provide us with reliable justification or information to determine in which of these cases the absence of a departure registration in the system is justified".
It is clarified, however, that an audit by the Audit Service shows that 80% of these people come from Britain, Russia, Israel, the USA, Ukraine and Australia. More specifically, 181,648 (83%) show Great Britain (74,947), Russia (63,802), Israel (16,429), the USA (9,727), Ukraine (6,830), Australia (5,250) and the United Kingdom (4,663) as the country of issue of their travel document. Among them, a significant number of cases were identified, with countries issuing travel documents, such as India, the Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Afghanistan, for which tourist entry permits to the Republic of Cyprus were issued to the TCNs.
The report also records that about 13,000 third-country nationals, out of the 40,616 who entered the Republic in the period 2021-2023, appear to be on the island illegally.
The funds allocated by the Republic of Cyprus in the period 2021-2024 for the management of irregular migration are also awe-inspiring, taking into account, according to the Auditor General, the amount amounts to €500 million. Although things are even worse, from an economic point of view, if one takes into account that this does not include indirect costs such as policing.
Specifically for social benefits to applicants for international protection, the following are mentioned:
According to financial data collected by the Social Welfare Services and the Ministry of Finance, the actual expenditure incurred by the Republic during the years 2021-2024 for social benefits to applicants for international protection amounted to approximately €200 million, of which only €1 million was recovered from European Union funds.
The expenditures to cover the needs of unaccompanied minors borne by the Republic, due to the lack of a suitable accommodation facility, amounted to approximately €40 million for the years 2021-2024. The relevant amount recovered from the EU amounted to only €1 million and concerns the salaries of 15 Institutional Officers (EEA).
However, the Auditor General indicates that some of the expenditure (of €500 million) could have been avoided if the examination of applications for international protection had been carried out at a faster pace and if the necessary infrastructure for hosting irregular migrants/applicants for international protection had been completed earlier.
The following findings are also recorded in the report:
- The potential of the system is not fully exploited, making it impossible to monitor the efficiency of the Asylum Service (AS) staff.
- Files are still kept in paper form, despite the possibility provided by the system for their electronic keeping, increasing administrative costs and bureaucracy.
- The interconnection/interoperability of all the individual information systems of the Services involved has not yet been achieved, which makes it significantly difficult to manage irregular migration in the most efficient and effective way, since, among other things, the exchange of information is not facilitated, the re-registration of information becomes necessary, with consequent administrative costs and increased risk of errors, and the provision of comprehensive information is not achieved.
As the report shows, taxpayers are also paying dearly for the delays observed in the examination of foreigners' applications. It is noted that the average duration of the examination exceeds 20 months. Specifically, the report records the following:
The examination of applications for international protection shows serious delays compared to the timelines provided for in the legislation, with only 15% completed on time in 2023. The average duration of the examination, for the period 2021-2023 that have been audited, seems to exceed 20 months, while some applications are pending for more years, making the applicants as beneficiaries of state benefits for an extended period, burdening the State Budget. Despite the increase in the number of examiners of the Ministry of Health, until March 2024 the examination of 25,489 applications was still pending, a number that, according to the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, has now decreased to about 19,000.
Regarding the management of the Reception Centers, it is reported that during the period 2021-2023, the Asylum Service (AS) was faced with significant challenges, related to overcrowding, increased expenditure and deficiencies in registration systems. Indicatively, it is mentioned that while the operating cost of the First Reception Center (KEPY) of Pournaras, which in 2021 hosted 40,484 people, was €1.4 million, in 2023 it increased sharply reaching €9.2 million. The Auditor observes that congestion negatively affected both living conditions and the overall management of the migration issue.
Regarding voluntary returns, it is mentioned that during the year 2020, the financial incentive program led to a rapid increase (of returns) by 574%, compared to the voluntary returns of 2019 (before the incentive program was implemented).
The Auditor General does not fail to refer to the violation of the human rights of foreigners and the pushbacks, recording that:
The Commissioner for Human Rights and the Committee for the Prevention of Torture of the Council of Europe expressed concerns and made clear recommendations on issues related to poor living conditions in the Pournara Detention Centre and the Mennogeia Detention Centre for Prohibited Migrants (HOKAM), access to justice and legal protection, as well as complaints of violent pushbacks. The systematic human rights violations of irregular migrants in the Republic of Cyprus raise concerns about the negative effects they have on the prestige and credibility of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as the international degradation of its image in terms of the protection of human rights and as a rule of law.
The Auditor General, Mr. Andreas Papaconstantinou, in his introductory note, states that from 2023 onwards there is a downward trend in the irregular inflows of third-country nationals, with a parallel increase in the returns of illegal residents. He notes, however, that at the same time serious issues are identified that continue to affect the overall management of the issue. It also points to the condemnation of the CC by the European Court of Human Rights.
