Filenews 28 May 2025 - by Michalis Hadzivasilis
The change of regime in Syria has also brought changes in the treatment of Syrians in Cyprus, since the government is not willing to approve asylum permits to those who do not need them.
Recently, according to information from "F", letters were sent by the Asylum Service of the Deputy Ministry of Migration to 600 persons, the majority of them from Syria, inviting them to appear for examination of their residence status in Cyprus.
These individuals mostly have a worker instead of refugee profile, so if the evaluation of their data determines that they do not need protection, then they will be asked to voluntarily return to their country.
According to our own information, the majority of these 600 persons declare themselves Sunni Muslims and are men, a fact that qualifies them as coming to Cyprus for economic reasons.
At the same time, the Asylum Service of the Deputy Ministry of Migration continues to reject applications from Syrians for political asylum, following the change of status in Syria, since it is considered that these are not refugees, but persons who are close to the current regime and do not need protection.
It is noted that since the fall of Assad and the advent of the new regime, 2,300 Syrians have voluntarily left Cyprus who decided that they had no connection with our country and that it would be in their interest to return to their homeland.
At the moment, about 12,800 applications of Syrians for political asylum are pending at the Asylum Service, which are being examined at a rapid pace, especially after the increase in staff and the reduction of new applications.
At the same time, on the instructions of the Deputy Minister of Migration Nikolas Ioannidis, members of the Aliens and Immigration Service and inspectors of the Ministry of Labour, carry out inspections on construction sites in order to identify illegal foreigners who are employed without a permit. As explained to us, when a foreigner comes to Cyprus and submits an asylum request, they are not automatically entitled to work but must have a residence permit and special status.
Meanwhile, the Police arrested three persons aged 25, 27 and 33 yesterday in the context of an investigated case of conspiracy to commit a felony, assisting illegal entry and assisting an illegal immigrant to enter and remain in the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. Their arrest was made after receiving information on May 25, 2025, about the passage of a number of migrants, from the occupied areas, to the free areas from an uncontrolled point, in the Nicosia district.
Members of the Green Line Surveillance Sub-Directorate went to the area, where they identified a total of ten persons. As it was established, they were illegally on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and were arrested and taken to the Pera Chorio Police Station.
