The decrease in arrivals of asylum seekers in the first half of 2026 compared to 2022 reached 92%, while since the beginning of the government, about 35,000 third-country nationals have departed. At the same time, after the change of regime in Syria, 5,200 nationals have left voluntarily.
These data were presented today to the Interior Committee of the Parliament by the Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum Nikolas Ioannidis, according to whom the situation with pending asylum applications shows a significant improvement, since from the 35,000 that were pending three years ago we have now reached 13,500, i.e. there is a decrease of 86%.
Mr. Ioannidis made special reference to the refugee law in the context of the recently passed Pact on Migration, stressing that the central goal is to turn migration flows from a problem into a solution. We sent the message to the EU that we will give protection to those who are entitled but we will safeguard our borders, he stressed.
He focused on two milestones, the launch of the pact on migration and the new regulation on returns. Regarding the infrastructure, he said that the upgrade of the Pournara First Hospitality Center has been completed, while two projects have been carried out in the Limnes area, the Accommodation Center for 1000 people and the Pre-Removal Center where those who will be repatriated live. "We place special emphasis on Syrians, who either have asylum or international protection. In addition to the 5200 who were voluntarily repatriated, we have 2000 withdrawal of applications, while now there is the family repatriation plan where we give them an incentive provided by the EU", underlined the Deputy Minister.
Answering questions from MPs, Mr. Ioannidis said that there is cooperation with the Police and the National Guard for the surveillance of the Green Line, there are cameras, patrols, drones so that traffickers can be dealt with mainly. We have rescued thousands of people at sea, while the recipients of benefits now amount to 2000, of which 400 are Syrians, and efforts are being made to direct them to work. The number of recipients was reduced by 50%, while due to delinquency, people who violate order and security are constantly being deprived of their status.
The Deputy Minister of Migration stated that today 200,000 foreigners are legally in Cyprus and observed that 70% of the costs for migration are paid by the EU. He also added that there was a 90% decrease in migrants from sub-Saharan Africa because they believed they were coming to central Europe.
In his statement, he stressed that the message is clear: Cyprus respects international legality, but it is a state with rules. And the rules apply to everyone. Regarding integration, he briefed the Committee on the National Integration Strategy for legally residing migrants, with an emphasis on learning the Greek language, skills development, access to the legal labour market and familiarization with the society, institutions, way of life and culture of Cyprus.
Reference was also made to the developmental character of immigration. "Our goal is to streamline legal migration procedures to help strengthen the economy, as well as solve social issues. In this context, the new digital service for the electronic submission of applications for the renewal of specific categories of residence permits is included. It is an innovation that reduces bureaucracy, reduces the need for physical presence and enhances transparency and administrative capacity."
Finally, Mr. Ioannidis noted that the Government and the Deputy Ministry will continue with seriousness, plan and consistency. The priorities, he concluded, are clear: Implementation of the European Pact, reduction of illegal flows, reduction of pending asylum applications, utilization of the new return framework, implementation of the plan for Syrians, integration with rules, digitization of procedures, regulated legal migration that contributes to the development of our country.
