In the last three years, illegal arrivals to the Republic of Cyprus have decreased by 86%, Deputy Minister of Immigration and International Protection, Dr. Nicholas Ioannides, said on Thursday. He added that legal residence permits for immigrants amount to 200,000 and asylum holders reach 30,000.
Speaking before the House Committee on Internal Affairs, Ioannides said that when the Deputy Ministry was established, two years ago, the number of pending asylum applications was 24,000, while today they dropped to 13,500.
In 2025, 12,029 departures were recorded, with a ratio of arrivals to departures of 1 to 5, he pointed out, adding that in the first half of 2026, illegal arrivals fell by 92% compared to 2022, and since the beginning of this administration, approximately 35,000 third-country nationals have departed from Cyprus.
Speaking during the Committee meeting, Ioannides said that the objective is to “transform migration that was a problem with uncontrolled flows, into a solution, meaning to reduce illegal flows, to increase returns, but at the same time to emphasise the growth role of migration’.
Ioannides stressed that at the core is the protection of human rights.
‘Of course, at the core of our migration staff is always the protection of human rights and this is a red line’, he underlined.
The Deputy Minister of Immigration stressed that in the last three years, illegal arrivals have decreased by 86%, adding that when the Deputy Ministry was established, two years ago, the number of pending asylum applications was 24,000, while today their number is less than 13,500.
He also noted that in 2025, 12,029 departures were recorded, with a ratio of arrivals to departures of 1 to 5.
In the first half of 2026, he said, illegal arrivals decreased by 92% compared to 2022, while since the beginning of this government, approximately 35,000 third-country nationals have departed.
Regarding Syrian nationals, Ioannides noted that over 5,200 Syrians have withdrawn their asylum application or have renounced the subsidiary protection status, adding that most of them have voluntarily returned to Syria. Almost 2,000 asylum applications from Syrian nationals have been rejected, he said, adding that the rejections continue.
The Deputy Minister pointed out that, in cooperation with the House of Representatives, the Refugee Law was amended so that the subsidiary protection status is revoked in the event of delinquent behaviour on the part of foreigners, in accordance with the criteria set by international and European law.
Regarding the infrastructure, the Deputy Minister referred to the upgrade of the Pournara Reception Center with 100% funding from the European Union. Moreover, he said that with the Reception/Pre-removal Centre at Limnes the capacity of the Republic of Cyprus for returns has increased by sixfold.
Referring to the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, that took place in the first half of the year, he stressed “two major milestones” mainly, the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and the new regulation on returns.
He also noted that the new Pact on Migration and Asylum of the European Union reflects to a large extent the government’s policies, that is to provide protection to those who are entitled to it, but at the same time to safeguard the vital interests of frontline states such as the Republic of Cyprus.
Concluding, he said that last Monday a new service came into force that allows the electronic renewal of certain immigration permits, adding that there is a plan to further expand this service.