The Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, Nicolas Ioannides, presented a €60.2 million budget for 2027 to the House Finance Committee on Monday. The figure is lower than the €74.7 million budget for 2026, mainly because major construction projects have been completed.
Of the total, €58.1 million is for regular expenditure and €2.1 million for development expenditure. Excluding salary costs, 90% of the 2027 budget is expected to be covered by European funds. Under the EU’s new multiannual budget for 2028-2034, approximately €800 million is expected to be allocated to Cyprus for migration-related matters.
Ioannides said that around 200,000 residence permits are currently in force in Cyprus and that approximately 20,000 people have been granted asylum. Asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection total 30,000 across Cyprus.
Migration flow falls 92%
According to the Deputy Minister, irregular arrivals and new asylum applications have fallen considerably, while the number of pending applications is also declining. “We achieved a 92% reduction in irregular flows compared with 2022. At the same time, since the beginning of 2026, more than 8,600 third-country nationals have left Cyprus, and around 40,000 during our administration,” he said.
From January 2026 to date, 1,500 arrivals were recorded, compared with 14,000 in the corresponding period of 2022. Ioannides said arrivals by sea had been eliminated and crossings across the Green Line had fallen sharply. He added that more than 90% of asylum applications are abusive and rejected, while 75% of repatriations were voluntary.
On benefits for asylum seekers, he said the Republic of Cyprus spent €33 million in 2022 and that the figure is not expected to exceed €13 million in 2026. “In four years, we managed to reduce the cost by €20 million,” he said. On crime, he noted that dozens of statuses held by nationals considered a danger to public security had been revoked.
5,000 permits to Israelis
The Deputy Minister clarified that a person is considered to be residing illegally if they have received a final decision rejecting their application, but said he could not provide an exact number. He explained that someone whose residence permit has expired may be considered to be residing illegally until they take the necessary steps to renew it.
According to Ioannides, most residence permits have been granted to Russian nationals, while 5,000 permits have been issued to Israelis. On accommodation facilities, he said the upgrade of Pournara and the expansion of the Kofinou centre had been completed, while the centre at Limnes is expected to be handed over in November. The projects were co-financed 84% by European funds.
There are currently 364 people at Pournara and 396 at Kofinou. Residents at the centres receive a €100 monthly allowance for basic needs and are free to leave, as they are not being held in detention. Restrictions on leaving apply to those due to be repatriated. Since 1 January 2026, the Deputy Ministry has been responsible for accommodating unaccompanied minors; 120 are housed across Cyprus, mainly from Syria and Somalia.
Additional established posts have been secured to strengthen the Deputy Ministry. Ioannides said 46 positions would be filled during 2027. He also responded to complaints about delays in examining residence-permit applications, raised by DISY MP Nikoleta Constantinou. DISY MP Savvia Orfanidou asked whether migration flows across the Green Line were continuing and referred to the formation of ghettos in some areas.
Integration
AKEL MP Aristos Damianou called for greater efforts to integrate legal migrants into the local community. ELAM MP Andreas Papacharalambous described migration as an “existential issue”, while also acknowledging the improvement. Finance Committee chair and DIKO MP Christiana Erotokritou congratulated the Deputy Minister, saying: “The figures are there and no one can dispute them.” DIKO MP Andreas Apostolou called Ioannides “the most successful Minister of this government”, while AlMA movement leader Odysseas Michaelides said: “The figures are so positive that the Deputy Minister certainly deserves credit.”
Giannis Laouris, an MP for “Direct Democracy”, said asylum applications had fallen considerably but should be reduced further, and raised the use of Artificial Intelligence to speed up procedures.
Constantinou said that while progress had been made on who enters the country, substantial problems remained over who stays and who leaves. She noted that incidents of crime and delinquency make neighbourhoods feel unsafe, and that schools are being called on to address growing integration needs among children with a migration background without the necessary support. She added that concerns could not be addressed only by citing percentages showing fewer arrivals, but required effective checks, fair distribution of public resources and meaningful protection of public safety.
Managing migration
Damianou outlined four main pillars for managing migration: humane reception, individualised, fair and effective examination of applications, effective returns or deportations, and the smooth integration of those entitled to remain. He described integration as the most important stage and the area in which the Republic of Cyprus was falling short, and called for integration policies to be advanced urgently to address phenomena such as ghettoisation.
Papacharalambous welcomed the reduction in irregular arrivals and asylum applications, as well as the intensification of returns, and said efforts should continue. He listed as priorities strengthening returns, reaching new readmission agreements with countries of origin, more effectively tackling human-smuggling networks, stricter checks on legal employment and further pursuing European solidarity at both financial and operational levels.
After the committee meeting, Ioannides said the priorities for 2027 were the full and effective implementation of the European Pact, further strengthening returns and cooperation with countries of origin and transit. He said work was under way to complete the returns-management information system, extend online services to more categories of migration permits and provide applicants with digital access to their files so they can track the progress of their applications.
He added that targeted legal migration policies were being developed in cooperation with the relevant ministries and social partners, while implementation of the national integration strategy continued, with an emphasis on the Greek language, skills development, legal employment and familiarisation with Cypriot society and its institutions. “Our firm position is that legal migration must contribute to development without undermining social cohesion and security,” he said, adding that despite the positive results, “we are not becoming complacent” and would continue working with transparency, accountability and cooperation.
Source: CNA
