Irregular ...
Irregular Migrant Arrivals to Cyprus Drop by 86% Over Three Years
Over the past three years, Cyprus has seen a sharp decline in irregular migration, with the number of undocumented arrivals plunging from 9,307 in the first half of 2022 to just 1,260 in the same period of 2025. During this time, the number of new asylum applications also fell dramatically—from approximately 12,048 to 1,520—according to Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection Dr Nicholas Ioannides
Dr Ioannides highlighted that this decline coincides with a nearly threefold increase in repatriations. He also noted progress in processing times: the backlog of pending asylum cases has been reduced by about 26.5%, from 23,934 in June 2024 to 17,604 by June 2025
According to the Deputy Minister, a significant portion of applications appears to reflect misuse of the asylum system rather than genuine requests for protection.
In June alone, over 5,600 cases were rejected at first instance or withdrawn, while only 336 resulted in protection being granted—either refugee status or complementary protection
This trend reflects the government's strategy to tighten border controls, accelerate processing, and enhance repatriation efforts. The sharp decline in irregular arrivals and simultaneous increase in deportations suggest that migration policy measures are becoming more effective.
However, critics caution that these statistics should be evaluated alongside the information on returns to ensure that operations comply with international humanitarian obligations and safeguard individuals’ rights.
Market Cyprus - News Service
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