Number of staff and nature of the first instance authority

Author

Cyprus Refugee Council Visit Website

Source: Asylum Service.

Until 2024, all issues related to migration and international protection where the responsibility of departments and services that fell under the mandate of the Ministry of Interior. In June 2024, a new deputy ministry was established, the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, with the following mandate:[1]

• Design and implementation of a comprehensive strategy for migration and asylum, which includes reception and hospitality issues, asylum procedures, the integration of persons residing legally in the Republic, the return of illegally residing immigrants to their countries of origin, as well as the issues of legal immigration.
• The management of migration and asylum issues.
• Coordinating the monitoring and application of EU law in matters falling within its competences.
• The operation and management of reception and accommodation centres for applicants of international protection, as well as accommodation centres for unaccompanied minors and vulnerable persons.
• The establishment of bilateral agreements with third countries for cooperation in matters of migration, asylum and returns, following the approval and authorization of the Council of Ministers.
• The preparation of an integration strategy for citizens of third countries who reside legally in the Republic and the coordination of the implementation of the necessary actions for its implementation, in cooperation with ministries, services and authorities of the state.

The Asylum Service was a department of the Ministry of Interior and has now come under the Deputy Ministry.  The Asylum Service is responsible for the first instance determination of asylum applications, including the examination of the Dublin Regulation criteria. Pursuant to the latest amendments to the Refugee Law, the Asylum Service is entitled to issue a return decision together with a negative decision in a single administrative act. The Asylum Service also offers the applicant the option of voluntary return to their country of origin. If no response is received by the rejected applicant about voluntary return or request for assisted voluntary return, then the return decision is referred to the Aliens and Immigration Unit (AIU) who is in charge of execution of return decisions and deportation orders. The Asylum Service is also responsible, per the Refugee Law, for the operation of reception and accommodation centres for asylum applicants, as well as for coordinating all other competent authorities on asylum issues.[2]

In 2024, in addition to the support staff, the Asylum Service includes the Head of the Asylum Service, 16 Administrative Officers  and 105 Asylum Officers on fixed-term contracts. Of the above staff, 70 officers are examiners, while the rest deal with other issues such as the Dublin Unit, relocation, tenders, Reception / Hospitality Centers, and other administrative tasks. In addition, the Asylum Service, during the 2024, was supported by EUAA staff as well as by Contract staff such as for example the security guards and the staff of the Management Company CODECA at the Reception / Hospitality Centres.[3]

Cyprus has received operational support by the EASO/EUAA since 2014. The 2022-2024 operational plan was amended twice, to reflect the changes in the operational context in light of the invasion of Ukraine.[4] Upon request by the Cypriot authorities, in December 2024, the EUAA and Cyprus agreed on an operational plan for 2025-2026, with continued support in asylum procedures and reception, while planning and allowing for the gradual phase-out of the Agency’s support. Notably, EUAA support on TPD is to gradually phase out.[5]

Throughout 2024, the EUAA deployed 225 experts in Cyprus,[6] mostly external experts (163). The majority of them were case experts (63), intermediate asylum second instance support experts (18), junior asylum and/or reception operations experts (12), senior case experts (11) and a series of other support staff (intermediate asylum and/or reception statistics experts, junior asylum registration experts, etc.). [7]

As of 11 December 2024, a total of 116 EUAA experts were deployed in Cyprus, out of which 26 were case experts, 8 intermediate asylum second instance support experts, 8 junior asylum and/or reception operations experts and 7 senior case experts.[8]

In 2024, the EUAA delivered 66 training sessions to a total of 365 local staff members.[9]

The Ministry of Interior has an input in setting the policy for asylum applicants from specific countries of origin such as when there is an influx of asylum applicants from a country in conflict (i.e., Iraq, Syria). Since mid-2019 and still in 2024, the Ministry of Interior has played a major role in asylum issues, including the determination of the countries to be included in the safe countries list. Since the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, the latter is now responsible for such decisions. All the decisions taken by Asylum Service caseworkers and EUAA case workers on asylum claims need to be confirmed by the Head of the Asylum Service[10] or a case worker authorised to do so.[11] In practice, all cases are confirmed and signed off by senior caseworkers with such authorisation who are not actively involved in working on the case.

There is currently no formal quality assurance unit established at the Asylum Service. While discussions have started on establishing such a unit, they have been stalled due to a lack of capacity and discussions on the nature of the quality assurance work. However, part of the responsibility introduced for team leaders is to monitor the consistency of decisions of junior staff. No progress was observed in 2024.

_{[1] GOV CY, Υφυπουργείο Μετανάστευσης και Διεθνούς Προστασίας, available in Greek here.}

_{[2] EASO, Operating Plan 2022-2024 agreed by the European Asylum Support Office and Republic of Cyprus, December 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3U2EDPF.}

_{[3] Information provided by Cyprus Asylum Service.}

_{[4] EUAA, Operational Plan 2022-2024 agreed by the European Union Agency for Asylum and Cyprus, available at: https://bit.ly/3PT3UuO; latest amendment available here.}

_{[5] EUAA, Operational Plan 2025-2026 agreed by the European Union Agency for Asylum and Cyprus, December 2024, available here.}

_{[6] EUAA personnel numbers do not include deployed interpreters by the EUAA in support of asylum and reception activities.}

_{[7] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025. In the figures above, the same persons may have been included under different profiles, if a change of profile took place in the course of 2024.}

_{[8] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025.}

_{[9] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025.}

_{[10] ECRE, Asylum authorities: an overview of internal structures and available resources, October 2019, available at: https://bit.ly/3wSWjU3.}

_{[11] Article 2, Refugee Law.}