Author
According to the Refugee Law,[1] recognised refugees are granted, as soon as possible, a residence permit valid for three years. The permit is renewable for three-year periods only, and there is no possibility for this permit to be issued for longer periods. The law also allows for the residence permit of family members of beneficiaries of refugee status that do not qualify individually as refugees to be valid for less than three years renewable, however in practice this limitation was rarely applied. Residence permits are issued by the Civil Registry and Migration Department (CRMD) and in 2023 there were 2,515 permits of recognised refugees valid until 31 December 2023, concerning 1,654 adults and 861 minors.[2]
In 2024, 2,004 residence permits were issued for persons granted refugee status. As of December 2024, 3,678 residence permits for persons granted refugee status were valid.[3]
In the case of beneficiaries of subsidiary protection status and their family members, the law states that a renewable residence permit valid for one year is issued as soon as possible after international protection has been granted.[4] This permit is renewable for two-year periods for the duration of the status. Again, there is no possibility for such permits to be renewed for longer periods. Residence permits are issued by the Civil Registry and Migration Department (CRMD) and in 2023 there were 10,277 permits of beneficiaries of subsidiary protection status valid until 31 December 2023, concerning 6,448 adults and 3,829 minors.[5]
In 2024, 9,281 residence permits were issued for persons granted subsidiary protection status. Furthermore, as of December 2024, 13,220 residence permits for persons granted subsidiary protection status were valid. [6]
Moreover, according to the Refugee Law, residence permits for both refuges and subsidiary protection beneficiaries provide the right to remain only in the areas under the control of the Republic of Cyprus (RoC), therefore excluding beneficiaries from the right to remain or even visit areas in the north of the island that are not under the control of the RoC.[7]
In practice, long delays are systematically encountered in the issuance and renewal of residence permits for both refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. During 2022, delays increased due to the CRMD prioritising Temporary protection holders who received their residence permits within 5-7 working days on average.[8] In 2022, the CRMD set up an online platform where a BIP, once granted international protection or in the case of renewal, could book an appointment to submit the application in the city in which they are living (if in Nicosia at the CRMD Office, for other cities at the AIU of the that city). Depending on the city, appointments were extremely scarce and it could take up to 6 months to secure one. Furthermore, and based on many complaints, throughout 2022, the scarcity in appointments was mainly due to the online platform being abused by agents who book appointments and would then sell these. In early 2023 the operation of online platform was gradually terminated due to the abuse.[9]
Throughout 2023, the procedure and time to submit an application for the issuance or renewal of residence permits differed among cities; in Nicosia an appointment is not required and persons are served on a first-come first served basis[10] whereas in other cities an appointment must be made at the Aliens and Immigration Unit of the city by email or telephone. Appointments are usually scheduled within 2-3 months.[11] In 2024, the procedure to submit an application remained the same.
In 2023, 4-5 months were required from the submission of the application to issuance of the residence permit. In 2024, the processing time was 3-4 months. During this period, and as a result of advocacy interventions from NGOs and UNHCR, the receipt that is given when the application for the permit is submitted is accepted to access certain rights, such as State assistance via the Guaranteed Minimum Income scheme. However, there are rights that cannot be accessed or are problematic to access such as access to the health system, social schemes for persons with disabilities and delays might arise in opening bank accounts. Access to a bank account also impacts employment as employers request a bank account to transfer salaries and may refuse to hire or proceed to terminate employment. Furthermore, employers are often reluctant to hire or maintain employment of an BIP whose residence permit is not valid in fear that they may be employing someone without legal status. These issues remained throughout 2024.
Regarding family members, up to 2019 the CRMD issued residence permits for family members of recognised refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection that did not exist prior to the entry of the refugee into Cyprus; the permits referred to a ‘spouse or child of a refugee’. In 2019, the CRMD ceased this practice with the justification that it did not have a legal basis and was merely a practice. Until 2023 the CRMD had not provided an effective alternative status or residence permit leaving persons who have been living for many years in the country without status, residence permit, access to rights, and in many cases leading to loss of employment and the main income of the family.[12] The Commissioner for Children’s Rights in 2019 and again in 2020,in response to complaints submitted,[13] identified it as a gap in the law that violates the principle of family unity, calling on legislative amendments and for the administration to take steps to identify an interim solution. In 2022, the Ombudsman,[14] in a report on the issue, reached the same conclusion calling for legislative amendments. To date no legislative amendments have taken place. In early 2025, the Commissioner for Child’s Rights once again called on the responsible ministry which is now the Deputy Ministry for Migration and International Protection to take immediate action to resolve the issue.[15]
From 2020 onwards and continuing in 2024, the Asylum Service has set up a procedure by which they assess the protection needs of family members. If it is decided that there are protection needs, a decision is issued granting international protection which includes the names of the family members. However, in practice such decisions have been issued mainly for minor children of beneficiaries of protection and not for spouses or adult children, leaving them without status, and access to rights.
In 2023, the CRMD in order to address the issue, initiated a practice by which they grant humanitarian status to the spouse and/or parent of BIP. The “special residence permit” is valid for 12 months, granting the right to remain, access to health under the same conditions as an asylum applicant and access to the labour market but subject to the authorisation of the Labour Department.[16] Furthermore, the residence permit will be issued only once and before the expiration of the 12 months, the applicant has to apply for a residence permit for employment reasons, which requires a specific employer to support the application.[17] Since the introduction of the practice and throughout 2024, very few such decisions have been issued and as a result many spouses/parents of BIP are left undocumented with no access to rights. Furthermore, in 2024, cases of male spouses/parents were recorded that were arrested and placed in detention. In such cases, the spouses were released from detention with the intervention of NGO or a lawyer but even when released they were not provided with a status. In certain cases, the parent in detention was requested to undergo a DNA test, the cost of which they had to cover, to prove that they are the biological parent of the BIP even though they were registered on the birth certificate and there was no evident reason to question this.[18]
In 2024, the UN Economic and Social Council recommended that Cyprus reviews the right to family residence permits for the spouses and children of beneficiaries of international protection where the family was formed in Cyprus.[19]
[1] Article 18A Refugee Law.
[2] Information provided by Civil Registry and Migration Department.
[3] Information provided by Migration Department.
[4] Article 19(4) Refugee Law.
[5] Information provided by Civil Registry and Migration Department.
[6] Information provided by Migration Department.
[7] Articles 18A and 19(4) Refugee Law.
[8] Based on information from beneficiaries/cases represented by the Cyprus Refugee Council.
[9] Cyprus Mail, Government admits abuse in migration department, 19 March 2023, available at: http://bit.ly/3LRW4Qx; Politis, He knew about the agents… at the Migration Department and Nouris turned a blind eye, 22 March 2023, available in Greek at: http://bit.ly/3TQG8jf; Phileleftheros, Brake on online appointments by the Migration Department – Abuse by agents, 19 March 2023, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/3mu9jxd5.
[10] Civil Registry Department, Appointments, available here.
[11] Cyprus Police, Appointments, available at: https://tinyurl.com/4m6pr8cm.
[12] Information provided by Cyprus Refugee Council.
[13] Based on the response to individual complaints submitted by the Cyprus Refugee Council before the Commissioner for the Rights of the Child.
[14] Report of the Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights regarding the Family Unity of beneficiaries of International Protection, Έκθεση Επιτρόπου Διοικήσεως και Προστασίας Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων αναφορικά με την Οικογενειακή Ενότητα δικαιούχων Διεθνούς Προστασίας, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3nsaoF1.
[15] Information provided by Cyprus Refugee Council.
[16] Based on information from the representation of beneficiaries of International Protection by the Cyprus Refugee Council.
[17] Ibid.
[18] Information provided by Cyprus Refugee Council.
[19] UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of Cyprus, 18 October 2024, available here.