Author
The following types of accommodation are available for asylum applicants in Cyprus:
- First Reception Centre, Pournara at Kokkinotrimithia – The reception centre located in Kokkinothrimithia, on the outskirts of Nicosia, was originally established in 2014 as a tented facility with a 350-person capacity with EU funding to help deal with increased arrivals from Syria and was envisaged only to provide 72-hour emergency accommodation to newly arrived asylum-applicants. From 2020 onwards, asylum applicants that have arrived in the country in an irregular manner are referred to Pournara. The services provided in the Centre include identification, registration, and lodging of asylum applications as well as medical screenings and vulnerability assessments. In 2023, the average duration of stay was 30-40 days for adults and 80 days for UASC. In 2024, the duration of stay was similar to 2023, however there was a significant number of cases were the duration of stay for adults and families reached 3 months and for UASC 4 months.[1] During their stay in the Centre asylum applicants are not permitted to exit.
- Kofinou Reception Centre for Applicants of International Protection – The main Reception Centre, located in the village of Kofinou some 40km from Nicosia, was expanded in 2014 to have a 400-bed capacity. The Centre has been operating at its maximum capacity since January 2016. Kofinou Reception Centre is the only Centre that provides accommodation for the entire duration of the asylum procedures and which permits freedom of movement. Preparations to increase the capacity of the Centre were initiated in 2022 with a new section was completed in 2023. Works continue and the areas under renovation are expected to become available during 2025.
- Community – Private accommodation – The main form of accommodation used by asylum applicants is private accommodation secured independently, in all areas of Cyprus. There are no standards or conditions regulated for rented accommodation in Cyprus. Therefore, asylum applicants living in private accommodation may often be living in appalling conditions.[2] Asylum applicants are expected to find accommodation on their own and there are no services available to refer persons to suitable accommodation or assist persons to identify and secure accommodation, including vulnerable persons and families with children, with the exception of an extremely few cases where the SWS assist. Indicatively, at the end of 2024 there were approximately 20,000 asylum applicants in the country whereas the total capacity of centres during the asylum procedures is approximately 1,400 persons.
In 2024, the UN Economic and Social Council raised concerns about reports of a deficit of affordable homes and that migrants and refugees face a heightened risk of exploitative practices by landlords and homelessness. The Committee recommended that the State party take immediate measures to address the housing situation, including by prioritizing funding for the construction of new and affordable housing units, strengthen oversight and enforcement mechanisms to prevent exploitation by landlords and reduce the risk of homelessness, including for migrants and refugees.[3]
- Accommodation for UASC – There are a number of accommodation arrangements for UASC, operated by a number of stakeholders. From 2020 onwards, unaccompanied children are referred to the PournaraFirst Reception Centre upon arrival for registration. Children under the age of 12 will most probably be immediately placed in the youth homes operated by the SWS for all children under their guardianship (nationals, EU nationals, third country nationals (TCNs)) and some of them are subsequently placed in foster families following relevant procedures. However, such ages of UASC are very rare in Cyprus. UASC between 13 -18 after registration is completed will exit Pournara and are accommodated in shelters. UASC between the ages of 16-18 can be placed in one of the existing semi-independent living arrangements.
In 2022 due to the increase in arrivals of UASC and lack of capacity to house them in the UASC shelters, hotels have been used as a temporary accommodation measure. The conditions in the hotels are not considered up to standard. [4] The use of hotels continued in 2023 and for most of in 2024, by early 2025 all hotels ceased operations for this purpose.[5]
Reception/Pre-removal Centre at Limnes – The Centre was built in a remote area, at Limnes, in Larnaca district, with the purpose to host applicants whose applications for asylum are examined under the accelerated process and enter the return procedure, with capacity for 800 persons. It was also announced that a predeparture centre for rejected asylum applicants would be established next to the reception centre to facilitate their returns. The Centre began operating at the end of 2021 with small groups of rejected asylum applicants being transferred to Limnes from Pournara. In July 2023, the Centre was closed due to the sub-standard conditions and temporarily moved into a section in Kofinou Reception Centre. Limnes Centre is undergoing a complete re-structuring which is expected to be competed in 2025 while operations are expected to commence in 2026.[6] The cost of building reception facilities and performing subsequent infrastructure works and refurbishments is covered, for the most part or fully, by EU funds.[7]
In 2024, the EUAA provided Cyprus national reception authorities with 94 containers, including 86 for accommodation use and 8 to be used for other reception and asylum use.[8]
[1] Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights (Ombudsman), Report on the visit on February 21, 2025 to the “Pournara” Temporary Reception and Hospitality Center for migrants Immigrants in Kokkinotrimithia, ΕΜΠ. 8 January 2025, available here. Kathimerini, In Pournara, 27 unaccompanied minors for over 90 days, 25 February 2025, available in Greek here.
[2] Based on reports from asylum applicants to Cyprus Refugee Council social advisors and home visits carried out by the advisors.
[3] UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of Cyprus, October 2024, available here.
[4] Commissioner for Child’s Rights, Memorandum of the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of the Child for the discussion on “The government’s actions to find a suitable space for the creation of adolescent immigrant protection structures, as an obligation of the state stemming from the Recovery and Resilience Plan” at the Parliamentary Committee on Interior, on 23/11/2023’ available here
[5] Information provided by SWS.
[6] Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, Announcement: Tender Announcement for the Construction of a “LIMNES” Hospitality Center for International Protection Applicants and a Pre-Departure Center for persons who will be repatriated to the Menogia area of Larnaca District, 26 January 2023, available in Greek at: http://bit.ly/3TZaArO; Cyprus Mail, EU and Cyprus close to an agreement for support on migration, 30 August 2023, available at: http://bit.ly/3JVBE6D.
[7] Economy Today, Δαπάνες πέραν των €100 εκατ. για Πουρνάρα και Λίμνες, 16 June 2022, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/3mx2bjvu.
[8] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025.