Cyprus migration spending plummets amid sharp drop in asylum applications in 2026
Spending on migration benefits in Cyprus has drastically decreased from €49 million to about €12 million, according to Deputy Minister of Migration Nicholas Ioannides. This reduction reflects a major shift in the migration landscape, with irregular arrivals plunging to 968 from January to August 2026, compared to nearly 12,000 in the same period of 2022. New asylum applications also fell significantly, dropping from 15,154 in early 2022 to just 1,135 in 2026.
Pending asylum applications have nearly halved to around 13,000 since the Deputy Ministry’s establishment in June 2024, with Syrians remaining the largest pending group. The processing of Syrian cases has accelerated, aided by changes following the regime shift in Syria, leading to over 2,500 rejected applications and numerous protection status revocations.
Cyprus continues to manage migration with 197,055 valid residence permits as of August 2026, primarily in domestic work and employment sectors. Between January and August 2026, the island recorded 6,116 returns, contributing to a total of about 40,000 returns over the past three years.
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