Cyprus: Dozens of migrants continue to pour in despite change in policy

Two boats with dozens of migrants arrived by sea within 12 hours from each other on the island republic of Cyprus, German news agency dpa reported yesterday (April 16). 

One boat reportedly carried 73 people while the other had 37 people on board. The majority of those arriving were reported to have originally come from Syria and to have departed from Lebanon.

Police meanwhile arrested two people who were suspected to be people smugglers. 

At the beginning of this month, sea rescues of migrants who had set sail from Lebanon to Cyprus were reported to have numbered 800.

Syrians no longer qualify for Cypriot asylum

The irregular arrivals to Cyprus continue despite the government’s change in migration and asylum policy.

On April 14, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides stated on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Cyprus would no longer process asylum requests from individuals arriving from Syria.

According to government sources cited by dpa, people arriving from Syria will be required to stay in reception camps until new arrangements for them are finalized.

Read more: Cyprus suspends Syrian asylum applications

Reception and registration centers on the island nation are full well beyond capacity, as the Cypriot government expressed fears the situation could deteriorate further if current hostilities in the Middle East escalate. 

The Cypriot government attributed the asylum application suspension of Syrian national partly to ongoing efforts to persuade the European Union to reclassify certain regions of Syria as safe zones for potential repatriations, as the civil war in Syria is now in its 14th year.

Despite smaller arrival numbers compared to countries at Europe’s external border like Greece, Spain, and Italy, Cyprus has seen a disproportionate number of asylum applications per capita, based on EU statistics, and has the highest number of asylum seekers in relation to its population size.

Read more: Cyprus seeks help from EU as surge of Syrian migrant arrivals from Lebanon continues

Minimizing irregular arrivals 

Located just 160 kilometers west of the coasts of Syria and Lebanon, many people continue to set sail for Cyprus from Lebanon or occasionally also from Syria. Others take to the skies and fly to mainland Turkey first.

They then travel visa-free to the northern part of Cyprus, which is governed by Turkey, with the intention of transferring to the south, which is an EU member state.

Cyprus meanwhile has intensified its efforts to reduce migrant arrivals. Authorities have established a special unit to dismantle people smuggling networks bringing Syrian migrants.

Additionally, Cyprus has appealed to the EU and Frontex to bolster patrols in an attempt to seal off its southeastern maritime border from irregular arrivals.

Read more: Cyprus: More than 500 migrants rescued over weekend

Earlier this month, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Cypriot President Christodoulides met in Beirut to discuss solutions to the escalating situation. During the meeting, Nicosia reportedly pushed Lebanese authorities to bolster their efforts to stem boat departures.

Figures show that last year, more than 11,000 migrants from Cyprus were sent home after not qualifying for protection. This is more than double the number in the previous year.

Cyprus thus became the first European Union member state to have repatriated more rejected asylum seekers than those who arrived on the island that year. 

In addition to managing to lower its net migration numbers, Cyprus meanwhile also ranks fourth in absolute repatriation numbers across the EU. 

Read more: Cyprus: Repatriation key to easing migration pressure