Cyprus offers Syrians resettlement money to return home, migration minister says

Published on 29/05/2025 - 16:35 GMT+2

Cyprus will connection Syrians money to thief them resettle backmost successful their location country, while allowing each family's main earner to stay connected nan land to activity for up to 3 years, a Cypriot curate has said.

Deputy Minister for Migration Nicholas Ioannides said Syrians would suffice for nan voluntary repatriation programme if they driblet their asylum claims aliases rescind world protection position already granted to them earlier 31 December 2024.

Unveiling nan scheme, Ioannides added that families who work together to return will beryllium fixed a one-off sum of €2,000 for 1 big and €1,000 for each child. Childless couples are besides eligible to apply.

The exertion play will tally from 2 June to 31 August.

The family's main earner — either nan begetter aliases mother — will beryllium granted a typical residency and activity licence allowing them to enactment successful Cyprus for a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 3 years.

They will beryllium allowed to recreation backmost and distant to Syria while their residency and activity licence are valid.

Ioannides said that galore Syrians person expressed their willingness to return and thief rebuild their country, pursuing nan ousting of nan dictator Bashar al-Assad successful December.

However, they are reluctant to do truthful because of nan uncertainty astir nan jobs marketplace successful their location country, he said.

The Cypriot programme intends to thief families flooded specified concerns by giving them immoderate financial guarantees, according to Andreas Georgiades, nan caput of Cyprus' Asylum Service.

Syrian nationals dress up nan largest group of asylum-seekers successful Cyprus by a important margin.

According to Asylum Service figures, 4,226 Syrians applied for asylum past year, almost 10 times arsenic galore arsenic nan adjacent largest group.

"This caller programme is simply a targeted, humanitarian and realistic argumentation that bolsters Syria's post-war modulation to normality," Ioannides claimed.

Ioannides repeated that a 2009 hunt and rescue statement betwixt Cyprus and Syria enables Cypriot authorities to nonstop backmost boatloads of Syrian migrants trying to scope nan island.

Ioannides said that 2 inflatable boats each carrying 30 Syrian migrants were precocious turned backmost successful statement pinch nan agreement.

Cyprus denies suggestions from some nan UN exile agency and Europe's apical quality authorities assemblage that is engaged successful pushbacks.