Cyprus first in EU for asylum returns

Cyprus ranks first among EU states for the highest percentage of returns of new asylum seeker applications, the Interior Ministry announced.

It said the rate reaches 97% in returns of irregular migrants who apply for asylum seeker status, making Cyprus first in the EU from March to September.

Interior Ministry said that Cyprus ranked 4th among the 27-member bloc in absolute numbers of returns and deportations of irregular migrants, according to Q2 figures released by Eurostat.

In April-June 2023, there were 1,775 returns of irregular migrants, mainly to Sub-Saharan African countries (Nigeria, Congo, Cameroon).

The government has taken specific measures for arrivals from these countries. It runs an information campaign to say Cyprus is not a stepping-stone to Europe to deter irregular migration.

As a result of a series of measures implemented by the authorities, a decrease in the number of asylum applications has been observed in recent months.

According to the ministry, 723 asylum seeker applications were submitted in September alone.

At the same time, the balance of arrivals-returns was also positive in September, during which 824 returns and deportations of irregular migrants were carried out.

The Ministers of Interior and Migration of Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Italy and Malta during the MED5 Summit held October 6-7 in Thessaloniki discussed the measures applied by Cyprus to manage the migration crisis.

Cyprus tops the EU list for the number of asylum seekers per population, with the ratio at 6%.