Cyprus revokes asylum for 80 Syrian nationals amid tighter migration rules

Cyprus has withdrawn international protection for 95 individuals, among them 80 Syrian nationals, following instructions from Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum Nikola A. Ioannidis. The government has also rejected more than 2,000 Syrian asylum applications and is preparing its first forced returns of Syrian residents, arguing that many no longer meet protection criteria after the regime change in Damascus in December 2024.

In parallel, authorities have ordered the revocation of residence permits for Indian nationals involved in violent clashes in Limassol in May, and they plan to strip protection from Syrian citizens accused of recent disturbances in the village of Xylophago. An EU‑funded voluntary return programme is being promoted for Syrian families. Ioannidis noted that asylum seeker arrivals fell 92% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2022, and about 35,000 non‑EU nationals have left Cyprus since the current administration took office. Cyprus joins several EU states reassessing Syrian asylum policies after the political transition in Syria.