Over 1,300 Syrians want to leave Cyprus, more than 10,000 deported in 2024, migration minister says

More than 1,300 Syrian nationals in Cyprus have requested voluntary repatriation following the fall of the Assad regime, Greek Cypriot officials announced on Wednesday.

Deputy Minister for Migration Nicholas A. Ioannides reported that 1,367 Syrians expressed interest in returning to Syria between December 9, 2024, and January 31, 2025, with 755 having already departed Cyprus.

“We are receiving an average of 40 requests daily from Syrians seeking to withdraw their asylum applications or revoke their protection status”, Ioannides said at a joint press conference with Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou.

The ministers noted that 18,055 third-country nationals left Cyprus forcefully or voluntarily since the Christodoulides administration took office.

In 2024 alone, 8,213 individuals returned through voluntary return programmes, compared to 4,636 in 2022. The total departures for 2024, including deportations, voluntary returns, and relocations, reached 10,941 people.

Cyprus now leads EU member states with a 179% return-to-arrival ratio, reflecting significant reductions in irregular arrivals and new asylum applications, according to Ioannides.

Of the Syrian applicants, 944 have withdrawn their international protection applications, 11 relinquished their refugee status, and 412 revoked their supplementary protection status.

The government has established special teams within the Migration Ministry to facilitate voluntary returns to Syria, though Ioannides clarified that “forced returns to Syria remain impossible until stability is established and conditions are clarified, leading to an EU-level decision”.

Officials expect the number of voluntary returns to increase as stability in Syria improves, though they emphasised that migration remains a complex international issue requiring continued vigilance.

The voluntary return programme includes financial incentives between €1000-€1500 to leave Cyprus, while additional support is provided through FRONTEX’s European Reintegration Programme, which has facilitated 977 returns. Another 2,348 individuals have departed at their own expense.