Speaking to the House finance committee on 10 November, Deputy Migration Minister Nikolas Ioannides outlined a €75.3 million budget for 2026 that blends stricter enforcement with new integration spending. Roughly €17 million is earmarked for upgrading reception centres, €7 million for unaccompanied-minor services and €8 million for migrant returns. EU funds will cover an additional €20 million through the Asylum, Migration & Integration Fund.
At the heart of the strategy is the Syrians Return Programme, a voluntary scheme that offers cash incentives and special work permits to families willing to resettle in post-war Syria. Between December 2024 and October 2025, 4,007 Syrians made use of the programme—an outcome the minister says has helped decompress the overstretched Pournara first-reception centre, now being converted into a classification hub.
![Cyprus Tables €75 Million 2026 Migration Budget, Expands Syrians Return Programme]()
Integration, however, is the budget’s new buzzword. Ioannides pledged that lawful migrants will see expanded Greek-language courses, streamlined recognition of foreign qualifications and pilot housing grants in rural districts facing depopulation. For employers, these measures could widen the local talent pool and reduce onboarding costs—especially in sectors such as healthcare and tourism that struggle with language barriers.
The budget also funds a shift to biometric residence cards and a cloud-based case-management platform that will allow real-time application tracking. Legal practitioners anticipate that end-to-end digitisation could cut appeals processing from 24 months to under nine, bringing welcome certainty for expatriate families.
Political analysts caution that the returns-integration duality aims to placate both sceptical voters and the business community. While voluntary returns appease concerns about social cohesion, the integration agenda meets EU benchmarks ahead of Schengen accession talks. Companies should therefore engage early in public consultations on the forthcoming National Integration Strategy to ensure that skills-shortage realities are reflected in final policy design.
At the heart of the strategy is the Syrians Return Programme, a voluntary scheme that offers cash incentives and special work permits to families willing to resettle in post-war Syria. Between December 2024 and October 2025, 4,007 Syrians made use of the programme—an outcome the minister says has helped decompress the overstretched Pournara first-reception centre, now being converted into a classification hub.
Integration, however, is the budget’s new buzzword. Ioannides pledged that lawful migrants will see expanded Greek-language courses, streamlined recognition of foreign qualifications and pilot housing grants in rural districts facing depopulation. For employers, these measures could widen the local talent pool and reduce onboarding costs—especially in sectors such as healthcare and tourism that struggle with language barriers.
The budget also funds a shift to biometric residence cards and a cloud-based case-management platform that will allow real-time application tracking. Legal practitioners anticipate that end-to-end digitisation could cut appeals processing from 24 months to under nine, bringing welcome certainty for expatriate families.
Political analysts caution that the returns-integration duality aims to placate both sceptical voters and the business community. While voluntary returns appease concerns about social cohesion, the integration agenda meets EU benchmarks ahead of Schengen accession talks. Companies should therefore engage early in public consultations on the forthcoming National Integration Strategy to ensure that skills-shortage realities are reflected in final policy design.
