In an extraordinary evening session concluded just after midnight on 7 December, Cyprus’ House of Representatives passed amendments to the Refugee Act empowering immigration authorities to strip refugee or subsidiary-protection status from individuals convicted—or even merely charged—of a defined list of ‘serious crimes’.
Under the new rules the Deputy Minister of Migration or the head of the Asylum Service may issue a revocation order after giving the beneficiary ten days to respond. Crimes that trigger removal include terrorism, murder, rape and repeat theft; once status is withdrawn the person immediately loses work rights, welfare benefits and freedom of movement inside the Republic. Deportation, however, may proceed only after all appeals are exhausted, a nod to Cyprus’ non-refoulement obligations under international law.
![Cyprus Parliament approves law to revoke refugee status for serious crimes, tightening asylum regime]()
Government supporters argued the measure aligns domestic legislation with EU Directive 2011/95/EU and answers Brussels’ criticism that Cyprus lacked an efficient mechanism to deal with protection beneficiaries who re-offend. Opposition parties and rights groups countered that allowing the executive—not the courts—to decide on revocation risks politicising asylum and undermining due-process safeguards.
For multinational employers, the main impact is compliance: employees holding refugee status must now maintain a spotless criminal record or face automatic loss of the right to work. Mobility teams should review background-screening protocols and ensure that any pending criminal investigations are disclosed, as failure to do so could jeopardise corporate immigration compliance.
The amendment is the latest in a string of measures—ranging from faster asylum processing to assisted-voluntary-return programmes—aimed at curbing irregular migration and smoothing Cyprus’ path towards eventual Schengen membership.
Under the new rules the Deputy Minister of Migration or the head of the Asylum Service may issue a revocation order after giving the beneficiary ten days to respond. Crimes that trigger removal include terrorism, murder, rape and repeat theft; once status is withdrawn the person immediately loses work rights, welfare benefits and freedom of movement inside the Republic. Deportation, however, may proceed only after all appeals are exhausted, a nod to Cyprus’ non-refoulement obligations under international law.
Government supporters argued the measure aligns domestic legislation with EU Directive 2011/95/EU and answers Brussels’ criticism that Cyprus lacked an efficient mechanism to deal with protection beneficiaries who re-offend. Opposition parties and rights groups countered that allowing the executive—not the courts—to decide on revocation risks politicising asylum and undermining due-process safeguards.
For multinational employers, the main impact is compliance: employees holding refugee status must now maintain a spotless criminal record or face automatic loss of the right to work. Mobility teams should review background-screening protocols and ensure that any pending criminal investigations are disclosed, as failure to do so could jeopardise corporate immigration compliance.
The amendment is the latest in a string of measures—ranging from faster asylum processing to assisted-voluntary-return programmes—aimed at curbing irregular migration and smoothing Cyprus’ path towards eventual Schengen membership.
