In the early hours of 7 December—confirmed publicly on 9 December—the House of Representatives voted to amend the Refugee Act, granting the Deputy Minister of Migration and the head of the Asylum Service power to revoke refugee or subsidiary-protection status from individuals charged with terrorism, murder, rape and other specified ‘serious crimes’. The beneficiary will have 10 days to respond before a revocation order takes effect; deportation can proceed once all appeals are exhausted.
Government supporters argue the change harmonises Cypriot law with EU Directive 2011/95/EU and answers Brussels’ criticism that Cyprus lacked mechanisms to address protection beneficiaries who re-offend. Opposition MPs and human-rights NGOs counter that shifting revocation decisions from courts to the executive risks politicisation and due-process violations.
![Parliament Authorises Withdrawal of Refugee Status for Serious Crimes, Tightening Cyprus’ Asylum Regime]()
For multinational employers the legislation introduces compliance headaches. Refugee employees who face criminal charges could lose their right to work overnight, putting companies at risk of illegal-employment fines. HR teams should review contracts to include immediate suspension clauses and verify that background-screening vendors catch open investigations.
The amendment forms part of a broader strategy—assisted-voluntary-return programmes, accelerated asylum interviews and Green-Line surveillance upgrades—aimed at reducing irregular migration and smoothing the island’s path to Schengen. Businesses that rely on refugee labour should engage legal counsel to understand appeal timelines and possible work-permit conversions.
Government supporters argue the change harmonises Cypriot law with EU Directive 2011/95/EU and answers Brussels’ criticism that Cyprus lacked mechanisms to address protection beneficiaries who re-offend. Opposition MPs and human-rights NGOs counter that shifting revocation decisions from courts to the executive risks politicisation and due-process violations.
For multinational employers the legislation introduces compliance headaches. Refugee employees who face criminal charges could lose their right to work overnight, putting companies at risk of illegal-employment fines. HR teams should review contracts to include immediate suspension clauses and verify that background-screening vendors catch open investigations.
The amendment forms part of a broader strategy—assisted-voluntary-return programmes, accelerated asylum interviews and Green-Line surveillance upgrades—aimed at reducing irregular migration and smoothing the island’s path to Schengen. Businesses that rely on refugee labour should engage legal counsel to understand appeal timelines and possible work-permit conversions.
