In a policy change designed to streamline Cyprus’ migration management, the Council of Ministers on 16 December approved the transfer of all reception centres for unaccompanied minors from the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare to the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, effective 1 January 2026. Deputy Minister Nicholas Ioannides said the move is part of the government’s wider effort to place every stage of the migration cycle—arrival, reception, processing, integration and return—under a single authority. Guardianship of the children will remain with Social Welfare Services, but day-to-day operation, staffing and budgeting for the facilities will now sit with the Migration Ministry.
The change comes as arrivals of unaccompanied minors have fallen sharply: only 680 cases have been recorded so far in 2025, down 43 percent from 1,200 in 2024. Officials attribute the decline to tighter border surveillance along the Green Line, faster asylum processing and a new EU-funded voluntary-return scheme that covers minors travelling with families. Consolidating oversight, Ioannides argued, will allow Cyprus to repurpose staff and funding toward specialised guardians, language support and trauma-informed care for the remaining children.
![Cyprus shifts responsibility for unaccompanied-minor reception centres to Migration Ministry]()
In this shifting policy landscape, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) can assist companies, NGOs and individual travelers by providing up-to-date visa information, streamlined application tools and real-time consular updates, ensuring that permits for Cyprus are secured efficiently and in compliance with the latest regulations.
Business groups that rely on third-country labour say the decision could speed up work-permit renewals for youths who turn 18 while in care, a process that currently requires sign-off from three separate ministries. NGOs cautiously welcomed the reform but stressed that separating reception from guardianship could create gaps unless inter-ministerial coordination improves. "The litmus test will be whether the children see faster family-reunification decisions and better access to education," said Katerina Anayiotou of Hope For Children Cyprus.
For global-mobility managers, the policy signals a more centralised—and potentially more predictable—immigration architecture heading into 2026. Companies relocating staff to Cyprus should monitor subsequent regulations, especially any new residence-permit categories for young migrants ageing out of state care. The Migration Ministry has pledged to publish updated guidelines by the end of February.
The change comes as arrivals of unaccompanied minors have fallen sharply: only 680 cases have been recorded so far in 2025, down 43 percent from 1,200 in 2024. Officials attribute the decline to tighter border surveillance along the Green Line, faster asylum processing and a new EU-funded voluntary-return scheme that covers minors travelling with families. Consolidating oversight, Ioannides argued, will allow Cyprus to repurpose staff and funding toward specialised guardians, language support and trauma-informed care for the remaining children.
In this shifting policy landscape, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) can assist companies, NGOs and individual travelers by providing up-to-date visa information, streamlined application tools and real-time consular updates, ensuring that permits for Cyprus are secured efficiently and in compliance with the latest regulations.
Business groups that rely on third-country labour say the decision could speed up work-permit renewals for youths who turn 18 while in care, a process that currently requires sign-off from three separate ministries. NGOs cautiously welcomed the reform but stressed that separating reception from guardianship could create gaps unless inter-ministerial coordination improves. "The litmus test will be whether the children see faster family-reunification decisions and better access to education," said Katerina Anayiotou of Hope For Children Cyprus.
For global-mobility managers, the policy signals a more centralised—and potentially more predictable—immigration architecture heading into 2026. Companies relocating staff to Cyprus should monitor subsequent regulations, especially any new residence-permit categories for young migrants ageing out of state care. The Migration Ministry has pledged to publish updated guidelines by the end of February.
