The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has published its Cyprus Country Factsheet for December 2025, providing the first consolidated asylum statistics of the new year. Released on 2 February 2026, the document shows that the island ended 2025 with 28,645 pending asylum applications—an 11 per cent year-on-year increase despite a slowdown in irregular arrivals.
Syrian nationals remain the largest applicant group at 46 per cent, followed by citizens of Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Pakistan. The recognition rate for refugee status or subsidiary protection held steady at 31 per cent, but the average processing time lengthened to 27 months, underscoring continuing capacity constraints at the Asylum Service.
![UNHCR Releases Latest Cyprus Asylum Factsheet, Highlighting Spike in Pending Caseload]()
If employers, NGOs or individual applicants require assistance with navigating Cyprus’s broader visa and residence procedures—whether for humanitarian, work or ordinary travel purposes—VisaHQ provides an end-to-end, online solution that covers document preparation, submission and status tracking. The platform (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) allows organisations to manage multiple applications at once, helping to reduce administrative delays and align staffing or relocation timelines with the realities described in the UNHCR factsheet.
For employers, the backlog translates into longer waiting periods before asylum seekers can obtain labour-market access or travel documents, affecting staffing plans in agriculture, hospitality and services. The report also notes that only 18 per cent of recognised refugees have access to adequate private housing, a figure that amplifies pressure on urban rental markets where many multinational staff compete for accommodation.
UNHCR recommends accelerating the deployment of digital case-management tools—an area the Deputy Ministry of Migration has earmarked for EU funding during Cyprus’ Council Presidency. Companies engaged in corporate social-responsibility programmes may find partnership opportunities in proposed language-training and skills-matching projects aimed at integrating authorised refugees into sectors facing acute labour shortages.
Syrian nationals remain the largest applicant group at 46 per cent, followed by citizens of Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Pakistan. The recognition rate for refugee status or subsidiary protection held steady at 31 per cent, but the average processing time lengthened to 27 months, underscoring continuing capacity constraints at the Asylum Service.
If employers, NGOs or individual applicants require assistance with navigating Cyprus’s broader visa and residence procedures—whether for humanitarian, work or ordinary travel purposes—VisaHQ provides an end-to-end, online solution that covers document preparation, submission and status tracking. The platform (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) allows organisations to manage multiple applications at once, helping to reduce administrative delays and align staffing or relocation timelines with the realities described in the UNHCR factsheet.
For employers, the backlog translates into longer waiting periods before asylum seekers can obtain labour-market access or travel documents, affecting staffing plans in agriculture, hospitality and services. The report also notes that only 18 per cent of recognised refugees have access to adequate private housing, a figure that amplifies pressure on urban rental markets where many multinational staff compete for accommodation.
UNHCR recommends accelerating the deployment of digital case-management tools—an area the Deputy Ministry of Migration has earmarked for EU funding during Cyprus’ Council Presidency. Companies engaged in corporate social-responsibility programmes may find partnership opportunities in proposed language-training and skills-matching projects aimed at integrating authorised refugees into sectors facing acute labour shortages.
