Speaking at the Cyprus Forum on 12 February 2026, Deputy Minister of Migration & International Protection Dr Nicholas Ioannides offered rare granularity on the island’s migrant demographics and outlined priorities as Cyprus prepares to take over the rotating EU Council presidency next year. According to Ioannides, more than 150,000 third-country nationals (TCNs) live legally in Cyprus for work, study or family reasons, while a further 30,000 people are asylum-seekers or recognised refugees.
The minister framed the figures as both an economic opportunity and a policy challenge. “Integration is now a strategic priority with a clear roadmap,” he said, confirming that a National Strategy for Migrant Integration has been drafted and will enter public consultation before Cabinet approval in November 2026. Key pillars include fast-tracking Greek-language training, incentivising employers to sponsor up-skilling programmes and expanding municipal one-stop ‘Migration Help Desks’.
Employers and relocating professionals who need practical assistance with Cyprus visa and residence applications can turn to VisaHQ, whose online platform streamlines documentation, appointment scheduling and status tracking for a range of Cypriot permits (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/). Leveraging VisaHQ’s expertise lets HR teams stay focused on strategic integration planning while ensuring individual employees remain fully compliant.
![Deputy Minister Reveals 150,000 Legal Third-Country Nationals in Cyprus, Sets Integration Roadmap]()
Ioannides also pledged to operationalise the EU’s New Pact on Migration & Asylum by the start of Cyprus’s presidency. He highlighted the pact’s solidarity mechanism, which has already enabled the voluntary relocation of 2,900 asylum seekers from Cyprus to other EU states since March 2023, easing pressure on reception centres.
For global employers the message is two-fold: Cyprus will continue to court foreign talent—returns of irregular migrants reached almost 11,000 departures in 2024—but will simultaneously insist on tighter compliance and faster adjudication. Businesses should expect new integration-linked obligations such as language-training vouchers and community-engagement benchmarks to accompany future work-permit renewals.
With the National Integration Strategy entering consultation, companies have a brief window to influence measures that could shape labour-market access, family-reunification rules and long-term residency pathways for highly skilled staff.
The minister framed the figures as both an economic opportunity and a policy challenge. “Integration is now a strategic priority with a clear roadmap,” he said, confirming that a National Strategy for Migrant Integration has been drafted and will enter public consultation before Cabinet approval in November 2026. Key pillars include fast-tracking Greek-language training, incentivising employers to sponsor up-skilling programmes and expanding municipal one-stop ‘Migration Help Desks’.
Employers and relocating professionals who need practical assistance with Cyprus visa and residence applications can turn to VisaHQ, whose online platform streamlines documentation, appointment scheduling and status tracking for a range of Cypriot permits (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/). Leveraging VisaHQ’s expertise lets HR teams stay focused on strategic integration planning while ensuring individual employees remain fully compliant.
Ioannides also pledged to operationalise the EU’s New Pact on Migration & Asylum by the start of Cyprus’s presidency. He highlighted the pact’s solidarity mechanism, which has already enabled the voluntary relocation of 2,900 asylum seekers from Cyprus to other EU states since March 2023, easing pressure on reception centres.
For global employers the message is two-fold: Cyprus will continue to court foreign talent—returns of irregular migrants reached almost 11,000 departures in 2024—but will simultaneously insist on tighter compliance and faster adjudication. Businesses should expect new integration-linked obligations such as language-training vouchers and community-engagement benchmarks to accompany future work-permit renewals.
With the National Integration Strategy entering consultation, companies have a brief window to influence measures that could shape labour-market access, family-reunification rules and long-term residency pathways for highly skilled staff.
