Cypriot police carried out a coordinated six-hour operation across all five districts in the early hours of 15 February, arresting 31 third-country nationals who were found to be residing illegally on the island. Seven of those detained were placed on same-day flights out of the Republic, while officials at the Aliens & Immigration Service began expedited removal procedures for the remainder.
The pre-dawn sweep involved specialists from the Green Line Surveillance Unit, reflecting the government’s continuing effort to curb irregular entries from the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the Republic of Cyprus from the island’s north. Officers inspected residence permits, employment contracts and travel documents at worksites, rented apartments and informal settlements identified through recent intelligence.
Interior-ministry statistics released alongside the operation show how aggressively Cyprus has pivoted from asylum reception to returns: forced and voluntary departures reached 11,742 in 2025, up 16 % on the previous year, while new irregular arrivals fell to 2,444—less than one-seventh of the 2022 peak. Officials credit daily micro-raids, streamlined detention-centre processing and bilateral readmission agreements with South-Asian and African states.
![Immigration sweep nets 31 irregular migrants as Cyprus accelerates deportations]()
To navigate this stricter environment, VisaHQ’s dedicated Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) provides step-by-step guidance on securing the correct visas and residence permits, tracks renewal deadlines and offers document pre-screening—helping both individuals and corporate HR teams steer clear of the hefty fines and operational disruptions that non-compliance can now trigger.
For multinational employers the tougher line translates into higher compliance risk. HR managers must ensure that staff on project visas and their subcontractors’ workers carry valid residence cards at all times and that renewals are lodged well before expiry. Companies found harbouring undocumented labour can face fines of up to €20,000 per employee and temporary suspension of business licences under amendments passed last October.
The sweep also signals that enforcement will intensify in the run-up to Cyprus’ assumption of the rotating EU Council Presidency in July, when the government hopes to showcase falling migration pressure as evidence of effective border management.
The pre-dawn sweep involved specialists from the Green Line Surveillance Unit, reflecting the government’s continuing effort to curb irregular entries from the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the Republic of Cyprus from the island’s north. Officers inspected residence permits, employment contracts and travel documents at worksites, rented apartments and informal settlements identified through recent intelligence.
Interior-ministry statistics released alongside the operation show how aggressively Cyprus has pivoted from asylum reception to returns: forced and voluntary departures reached 11,742 in 2025, up 16 % on the previous year, while new irregular arrivals fell to 2,444—less than one-seventh of the 2022 peak. Officials credit daily micro-raids, streamlined detention-centre processing and bilateral readmission agreements with South-Asian and African states.
To navigate this stricter environment, VisaHQ’s dedicated Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) provides step-by-step guidance on securing the correct visas and residence permits, tracks renewal deadlines and offers document pre-screening—helping both individuals and corporate HR teams steer clear of the hefty fines and operational disruptions that non-compliance can now trigger.
For multinational employers the tougher line translates into higher compliance risk. HR managers must ensure that staff on project visas and their subcontractors’ workers carry valid residence cards at all times and that renewals are lodged well before expiry. Companies found harbouring undocumented labour can face fines of up to €20,000 per employee and temporary suspension of business licences under amendments passed last October.
The sweep also signals that enforcement will intensify in the run-up to Cyprus’ assumption of the rotating EU Council Presidency in July, when the government hopes to showcase falling migration pressure as evidence of effective border management.
