Cyprus will not open its long-promised juvenile detention facility until the middle of 2026, the Justice Ministry confirmed on 17 February. The project hinges on the completion of the new Limnes Pre-Removal Centre, which is meant to house irregular migrants now kept at the Menogeia Foreigners Detention Centre. Work at Limnes has slipped by almost a year and will not be handed to the Migration Ministry before December 2025 at the earliest, forcing authorities to keep minors in an adult prison wing for at least another 12 months.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis and Children’s Rights Commissioner Despo Michaelidou inspected Menogeia this week. They asked that razor-wire fencing be removed and walls repainted in softer colours so that the site can eventually house children in a “therapeutic, educational environment” rather than a punitive one. Under the 2021 child-friendly-justice law, detention is meant to be used only as a last resort and within facilities designed exclusively for minors.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
![Opening of Cyprus’ first juvenile detention centre pushed back after migrant transfer delays]()
For organisations and individuals trying to keep pace with Cyprus’ shifting migration rules, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. Through its Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the platform consolidates the latest requirements for work permits, residence visas and travel authorisations, offering concierge assistance that helps applicants avoid delays at the Aliens & Immigration Service while the government sorts out detention-centre capacity issues.
Turning Menogeia into a youth facility was approved by cabinet back in September 2024, but Parliament has already had to extend the legal deadline once, stressing the government’s struggle to balance migration management with human-rights standards. Five juvenile offenders are currently held in the adult Central Prisons; NGOs say the delay increases the risk of recidivism and violates international conventions on the treatment of children.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
For global-mobility managers, the slippage highlights a wider bottleneck in Cyprus’ migration infrastructure. Limnes, billed as Europe’s largest pre-departure centre with 1,100 places, is critical to freeing capacity in existing detention sites and speeding up returns. Until it opens, enforcement operations—such as the 11,742 deportations carried out in 2025—will continue to place pressure on detention capacity and divert resources away from processing work and residence permits. Corporations relocating staff to Cyprus should therefore expect stricter compliance checks and possible delays in scheduling appointments with the Aliens & Immigration Service during 2026.
Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis and Children’s Rights Commissioner Despo Michaelidou inspected Menogeia this week. They asked that razor-wire fencing be removed and walls repainted in softer colours so that the site can eventually house children in a “therapeutic, educational environment” rather than a punitive one. Under the 2021 child-friendly-justice law, detention is meant to be used only as a last resort and within facilities designed exclusively for minors.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
For organisations and individuals trying to keep pace with Cyprus’ shifting migration rules, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. Through its Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the platform consolidates the latest requirements for work permits, residence visas and travel authorisations, offering concierge assistance that helps applicants avoid delays at the Aliens & Immigration Service while the government sorts out detention-centre capacity issues.
Turning Menogeia into a youth facility was approved by cabinet back in September 2024, but Parliament has already had to extend the legal deadline once, stressing the government’s struggle to balance migration management with human-rights standards. Five juvenile offenders are currently held in the adult Central Prisons; NGOs say the delay increases the risk of recidivism and violates international conventions on the treatment of children.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
For global-mobility managers, the slippage highlights a wider bottleneck in Cyprus’ migration infrastructure. Limnes, billed as Europe’s largest pre-departure centre with 1,100 places, is critical to freeing capacity in existing detention sites and speeding up returns. Until it opens, enforcement operations—such as the 11,742 deportations carried out in 2025—will continue to place pressure on detention capacity and divert resources away from processing work and residence permits. Corporations relocating staff to Cyprus should therefore expect stricter compliance checks and possible delays in scheduling appointments with the Aliens & Immigration Service during 2026.
