Plans to convert the Menogeia Foreigners Detention Centre into Cyprus’ first purpose-built juvenile facility have been delayed until mid-2026 because migrants currently housed there cannot yet be transferred. Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis, after touring the site with the Children’s Rights Commissioner on 17 February, said conversion work will advance only once the new Limnes Pre-Removal Centre—Europe’s largest with 1,100 beds—is operational.
The postponement highlights the knock-on effect that migrant-housing logistics can have on broader justice reforms. Parliament had already extended the statutory deadline for the juvenile centre to 1 January 2026, but the fresh delay means that minors will continue to be held in a special wing of Nicosia Central Prisons for at least another year. Rights groups warn that the arrangement breaches UN standards; the government argues that an interim refurbishment of the Central Prisons wing mitigates the risk.
From a mobility perspective, the story illustrates mounting pressure on Cyprus’ detention infrastructure. The Limnes megacentre is designed to streamline pre-departure processing for irregular migrants and to free up space in existing facilities, thereby accelerating forced-return operations that can otherwise create processing backlogs for legitimate work-permit applicants.
![Opening of Cyprus’ First Juvenile Detention Centre Pushed Back as Migrant Relocation Stalls]()
Amid such shifting migration and detention policies, individuals and companies planning travel to Cyprus can sidestep administrative snags by using a specialist service like VisaHQ. Its Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) offers end-to-end support for visas, residence permits and document legalisation, keeping applicants informed of regulatory changes and helping them avoid delays linked to capacity strains in the immigration system.
The Justice Minister told reporters that staff for the juvenile facility will be seconded from across the public sector, while only top-level management will be outsourced to private operators—a model that could later be mirrored in immigration holding centres. Contractors specialising in facility management and private security see new bidding opportunities as the state reconfigures its detention estate.
For companies relocating staff with teenage dependants, the deferment removes, for now, the possibility that under-18 family members could inadvertently be held in proximity to adult immigration detainees, an issue some risk-assessment providers had flagged. However, the renewed focus on detention capacity suggests that Cyprus’ tough line on irregular migration will remain centre stage through 2026.
The postponement highlights the knock-on effect that migrant-housing logistics can have on broader justice reforms. Parliament had already extended the statutory deadline for the juvenile centre to 1 January 2026, but the fresh delay means that minors will continue to be held in a special wing of Nicosia Central Prisons for at least another year. Rights groups warn that the arrangement breaches UN standards; the government argues that an interim refurbishment of the Central Prisons wing mitigates the risk.
From a mobility perspective, the story illustrates mounting pressure on Cyprus’ detention infrastructure. The Limnes megacentre is designed to streamline pre-departure processing for irregular migrants and to free up space in existing facilities, thereby accelerating forced-return operations that can otherwise create processing backlogs for legitimate work-permit applicants.
Amid such shifting migration and detention policies, individuals and companies planning travel to Cyprus can sidestep administrative snags by using a specialist service like VisaHQ. Its Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) offers end-to-end support for visas, residence permits and document legalisation, keeping applicants informed of regulatory changes and helping them avoid delays linked to capacity strains in the immigration system.
The Justice Minister told reporters that staff for the juvenile facility will be seconded from across the public sector, while only top-level management will be outsourced to private operators—a model that could later be mirrored in immigration holding centres. Contractors specialising in facility management and private security see new bidding opportunities as the state reconfigures its detention estate.
For companies relocating staff with teenage dependants, the deferment removes, for now, the possibility that under-18 family members could inadvertently be held in proximity to adult immigration detainees, an issue some risk-assessment providers had flagged. However, the renewed focus on detention capacity suggests that Cyprus’ tough line on irregular migration will remain centre stage through 2026.
