Hours before the larger night-time operation in Paphos, the Aliens & Immigration Office conducted an early-morning sweep on 18 February that resulted in the arrest of 19 foreign nationals of "various nationalities" lacking lawful stay. While details of the locations targeted were not released, officials confirmed that the arrests followed routine verification of residence permits in rental properties and construction sites.
Procedures for rapid repatriation have begun, the Interior Ministry said, noting that the arrests feed into Cyprus’ strategy of pairing stringent enforcement with EU-funded voluntary-return programmes. Last year the Republic removed a record 8,300 irregular migrants—more than double the 2024 figure—claiming the top position EU-wide for returns per capita.
![Police Detain 19 Illegal Foreign Nationals in Morning Sweep]()
Companies and travellers navigating Cyprus’ tightening immigration environment can turn to VisaHQ’s online portal for consolidated, real-time guidance on entry visas, residence permits and supporting documents. The platform simplifies applications, offers status tracking and provides expert support—see https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/ for details.
For HR teams, the back-to-back February operations underscore that inspections can occur without notice and outside traditional workplace settings. Legal advisers recommend maintaining digitised permit records and ensuring that any short-term business visitors from non-EU countries do not over-run the 90/180-day Schengen-stay calculation, even though Cyprus itself is not yet in Schengen. Overstays discovered during police checks can lead to immediate detention and future entry bans, complicating regional mobility plans.
The stepped-up policing also reflects domestic political scrutiny as the government prepares legislation to streamline asylum assessments and to impose stricter sanctions on employers who facilitate illegal residence. Stakeholders expect draft amendments to reach Parliament before the Easter recess.
Procedures for rapid repatriation have begun, the Interior Ministry said, noting that the arrests feed into Cyprus’ strategy of pairing stringent enforcement with EU-funded voluntary-return programmes. Last year the Republic removed a record 8,300 irregular migrants—more than double the 2024 figure—claiming the top position EU-wide for returns per capita.
Companies and travellers navigating Cyprus’ tightening immigration environment can turn to VisaHQ’s online portal for consolidated, real-time guidance on entry visas, residence permits and supporting documents. The platform simplifies applications, offers status tracking and provides expert support—see https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/ for details.
For HR teams, the back-to-back February operations underscore that inspections can occur without notice and outside traditional workplace settings. Legal advisers recommend maintaining digitised permit records and ensuring that any short-term business visitors from non-EU countries do not over-run the 90/180-day Schengen-stay calculation, even though Cyprus itself is not yet in Schengen. Overstays discovered during police checks can lead to immediate detention and future entry bans, complicating regional mobility plans.
The stepped-up policing also reflects domestic political scrutiny as the government prepares legislation to streamline asylum assessments and to impose stricter sanctions on employers who facilitate illegal residence. Stakeholders expect draft amendments to reach Parliament before the Easter recess.
