The Cypriot Ministry of Labour published a decree in the Official Gazette on 7 March 2026 extending the list of sectors in which non-EU (third-country) students may work while studying in Cyprus. Hospitality, healthcare support, petrol-station services, car-wash operations, delivery driving and night-shift manufacturing are among the newly authorised roles. To qualify, students must have completed their first academic semester and hold a valid residence permit.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
The change is the first major adjustment to student work permissions since 2021 and comes after months of lobbying by the Employers & Industrialists Federation (OEB), which warned of chronic staff shortages in tourism and elder-care. Cyprus aims to attract 50,000 international students by 2030 and sees controlled labour-market access as a retention tool: graduates who build a work history on the island are more likely to transition to longer-term permits or intra-company transfers.
Amid these regulatory shifts, online immigration platform VisaHQ can help both students and employers navigate Cypriot paperwork smoothly. Through its dedicated Cyprus page (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the service offers step-by-step guidance on residence-permit applications, renewals and required supporting documents—saving time and reducing the risk of rejection.
![Cyprus Expands Work Rights for Third-Country Students to Ease Labour Shortages]()
Compliance remains strict. Employers must file a stamped labour contract and proof of enrolment with the Department of Labour before a student can clock in. Trade-union leaders welcomed the clarity but urged the government to monitor abuse, citing past instances where students were under-paid or assigned shifts exceeding the 20-hour weekly ceiling.
For global mobility programmes the decree offers a new, lawful pool of part-time talent, particularly useful for multinational hotels, care-home chains and e-commerce delivery platforms that have ramped up Cypriot operations since Brexit-related relocations. HR teams should update assignment handbooks and ensure that third-country student employees receive orientation on tax and social-insurance contributions.
Legal advisers expect further tweaks later this year, including possible caps on the percentage of student workers per company and electronic filing of contracts. Until then, companies must keep hard-copy documentation and be ready for on-site inspections by labour officers.
The change is the first major adjustment to student work permissions since 2021 and comes after months of lobbying by the Employers & Industrialists Federation (OEB), which warned of chronic staff shortages in tourism and elder-care. Cyprus aims to attract 50,000 international students by 2030 and sees controlled labour-market access as a retention tool: graduates who build a work history on the island are more likely to transition to longer-term permits or intra-company transfers.
Amid these regulatory shifts, online immigration platform VisaHQ can help both students and employers navigate Cypriot paperwork smoothly. Through its dedicated Cyprus page (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the service offers step-by-step guidance on residence-permit applications, renewals and required supporting documents—saving time and reducing the risk of rejection.
Compliance remains strict. Employers must file a stamped labour contract and proof of enrolment with the Department of Labour before a student can clock in. Trade-union leaders welcomed the clarity but urged the government to monitor abuse, citing past instances where students were under-paid or assigned shifts exceeding the 20-hour weekly ceiling.
For global mobility programmes the decree offers a new, lawful pool of part-time talent, particularly useful for multinational hotels, care-home chains and e-commerce delivery platforms that have ramped up Cypriot operations since Brexit-related relocations. HR teams should update assignment handbooks and ensure that third-country student employees receive orientation on tax and social-insurance contributions.
Legal advisers expect further tweaks later this year, including possible caps on the percentage of student workers per company and electronic filing of contracts. Until then, companies must keep hard-copy documentation and be ready for on-site inspections by labour officers.
