Source: in-cyprus.philenews.com
Cyprus is very close to installing the Entry/Exit System (EES), which is expected to be in place next March, Michalis Katsounotos of the police told the House Audit Committee.
The committee was reviewing the migration situation, and Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection Nicholas Ioannides said the picture had changed completely since the period examined by the Audit Office. Irregular arrivals totalled 968 from January to August 2026, compared with 11,920 in the same period of 2022, according to figures presented to the committee, while new asylum applications fell from 15,154 in the first eight months of 2022 to 1,135 in 2026.
Pending applications have fallen to about 13,000, from close to 24,000 when the Deputy Ministry was set up in June 2024. New applications from Syrians, the largest group among pending applicants, dropped from 6,177 in 2023 to 169 this year up to August. The Deputy Ministry reported 6,116 returns between January and August 2026, and Ioannides said spending on benefits had fallen from 49 million euros to about 12 million euros.
Upgrading IT systems was a central issue at the session, as the inability of agencies to share a common, real-time picture of foreign nationals entering and leaving the country had been one of the most serious problems identified.
Ioannides said work was under way to upgrade and connect the systems so that every foreign national entering the country could be tracked, adding that it had moved forward considerably.
Katsounotos said there had been “significant progress” on the technology side, with the EES seen as particularly important for recording entries and exits and for making databases work together.
On the Green Line and Pyla, he said several measures had been taken as part of preparations for Schengen, and that a legal instrument with the British Bases was close to being agreed. Police patrols and operations were continuing, partly based on intelligence about people staying illegally and about smugglers, he said.
Austrian officials are expected to visit Cyprus to see the procedures at first hand, Katsounotos added.
The EES replaces manual passport stamping, electronically recording the entries and exits of non-EU nationals on short stays, including their fingerprints and facial images. It has been fully operational since April 10, 2026 at the external borders of participating countries, except Cyprus and Ireland.
Christos Mouis, commander of the police Aliens and Immigration Unit, said the agencies had used the Audit Office report as guidance and taken corrective action. He said 56 people had recently been deported with the help of Frontex.
Legal migration
Ioannides said legal migration should play a role in developing the economy, pointing to labour needs in farming, livestock, fish farming and other sectors.
“We want to turn migration from a problem into a solution,” he said, adding that recruitment of workers should be targeted and go through legal routes.
Online services
Online services for certain permit categories have been available since July, and more types of application will be renewable online during 2027. The Deputy Ministry also plans to launch an online tracking service in 2027, letting applicants see what stage their case has reached and receive SMS or email updates on its approval or rejection and on the issuing of their card.
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