Cyprus to pay Syrians to voluntarily return home
Cyprus has announced a new voluntary repatriation program aimed at encouraging Syrian families to return to their homeland, offering financial aid and temporary work permits for the main income earners to stay behind and continue supporting their loved ones.
Unveiled on Thursday by Deputy Minister for Migration Nicholas Ioannides, the program provides 2,000 euros (USD 2,270) for each adult and 1,000 euros (USD 1,135) per child to families who choose to go back to Syria. Childless couples are also eligible. However, participation is contingent on applicants withdrawing their asylum requests or relinquishing international protection status granted before Dec. 31, 2024.
The application window opens on June 2 and closes on August 31.
As part of the arrangement, one parent or main income earner from each returning family — either the mother or father — will be granted a temporary residency and work permit valid for two years, with the possibility of a one-year extension. This allows them to remain in Cyprus, earn a living, and send remittances back home, while also being permitted to travel back and forth between the two countries.
"Many Syrians have expressed their willingness to return and help rebuild their country," Ioannides said, "but are reluctant to do so because of the uncertainty surrounding where they'll be able to earn a living wage."
The goal of the program, according to Andreas Georgiades, head of Cyprus' Asylum Service, is to ease that concern by offering 'a modest nest egg' for families restarting life in Syria, while maintaining an income stream from abroad.
Ioannides described the initiative as a "targeted, humanitarian and realistic policy" that supports Syria's post-war transition. He added that European Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner views the plan as a potential model for other EU countries.
Syrians currently make up the largest group of asylum-seekers in Cyprus. In 2023 alone, over 4,200 Syrians applied for asylum—almost 10 times more than Afghans, the second-largest group.
Separately, Ioannides reaffirmed that Cyprus is acting within the bounds of a 2009 Search and Rescue agreement with Syria, which allows it to return rescued migrants at sea to their country of origin. He confirmed that two inflatable boats, each carrying around 30 Syrians, were recently intercepted and redirected under that agreement.
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