The "Syrians in Cyprus" Group, in its letter to the Minister of Interior and the Deputy Minister of Immigration, requests a partial lifting of the "freeze" in the examination of asylum applications of Syrian nationals, stating that this freeze is not justified under the current circumstances, "especially when taking into account that there are Syrian asylum seekers who are still on hold since 2019, while the examination time for new asylum applications (of other nationals) has been limited to 3 months."
The Group speaks of "blatant discrimination" against Syrians who have been residing and working in Cyprus for years and contribute to the Social Insurance Fund and the General Health Insurance System.
They also state that the failure to examine applications constitutes an unjustified obstacle and call on the Government to discuss the scenario where a number of Syrians who did not choose voluntary return would receive, under specific conditions, the status of workers from Third Countries, without having to leave Cyprus.
