Background information

The Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) programme is part of the measures of the strategy of President Nicos Christodoulides for the better regulation of migration and migration flows in the country. The strategy aims to decrease the number of asylum seeker arrivals, to increase the number of returns, to speed up the asylum procedures and to improve the accommodation infrastructures and reception conditions. The AVR programme is run by the Migration Department of the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection and aims to support asylum seekers and migrants that do not have a legal right to reside in Cyprus to return voluntarily in their home countries in an organised, safe and dignified manner.

Content of measure

The eligible individuals are: (a) asylum seekers with a pending application, (b) people who have withdrawn their asylum applications, (c) people whose asylum application has been rejected, (d) people whose appeal to the Administrative Court of International Protection has been rejected and (e) any migrant without a right to stay in the country.

The programme includes a variety of services to beneficiaries such as individual counselling and guidance on return options, support to obtain the necessary travel documents for undocumented migrants, travel arrangements to the destination countries, coverage of the cost for travelling and a cash grant prior the departure that ranges from €1000 to €1500 based on the country of origin of the beneficiary. Beneficiaries are also eligible for reintegration support packages, either post-arrival or post-return provided that are available reintegration partners of the programme in the country of origin. Post-arrival assistance includes airport pick-up, temporary accommodation, in-country travel and special assistance for vulnerable people. Post-return assistance includes business start-up assistance, long-term housing support, job placement, schooling and language training.

Use of measure

In February 2025, the Minister of Interior and the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection announced during a joint press conference that the ratio of departures to arrivals of migrants in the country for the year 2024 is 179%. In numbers, 10.941 asylum seekers departed from the country and 6.102 arrived. In comparing the 2022 departures/arrivals numbers with equivalent 2024 number, the changes observed are considerable. More specifically, the number of arrivals in 2022 was 17.278 whilst the number of departures were 7.700. Furthermore, the 8.123 cases of the total 10.941 of asylum departures in 2024 are cases benefited by the AVR programme; the remaining departure numbers are attributed to deportation or other measures that the government applies for the regulation of migration flows. According to the Ministers, the Republic of Cyprus ranks first among the EU Member States for 2024 with this 179% ration of departures to arrivals.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	European Funds National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

There was no involvement of social partners – trade unions and employers’ organisations – in the process for the designing of the measure and are not involved in the implementation and monitoring of the measure.

Views and reactions

No views of social partners on the particular measure have been identified. However, social partners within their structural role in different bodies often provide suggestions, expression of opinions and interventions for the overall and better regulation of migration, the migration pressures on the economy, labour and society from the flows by the nearby turbulent areas of Eastern Mediterranean and Africa, the accommodation problems in reception centers and the illegal and undeclared employment of migrants.

Sources

• 01 February 2024: Assisted voluntary return (AVR) programme (www.mip.gov.cy)