The Cypriot government promised to adjust the eligibility criteria for the housing assistance programme for refugees and displaced persons.
It turns out that not all beneficiaries are able to meet them, which is why 25 per cent of applications have already been rejected.
Elikkos Elia, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, said recently that the ministry is actively working on amending the law. According to him, the revised criteria should be ready by October. The ministry will then send them to Parliament for review and final decision.
With the help of MPs, we will find the best methodology. The Ministry of Interior is open to suggestions," the official told the MPs.
It is worth noting that the initiative came to the fore following complaints that around a quarter of applications for assistance were rejected for one reason or another. It should be recalled that applications for state assistance to refugees for the purchase of housing, rent subsidies and the issuance of ownership documents are processed by the relevant department.
Anna Sakka, the director of the department, said that it was inundated with applications but that her staff were trying to reduce the processing time. In Nicosia, for example, the average processing time has been reduced from 14 months to 11 months. In Larnaca, the average processing time is now seven months. The worst performance is in Limassol, where the average processing time is 19 months. Incidentally, the department is now processing applications submitted in November and December 2022.
For his part, the chairman of the House Committee on Refugees, Nikos Kettiros, said that the government seemed to have taken on board some of the suggestions made by the committee in the past.
He mentioned that the interior ministry had agreed that applicants with higher incomes would not be automatically disqualified, as was the case previously. Instead, they would still be able to apply and, if approved, would receive a lower level of assistance than usual.
Beneficiaries of this scheme will be given more time to apply for home ownership. The starting point will be the date on which the dwelling was connected to the electricity grid, rather than the date on which the contract for the sale of the house was signed.
It should be noted that the only point that the Interior Ministry has so far rejected is the increase in state benefits for refugees. However, Kettiros said that MPs would "continue to fight for this" as they believe it is a fair demand given the rising cost of living in Cyprus in general.