According to Eurostat, the Cypriot migration authorities issued 34,694 temporary residence permits to third-country nationals in 2023, a decrease of 10.9% compared to 2022.
This figure only includes persons who obtained a Cypriot residence permit for the first time.
The main countries whose citizens were granted the right to reside in Cyprus in 2023 were Russia (12,029), India (3,852) and Nepal (3,148), Sri Lanka (2,147), Syria (1,846), the Philippines (1,778) and Egypt (1,261).
The main reasons for first-time permits issued in Cyprus included:
- Work - 16 874
- Family reasons (marriage to a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus or another EU country, family reunification, etc.) - 8,564;
- other reasons, including humanitarian protection status and visitor visas - 6,446;
- Study - 2,810.
Interestingly, the majority of residence permits for employment in Cyprus in 2023 were issued to citizens of Russia, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, and for family reasons - to citizens of Russia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Egypt, Ukraine, Israel and Belarus. The largest number of residence permits for educational purposes were granted to citizens of India and Nepal. Finally, for other reasons - to citizens of Syria.