www.mihub.eu Page | 4 Understanding the Context in Cyprus In the near past, Cyprus was considered as a transit country, yet the past few years has been transformed to a final destination of people who are in search of safety, opportunity, and a better future. Today, the island is home of a wide range of nationalities, including Third Country Nationals, European Union citizens, and asylum seekers, all with variant legal statuses and lived experiences. Migrants contributing significantly to sectors such as construction, hospitality, domestic care, agriculture, and, increasingly, healthcare and entrepreneurship. However, such contributions often go unrecognised, overshadowed by public anxiety and policy pressure. The most visible pressure point has been the steady increase in asylum applications (though for the last year, the numbers have been significantly low), driven by the geo-political developments of the surrounding area. These high influx rates, coupled with bureaucratic delays and limited reception capacity, have put major pressure on the housing, education, and healthcare services. Local perceptions reflect this tension. Indigenous Cypriots, especially in overburdened urban neighborhoods, express fears about job competition, cultural change, and safety. Cases of discrimination, community backlash, and targeted violence against migrant-owned shops have been documented in recent years2. In parallel, migrants report they are feeling excluded and misrepresented—frequently portrayed as ‘threats’ instead of neighbours, co-workers, or classmates. Cyprus's historical memory complicates this picture. The island's own experience with displacement—more than 200,000 internally displaced persons since 1974—offers both a legacy of empathy and a cautionary lens. Although most of the Cypriots have the experience of knowing how it is like to lose home and belonging, some people are even afraid that current migration patterns could deepen existing divides or the saturation of the national system. Nevertheless, the whole situation is more complicated. Migration has not led to a collapse of social order. It revealed that there are flaws in the system; such as in the Cyprus integration plans, service coordination and even in communicating with people. A recent Eurobarometer mentioned that misinformation, as opposed to actual experience, was the greatest predictor of anti-migrant attitudes among the Cypriot respondents. This observation makes a crucial question: how does the local population respond to migration? Do we manage diversity as a problem to contain or as a reality to shape together? Do we allow fear to dominate the discussion, or do we invest in alternatives that would be beneficial to all inhabitants? The seeds of a more inclusive Cyprus have already shown at different levels in many municipalities, NGOs, and schools. Language classes, cultural mediation efforts, and youth-led initiatives are creating pockets of social harmony. However, in the absence of a coordinated and adequately funded national framework, such initiatives can be fragmented, temporary, and isolated.
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