Asylum seekers can appeal before the Supreme Court of Justice, in accordance to Article 146 of the Constitution of the Republic, within 75 days of the receipt of the decision letter rejecting their application for international protection.

An asylum seeker can appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice, either against the decision of the Asylum Service, or the Reviewing Authority’s decision. The procedure at the Court is not free of charge. However, asylum seekers have the right to seek for legal aid, which is subject to the national laws of the Republic, as they apply to all nationals.

In Cyprus, the majority of asylum seekers are not systematically detained. In cases where they are, they are not detained under the provisions of the Refugee Law, but under the provisions of the Aliens and Immigration Law. According to these provisions, detention can be issued if a person is declared a “prohibited immigrant” or for the purpose of return, under the provisions that transpose the Return Directive.

As of 28 January 2013, a newly built detention Centre “Menoyia”, in the district of Larnaca, started operating with the purpose to detain irregular migrants. However, it is also used for the detention of asylum seekers. The official capacity of Menoyia Centre is 256 persons, and since operating, there have been no issues of overcrowding. In addition to the centre, third-country nationals can also be held temporarily in police stations, until being transferred to Menoyia.

You have a right to appeal if your application for international protection is rejected. The appeal is FREE OF CHARGE. If you have been granted subsidiary protection, you can still appeal against the decision which rejects your claim for refugee status. This does NOT affect your subsidiary protection status. The rejection letter states how many days you have to submit your appeal, starting from the day you received the rejection letter. You must submit your appeal within this time limit. Otherwise your appeal will not be accepted and your file will be closed.

You can appeal before

Third-country national workers must file their complaints, at the Aliens and Immigration Department of the Police, where they are stamped and recorded, and then the District Offices of the Labour Relations Department undertake to invite both parties at its premises in order to investigate the complaints and seek for a mutually, acceptable solution on amicable terms. The Labour Relations Officer’s report is then sent to the Labour Disputes Committee of the Migration Department for a final decision. This Committee is composed by an Officer from the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, an Officer from the Ministry of Interior and a Police Officer from the Immigration Service. The Director of Civil Registry and Migration Department notifies both parties in writing of the final decision.

Aim of the Committee is the examination of complaints of alien workers against their employers. In case that the alien worker is right, he/she can be employed by another employer otherwise he/she is requested to depart from the country or he/she is expelled. The Committee is constituted by representative of the Acting Director of Civil Registry and Migration Department as well as representatives of the Labour Relations Department and the Aliens & Immigration Department of the Police.

When the Labour Disputes Committee decides that the domestic worker should be deported, only a part of the guarantee is returned. Τhe rest of the money are used to pay the cost of the airline tickets.

In case a domestic worker wishes to depart for his/her country, the employer is then responsible to pay for the airline ticket and the entire amount of the guarantee is returned. In special occasions (e.g. elderly or people with disabilities cases) an employer may submit a written request to a Migration Officer to register a new domestic worker with new bank guarantee, regardless of the fact that a labour dispute may be pending at the Department of Labour Relations.