Cyprus’ Aliens and Immigration Service (YAM) carried out a pre-dawn operation on 21 September that swept through three of the island’s main business hubs—Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos—netting 18 third-country nationals who were found to be living and working without valid residence status. According to the police communiqué, the simultaneous raids targeted private apartments, construction sites and small retail outlets after a month-long intelligence-gathering exercise that cross-checked social-insurance data with border-entry records. All 18 individuals were transferred to a reception facility pending removal. Repatriation procedures have already begun in coordination with the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, which is fast-tracking charter flights under the EU’s Joint Return Operations programme. Cypriot authorities stressed that the operation is part of a broader strategy to bring annual returns above 7,000—double last year’s figure—as the island continues to record the EU’s highest number of first-time asylum applications per capita. For employers, the message is clear: compliance audits are being stepped up. In 2025 the Labour Ministry introduced fines of up to €10,000 per undocumented worker; officials confirmed that four businesses identified during Wednesday’s sweep now face administrative penalties and possible criminal prosecution. Multinationals running regional service centres out of Limassol are advised to perform immediate right-to-work checks on subcontracted staff. The crackdown also has mobility-planning implications for expatriate families. Immigration lawyers report a sharp increase in spot checks at popular coastal districts where foreign workers are concentrated. Companies should make sure that employees on temporary assignment carry passport copies and up-to-date pink-slip receipts, especially when commuting between districts. Longer term, the government hopes tougher internal enforcement will bolster its negotiations with Brussels for additional EU funding to expand the Pournara reception centre and to finalise a planned digital visa-tracking platform by early 2027.
Source: Oulla.cy
