Voluntary departure followed by illegal re-entry
A Cyprus deportation case has come under scrutiny after a Nigerian national returned illegally to the island months after accepting financial incentives to leave.
According to undisputed facts before the court, the man entered the Republic of Cyprus illegally at an unknown time and location. He applied for international protection in June 2021, but his asylum application was rejected in February 2022. His appeal was later dismissed in January 2023.
€1,500 paid under voluntary repatriation scheme
With no asylum claim pending, the applicant signed a voluntary departure declaration in December 2023. As part of the voluntary repatriation programme, he received €1,500 and was returned to Nigeria in January 2024.
Despite this, he later re-entered Cyprus illegally through areas not controlled by the Republic.
Arrest and prison sentence
Following his arrest, criminal proceedings were initiated against him. He was convicted of illegal entry and of being a prohibited immigrant for breaching a previous return decision.
In December 2024, the court imposed a ten-month prison sentence, deemed to have begun in October of that year.
Second asylum attempt rejected
While in custody, the man submitted a subsequent asylum application in January 2025. The Asylum Service examined the application and rejected it as inadmissible later that month.
Detention and deportation orders were later issued, with appeals against those orders dismissed by the court.
Court rejects detention challenge
In a later challenge focusing on the duration of his detention, the applicant argued that removal was no longer realistically imminent.
The court rejected the claim, ruling that delays were the result of judicial and administrative actions initiated by the applicant himself and not due to a lack of diligence by the authorities.
Detention remains lawful
The court concluded that the Cyprus deportation case did not involve excessive or unlawful detention. The application was dismissed without costs, and detention will continue for the purpose of removal from the Republic.
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