A total of 75 fixed-term employees are being employed in co-financed projects for the management of legal migration and the handling of irregular migration, implemented by the Migration Department of the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection.
The projects titled “Enhancing the Management of Legal Migration” and “Strengthening the Handling of Irregular Migration” are being carried out under the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund 2021–2027, with co-financing from the European Union and the Republic of Cyprus. They involve the employment of a total of 75 fixed-term employees, including 24 officials at Grade A8 and 51 officials at Grade A2.
The co-financed project “Enhancing the Management of Legal Migration” aims to improve the services provided to third-country nationals by ensuring more efficient management and reducing the processing time of their applications.
In a statement, the Deputy Ministry noted that the project’s implementation aligns with its vision to transform the Migration Department into a more modern service by leveraging the opportunities offered by information technology. This aims to provide higher-quality services to citizens while ensuring optimal public resource management, good governance, and legality.
The duration of the project is 56 months, from 1 May 2022 to 31 December 2026.
The project seeks to strengthen the Legal Migration Sector by employing fixed-term staff in the Migration Department, including 12 Grade A8 officials for migration-related issues and 36 Grade A2 officials for migration support.
The goal is to enhance the services provided by the Migration Department to third-country nationals and their representatives through more efficient management and shorter processing times for applications and other requests related to their legal residence in the Republic of Cyprus.
To reinforce efforts to address irregular migration, the Migration Department is also implementing the project titled “Strengthening the Handling of Irregular Migration”, which has a duration of 50 months, from 1 May 2022 to 30 June 2026.
As noted in a separate announcement by the Deputy Ministry of Migration, the increased migratory flows in recent years have had a direct impact on the Migration Department’s ability to respond in a timely manner as part of the state’s comprehensive migration policy, particularly in managing irregular migration.
The Migration Department, under the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, is the competent authority for implementing the Return Directive 2008/115/EC and corresponding national legislation. It is responsible for issuing deportation and detention orders for irregular migrants, executed by the Cyprus Police, issuing return decisions for those who voluntarily wish to return to their home countries, re-evaluating the detention of migrants every two months, and generally managing irregular migration flows and returns.
In addition, the Migration Department implements an assisted voluntary return programme and a separate reintegration programme, supported by the European agency Frontex and in cooperation with the Aliens and Immigration Service (YAM), which handles the execution of returns.
The project aims to strengthen the Irregular Migration and International Protection Sector of the Migration Department by employing fixed-term staff, specifically 12 Grade A8 officials for migration issues and 15 Grade A2 officials for migration support.
The project is expected to enhance the state’s efforts toward a more comprehensive and effective migration policy. Strengthened returns and improved management of increased migration flows are expected to reduce the number of irregular migrants in the Republic of Cyprus, according to the announcement. At the same time, it will enable third-country nationals to return safely to their home countries and reintegrate into local communities.
The employment of officials for both projects is conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Law on the Regulation of Employment of Indefinite-Term and Fixed-Term Employees in the Public Service of 2016 (Law 70(I)/2016).
Source: CNA
