Cyprus court rejects appeals by three Chinese investors to restore residency permits

The Administrative Court of Cyprus has rejected appeals by three Chinese nationals seeking the restoration of their permanent immigration permits issued in 2014.

The permits were revoked after it emerged in 2016 that two of them were wanted internationally via Interpol for suspected financial fraud in China.

The case involves a mother, her son, and the son’s spouse. In 2013, the mother and son applied for a Category F immigration permit, providing documentation for a real estate purchase in Paphos worth 630,000 euros, confirmation of a 410,000 euro transfer to Cyprus, and income certificates from China. At the time, the applicants had clean criminal records, and neither Interpol nor Cypriot intelligence had information about them.

However, in September 2016, Interpol notified Cypriot police of a Red Notice issued by China regarding the mother and son.

Following this, the Minister of Interior of Cyprus cancelled their immigration permits. A subsequent attempt to extradite them to China was rejected by the Paphos court.

The Chinese nationals challenged the revocation, arguing they had invested significant funds into the country's economy. However, the court ruled that residency rights are not guaranteed, and the issuance or revocation of immigration permits is within the exclusive competence of the Minister of Interior and relates to the sovereign rights of the state.

The court also noted that the decision to revoke was made on grounds of public order and security, rather than as a result of a judicial sentence.