Cyprus Issued Over 30,000 Residence Permits in 2023: Russians Lead the List

In 2023, the Republic of Cyprus issued over 30,000 residence permits. Russians, Indians, and Nepalese were the top recipients.

According to a report by Eurostat, the European statistical agency, Cyprus issued 34,694 residence permits last year. This represents a 10.9% decrease from the previous year, when 38,917 permits were issued. This is the first decline recorded since 2013, excluding a temporary drop in 2020.

In 2023, the largest number of permits were granted to citizens of Russia (12,029), India (3,852), and Nepal (3,148). They were followed by Sri Lanka (2,147), Syria (1,846), the Philippines (1,778), and Egypt (1,261).

The report also highlights that Cyprus ranked third among EU countries for issuing residence permits to Russians last year, with Germany taking the top spot.

Furthermore, there was a significant increase in permits issued for educational purposes, while there was a notable decrease in permits issued for other reasons, including international protection.

Additionally, most residence permits issued for family reasons (24.7% of all permits) went to citizens of Russia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Egypt, Ukraine, Israel, and Belarus. Indian and Nepalese citizens led in permits issued for educational reasons.

Permits issued for employment purposes constituted 48.6% of the total (16,874), reflecting a decrease of 12.2% or 2,347 permits compared to 2022.

Overall, more than 3.7 million new residence permits were issued globally in 2023.