The delays in the processing of applications for citizenship and residence permit were noted in the audit service report on the conformity of the former Unified Department of the Civil Register and Immigration for 2022, which was discussed on Thursday, April 3, in the parliamentary audit committee.
During the presentation of the main conclusions of the report to the members of the committee, the general auditor Andreas Papakontan said that the department had to encounter a large workload due to the increased flows of migrants in the period 2020–2023. He noted that efforts are being made to eliminate certain shortcomings.
Papakontin said that in Cyprus there are significant delays in the processing of applications for citizenship. So, as of November 2023, there were 12 thousand applications for consideration. At the same time, the average waiting time for processing documents for naturalization citizenship reaches 3 years, and for statements in connection with a marriage with a Cyprus citizen - 2 years.
Papakontin added that recently they removed the item on the mandatory finding in the country over the past 12 months before applying. Now you can not be up to 90 days
As for the issuance of a permanent residence permit for non-working foreigners with an income from abroad based on financial criteria, the general auditor said that no application was considered before amendments to the legislation, as a result of which 3,000 cases were accumulated.
As for visas for students, he said that there are also problems that mainly relate to the expiration of the residence permit due to bureaucratic delays.
Papakonstann also mentioned the case of a Turk-kipriot, who was given a personality certificate and passports with photographs of five different people five times, which is a flagrant case of a violation.
The representative of the registration department of civil status acts as part of the Ministry of the Interior, Natasha, stated the personnel question that recently was approved by hiring 5 more employees on a fixed -term contract with European funds for processing applications.
She added that after Cyprus tightened the conditions for providing citizenship on naturalization, the number of applications was noticeably reduced.
In his speeches, after the session, the deputy from Akel Irini Kharalambid focused on legal gaps that arise due to the non-reinforced of the Cyprus problem, giving an example of a child of the Turkish-Kipriot, which, according to her, cannot receive a passport or certificate of the personality of the Cyprus on the basis of the legislation, but if the same Turkish-Quali In Turkey, 2 months before the birth of a child and a child is born there, then he has the right to receive a passport and identity card of the Republic of Cyprus.
“Now this has become a practice that allows the child to have a European passport and a Cyprus identity card. Therefore, we should know this in order to understand what the unresolved of the Cyprus problem leads to, ”Kharalambida noted.
For his part, DIPA deputy Alekos Trifonidis stated regarding the question of foreign students who remained in the country by submitting a request for asylum, that now their petitions are considered within one month, and in case of an appeal, the International Protection Court considers the request within 15 days.
Source: Reporter.com.cy
