Court Overturns Decision to Declare Nepali Woman Illegal Immigrant

The Administrative Court of Appeal has overturned a decision by the Administrative Court to declare a Nepali national an illegal immigrant and issue detention and deportation orders against her. The Court of Appeal's decision, dated March 10, 2026, found that there may have been an error by the competent authorities regarding when the woman was deemed to be illegally residing in Cyprus.

According to the facts of the case, the appellant arrived in Cyprus in 2024 as a domestic worker in Larnaca. On January 31, 2025, she applied for a residence permit to work for a new employer in Larnaca, following her release from her first employer on May 22, 2024. However, the Aliens and Immigration Service (ΥΑΜ) of Nicosia stated that on April 9, 2025, she was granted a release letter from her new employer, and on May 16, 2025, when she was arrested in Nicosia, no new application from her was pending.

The authorities declared the woman an illegal immigrant, claiming that she had been illegally residing in the country since May 9, 2025, when the deadline to find a new employer expired. The Court of Appeal found a discrepancy in the dates of the release agreement, as the employer signed on April 9, 2025, while the employee signed on May 1, 2025. The court noted that if the acceptance date is considered to be May 1, then the 30-day deadline had not expired when the woman was arrested.

The Court of Appeal emphasized that there was a possible error due to insufficient investigation by the authorities, overturning the decision of the Administrative Court.

Source: ΚΥΠΕ