 Print
Mission
The establishment of the Asylum Service aims to face the increasing number of asylum seekers in the Republic of Cyprus, the harmonization with the International Convention and the Acquis Communitaire, examining on first instance applications for International Protection within the Republic of Cyprus.
Role of the Asylum Service
The Republic of Cyprus established the Asylum Service in order to become harmonized with the International Conventions and the Acquis Communittaire. The Cyprus Republic has replaced the United Nations for Human Rights for the examination of the asylum applications from the 1st of January 2002.
The Asylum Service has been established according to the Refugee Law of 2000, dated 6th of February 2004 in order to replace the Refugee Authority, and it is responsible for examining the asylum applications in the Republic of Cyprus.
The Asylum Service is comprised by officers who have been specially trained for the examination of asylum applications for International Protection within the Republic of Cyprus. The Asylum Service is also responsible for the Reception Center, which has started operating from January 2004. At the present, it accommodates 75 persons, where the total capacity is 120 persons. However, there is a possibility of extension, which can increase the capacity up to 150 persons. Moreover, the Asylum Service, from the day of its establishment, has been increasingly improving not only through the employees training and development, but also through continuous communication with European and other International Organisations. The continuous communication with other related Services from other countries give us the opportunity to exchange views, ideas and experiences, on issues that aim to enhance the operations of the Asylum Service.
Within the responsibilities of the Asylum Service lies the administration of the European Refugee Fund, which is co-financed of the Republic of Cyprus, and it will finance projects approved for the improvement and development of reception conditions of the asylum applicants and the integration of the approved refugees within the Republic of Cyprus. Also, the Transition Facility for 2004, which is offered by the European Committee to the new members of the European Union, is aiming to enhance the administrative procedures within the Asylum Service.
Furthermore, the Dublin Office operates within the Asylum Service. The Dublin Office examines whether an application for asylum will be examined by the Cyprus authority or any other member state accrding to the Dublin Convention.
The main responsibilities of the Asylum Service are the following:
· Receiving of Application Forms
· Interviews
· Case Examination
· Process of Statistical data
Moreover, after the decision of the Council of Ministers, the Reviewing Authority has been established in order to examine on second instance the appeals of the asylum seekers, which have been rejected on the first instance by the Asylum Service.
|