Approximately 1,200 Syrians have withdrawn their asylum applications with an additional 500 requesting the revocation of their subsidiary protection status, reported figures on Tuesday showed.

A further 20 have requested withdrawal of their refugee status data from the deputy ministry of migration shows.

The number of Syrians applying to authorities to follow through with procedures allowing them to return home stands at about 200 per week with the trend likely to increase, website Reporter said.

Some are believed to have sent family members home to assess the security situation in Syria before proceeding with their plans to leave Cyprus.

The increasing interest follows the fall of ex-president Bashar al-Assad in December.

Cyprus hosts about 14,000 Syrian refugees with legal subsidiary protection status.

Once an asylum application is withdrawn by the applicant, documents are sent on to the migration department, and these cases are enrolled in the voluntary returns programme.

Authorities will then issue travel documents to those holding none to arrange plans for them to return to Syria.

Voluntary returns are given a €1,500 allowance as assistance, the government being later reimbursed by the European Union.

The trend in Cyprus began immediately after the fall of the Assad government in early December. As of January 2025, approximately 300 Syrians had already departed from Cyprus.

In 2024, Cyprus recorded the highest ratio of departures to arrivals among EU member states at a rate of 179 per cent.