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They were in Cyprus for a holiday and fate dealt them a bad hand.
The outbreak of war in Ukraine forced them to stay on our island and wait anxiously for tomorrow.
Speaking to the Cyprus Times, Raoul Tsakhidis, President of the Association of Greek-speaking Paphos, "Agios Tryphon", who took the initiative to coordinate and highlight the whole issue, after receiving dozens of complaints, said that there are several Ukrainian citizens who remain stranded in Cyprus, and the fact that they arrived on our island before 24 February, when the war broke out, excludes them from the right to receive the residence card.
As he said, these are about 450 people. "We are making efforts in various directions," he said. "These are Ukrainians who arrived in the days before the invasion."
"They are in a worse position than refugees, they contact me and tell me they are in despair, they did not come prepared for refugees, they cannot go back and here they cannot stay, it is unacceptable," he noted.
Tsakhidis said that from the Immigration and Immigration Service the response they get is that they are sorry but they can't do anything at the moment and wait. "What should they wait for?" he asked.
"They want to stay here until it is safe to return to their homes, after all, even if they want to return home this cannot be done now, but they have to work to live," he explained.
Among them are entire families who only want legalization so they can find a job. "Soon many of them will have no money," he added.
There are some who have acquaintances or friends and are trying to make ends meet, but it is very difficult, he stressed.
In conclusion, Tsakhidis expressed hope that a solution will be found soon so that they can work and live in Cyprus normally for as long as they need to.
The European Directive and what applies
It should be noted that according to the European Directive, which Cyprus has also adopted, citizens who are deemed to be in need of protection and are entitled to submit this application are those who arrived either in Cyprus, or in another European country, after the beginning of the war on 24 February.
Speaking to the Cyprus Times, a relevant source noted that at present, as the data is constantly changing, according to the guidelines, people who were previously in Cyprus on a tourist visa must follow the procedures provided for nationals of other countries for the issuance of a temporary residence permit. Currently, the same regime applies to Ukrainian residents of Cyprus, whose residence permit is expiring.
HERE all information on the procedures to be followed.
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
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