A FOREIGN national trying to renew a work visa at the Department of Immigration was told to ‘go back to his country’ this week, in just one of many incidents listed by an anti-racism action group yesterday.
The government was supposed to enforce – not just adopt – an EU directive upgrading the status of foreign nationals by January 23. But according to Doros Polycarpou, who heads immigrant support group KISA, absolutely nothing has been done to that end.
In fact, it seems that authorities are up to their old shenanigans.
“We had several cases this week when legal aliens employed on the island visited the Immigration Department to have their work visas renewed. They were told by the employees there, flat-out:
“‘Go away, go back to your country. The [EU] directive will never get implemented here’.”
The same jaw-dropping response was given to a Cypriot, who recently called the Immigration Department to find out how to extend the residence of his foreign maid whose stay was expiring.
“Seriously, can you imagine what would happen if all the foreigners received permanent residence?” the shocked Cypriot man was told.
While Polycarpou welcomed Interior Minister Andreas Christou’s recent comments that Cyprus is obligated to implement EU laws, he said there was a huge gap between public proclamations and real practices.
As far as KISA knows, no actions whatsoever have been taken to implement the EU directive.
“This discrepancy between the top level of government and immigration officials at the desk just allows people to abuse their powers. It lets them bring out their racist mentalities.”
“The Immigration Department does not even have any application forms for long-term or permanent residence. They just don’t have them.
“What does that tell you?”
Polycarpou described another ploy used by authorities. While previously work visas had an expiry date of six years, this was changed to four years once it was realised that the aforementioned EU directive would need to be enforced.
“Draw your own conclusions,” he remarked.
According to Polycarpou, immigration policies and decisions are sporadically thrashed out behind closed doors by a ministerial committee comprising the ministers of the Interior, Labour and Justice.
“These decisions are never published, so everyone’s in the dark. So when immigrants come to us for help, often we’re not up-to-date and might give them inaccurate information. That’s how bad it is.”
Polycarpou said that current immigration laws are antiquated, dating back to British colonial rule. And a draft bill taking into account the EU directive has been gathering dust in some Interior Ministry drawer for months now, he claimed.
He elaborated: “All foreigners on the island are treated as immigrants. This is the core problem, and this is what is causing the growth in illegal aliens. When people are faced with such strict legislation, they resort to illegal means. That’s what authorities don’t seem to understand.”
But there is another facet: exploitation. Polycarpou told the Mail that agents were now targeting new EU member states for cheap labour. The “trick” with EU nationals is that they do not need an entry visa, so unscrupulous Cypriot businessmen can easily get them through the airport. Moreover, citizens of new member-states tend to be unaware of their rights, making them easy prey.
“We know of one guy who brought back skilled workers from Poland. He asked them for £150 each for the first month to get them sorted, promising he’d do all the paperwork and they wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Three months later, the Poles were fired because their employer told them there was no more work.
“They’re now on the island illegally and have nowhere to stay. One of the Poles got lucky, when a Cypriot man kindly offered him shelter in his shop. Otherwise he would be sleeping on the street.”
Another young woman from Latvia had reluctantly agreed to working 18 hours a day at a restaurant.
“The contract was signed between her and the agent who hired her, not the actual employer. This is tantamount to trafficking, which is a criminal offence.”
Harsh and inflexible immigration laws are at the heart of the continuing exploitation of foreign nationals, despite the island’s obligation to enforce EU directives aimed at making life easier for them.
Directive 2003/109/EC stipulates that the legal status of third-country nationals should be approximated to that of member states’ nationals and that a person who has resided legally in a member state for a period of five years and who holds a long-term residence permit be granted a set of uniform rights which are as near as possible to those enjoyed by citizens of the European Union.
To acquire long-term resident status, third-country nationals have to prove that they have adequate resources and sickness insurance, to avoid becoming a burden for the member state. Member states may require third-country nationals to comply with integration conditions, in accordance with national law.
It is estimated that Cyprus currently has around 40,000 to 50,000 foreign workers.
Last week Interior Minister Andreas Christou dismissed allegations that foreign workers were being rounded up and deported before their four years on the island were up
At the time he said that Cyprus had some of the most liberal immigration laws in the EU, adding that other EU countries had in the meantime made work residency last two or three years, compared to Cyprus’ four.
Christou made the comments in response to a warning issued by the European Commission last Friday that it would start the process that could lead to court action against member states who failed to grant rights to long-term residents from countries outside the bloc.
The minister could not be reached for comment yesterday.
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