Cyprus sends back more asylum seekers than it accepts in one year.

Cyprus has become the first EU country to send back more migrants than those who arrived in a single year. The nation's interior minister reported over 11,000 migrants repatriated this year, more than double the last year's figure.

A new EU migration control deal doesn't fully meet Cyprus’ demands but includes a clause where countries refusing to host migrants must pay. Each migrant not accepted will cost the refusing country 20,000 euros to pay to the front-line state.

Cyprus has made itself a less appealing destination for economic migrants who do not meet asylum criteria. Migrant arrivals have dropped by 50% over the past nine months due to the government's stricter policies.

To reduce the number of migrants, Cyprus has cut down the processing time for asylum claims and started an information campaign in sub-Saharan Africa. There has also been a plea to Turkey to screen potential migrants more thoroughly at their airports.

While there has been a decrease in overall migrant arrivals, the number of migrants arriving by sea to Cyprus has almost quadrupled. The majority of these are Syrians, and Cyprus is advocating for parts of Syria to be declared as safe zones for potential repatriation.