Cyprus remains another popular country for immigration. According to Civil Registry and Migration Department statistics, Cyprus issued a total of 3472 residence permits for July 2016.
The main country of origin is Russia for immigration permits which is issued based on investment for third country nationals. Cyprus issued 9302 immigration permits as of July 2016.
Investors who apply for Citizenship by investment exception scheme (€2 million) or Permanent residency program (€300,000) are initially given immigration permit first which is later converted to citizenship after 7 years of living.
As of July 31, Cyprus granted residence permits under the following categories.
| General Employment | 7423 |
| Research | 6 |
| Special permits | 27 |
| Family member reunification | 1799 |
| Visitors | 5657 |
| Immigration permits | 9302 |
| Education | 4023 |
Cyprus passport is ranked as 17th powerful european passport in the world with visa free travel to 158 countries according to 2017 Visa restrictions index
About Cyprus
Capital: Nicosia
Population as % of total EU: 0.2 % (2015)
Gross domestic product (GDP): € 17.421 billion (2015)
Official EU language(s): Greek
Geographical size: 9 251 km²
Political system: presidential republic
EU member country since: 1 May 2004
Seats in the European Parliament: 6
Currency: Euro. Member of the eurozone since 1 January 2008
Schengen area member? No, Cyprus is not a member a member of the Schengen Area.
Population: 847 008 (2015)
