Cyprus-Forum.com

[MKCyprus]

I have a complicated immigration question, and hope someone will have personal experience in this matter and be able to give some advice.

I am a European Union citizen, but my father is not from the EU originally. He lives with me in my home in France. He was admitted under domestic laws, not under EU rules regarding the free movement of persons. He is fully registered and has a residency permit.

We are now thinking of moving permanently to Cyprus.

According to European guidelines, my father is classed as an extended family member. This is because he does not receive support from me and is living as part of my household. As an extended family member, EU rules require that his residency permit application be "facilitated". Unfortunately, there are no firm European-wide guidelines that state exactly how his residency will be facilitated and it will be up to the new host country (Cyprus) to determine how they will facilitate matters.

In an effort to discover how his case might be handled, I have scoured the guidance and forms available from Malta and the United Kingdom. Both Malta and the UK make specific reference to extended family members. It appears that if a person is a member of a European citizen's household, an extended family member fits into a predefined category, and will be allowed to accompany the European citizen.

If we were moving to the UK or to Malta, I would as a result feel confident that my father would pass through the immigration process and he would be issued a 5 year EU residency permit.

However, I am less certain about what to expect in Cyprus.

Has anyone been through something similar?

[Sotos]

I don't have personal experience with this specific case but if there is no specific EU requirement then the way your case will be treated by the immigration office in Cyprus will depend on whether they will want you to come to Cyprus or not. For example if you are coming to Cyprus with a good amount of money and you will buy property etc then your case will be seen in a positive way. If you are coming here to work then things might not be as easy. It will also depend on the nationality of your father. Visas are given easier to some nationalities than others.