Students from Asia and Africa lured to north Cyprus with fake promises and become trapped in the country: Financial Times

A recent investigation by the Financial Times reveals a growing scheme targeting foreign students, mainly from Africa and Asia, lured by deceptive advertising agencies into enrolling at universities in the northern Cyprus.

According to the report, these agencies falsely promote the opportunity for “EU studies,” often using images of beaches in Cyprus (south) or the Cyprus flag to mislead students. The intermediaries profit by convincing young people to pay substantial sums, benefiting both themselves and the business owners seeking to profit from the the sale of higher education services.

Northern Cyprus is home to 23 universities, with several more under construction, most of them privately owned. Analysts told the newspaper that the sector is the main engine of the small Turkish Cypriot economy, although there is no official GDP data. 

While official data is unavailable, estimates by Yodak, northern Cyprus’s higher education regulator suggest that approximately 100,000 students are currently studying in universities in north Cyprus, representing 10-20% of the local population. About half of these students are Turkish, 40% come from other countries, and the remaining 10% are local residents.

Beyond the misleading promises, the Financial Times highlights concerns from analysts and human rights organizations about serious fraud and violations against unsuspecting students who fall prey to exploitation. 

The Financial Times said agents for some institutions have also been accused of fuelling illegal immigration into Europe, as would-be asylum seekers and other migrants enroll as students before being smuggled illegally across the Green Line — the UN buffer that separates the island’s two zones — into south Cyprus, an EU state to seek asylum. 

A representative from a Turkish Cypriot aid organization expressed concern, stating, “International students, especially those from African and Asian countries, are highly vulnerable to human trafficking.

“They fall victim to forced labour as well as sexual exploitation.” 

This year’s US State Department Trafficking in Persons report warned of widespread workplace abuse of students in the north among those who have jobs, including confiscation of passports by unlicensed moneylenders and coercion into forced labour.

The Cyprus government said some university applicants in the north are “ghost students” whose aim is to cross into the Republic of Cyprus and seek asylum. People-smuggling networks operate on both sides of the divide, according to local researchers.

Deputy Minister of Migration, Nikolas Ioannides, emphasized that Cyprus is overwhelmed by the influx of migrants. As of July this year, 5,081 asylum applications were submitted, with 22,932 cases pending, two-thirds of which are from Syrian nationals. Ioannides stressed that Turkey must share responsibility for managing the situation.