Here is a useful guide how a foreigner can obtain a permit for legal employment, who will help in finding the right vacancies, how much can you earn on the island.
Vacancies on the island
As for the in-demand vacancies, Cyprus companies are in need of highly qualified specialists all year round – programmers, engineers, doctors, as well as seasonal workers in the tourism industry.
If you are going to work in Cyprus as a lawyer, programmer, accountant, dentist or engineer, then you need to find an employer, get a work permit, open a visa and start working.
If your goal is a seasonal part-time job, then vacancies should be looked for before the start of the high tourist season, which lasts from May to October. During this period, travel companies, hotels and restaurants are in dire need of representatives of the following professions – bartender, animator, waiter, guide, masseur, and maid.
You can easily find a job there if your profession is:
- accountant;
- programmer;
- engineer;
- dentist;
- doctor;
- nanny;
- lawyer;
- guide;
- animator;
- bartender.
How to look for a job in Cyprus?
You should start your job search in Cyprus by visiting employers’ websites, studying the portal of the state employment service and reading specialized forums. In addition, recruitment agencies can provide assistance in this.
To find out more information about the Cypriot labor market, you can visit the main portal of the Cypriot employment service www.pescps.dl.mlsi.gov.cy.
There are also tons of resources on the Internet to help you find the right job. To increase your chances of success, it is worth trying to post your resume in Greek or English and referring to Cyprus job sites – cyprusjobs.com, jobincyprus.com, careerjet.com, learn4good.com and eurojobs.com.
How much can you earn?
According to statistics, monthly on the island people earn about one and a half thousand Euros including taxes. Sellers, nannies, maids, bartenders, masseurs and animators can get 600-800 Euros per month. Builders, doctors and accountants can count on a salary of 1,000 or more Euros. Engineers, IT specialists, designers, representatives of the banking and insurance sectors receive salaries of more than 2000-3000 Euros.
Working hours are standard here: Cypriots usually work 8 hours 5 days a week.
Documents for employment
As elsewhere in Europe, getting a job legally in Cyprus takes time to collect and verify documents.
For illegal stay and work on the island, a foreign citizen faces deportation, and his employer faces big problems in the form of fines. The Cypriot police sometimes arrange raids on illegal immigrants – checking bars, restaurants, and hotels for the presence of unregistered workers.
Therefore, after you have found an employer, and he agreed to accept you into the state, you should proceed with the preparation of all documents. In order to officially find a job on the island, an employee needs a document such as a work permit in Cyprus. It is the permission that gives the right to obtain a legal work visa.
Work permit in Cyprus
This permission is issued by the company that provides you with the job. It must submit a signed contract and a package of your documents to the migration service.
List of documents for obtaining a work permit in Cyprus:
- an application;
- the passport;
- a paper that you have not been convicted;
- a health insurance policy;
- a bank statement with 340-400 Euros in case of deportation;
- a receipt of payment of the state fee.
Your move to Cyprus can be slowed down by the EU rule that residents of non-EU countries can officially work in a Cypriot company only if the required “personnel” is not found among their own. In order to comply with this condition, your employer will have to submit to the migration service not only all your documents, but also proof that he was looking for the right specialist within the country.
Advantages for making a positive decision on employment in Cyprus will be excellent health (confirmed by a certificate), excellent knowledge of English, Greek or Turkish languages.
Usually, the processing time for documents takes about three months. During this procedure, the future employee can be both inside the country (if he has a valid visa) and at home.
A work visa for an employee is opened only after the migration service gives the go-ahead for a work permit. Be prepared for the fact that upon arrival at the airport, the border guard may call your employer to once again confirm the authenticity of your data.
Having got a job in Cyprus, a foreigner, with the help of an employer, can start obtaining a temporary and then a permanent residence permit, as well as start the procedure for obtaining citizenship.