by cyprus-mail.com — George Eid — After Lebanon’s drastic economic collapse and increasing financial strains, more and more Lebanese are leaving home. The Gulf and the US are popular destinations, but the first choice for many Lebanese is Cyprus or ‘the island’ as they call it. This what Dr Caesar Daoud did a few months back. The well-established 39-year-old physiotherapist and Chinese medicine doctor who owned four medical centres in Lebanon only last year, has closed down his businesses and moved to Cyprus with his family. “I decided to leave Beirut when the situation got worse. When it became unbearable. Although my parents decided to stay in Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990) I did not want my kids to go through the hardship I suffered in our country,” he told the Cyprus Mail.

Daoud is a father of two children, Nolan, six, and Malena, seven. He and his wife had to secure a school for them before making the move to Cyprus. “Lycee Franco Chypriote was our natural choice because Lebanon is a francophone country and we had our kids in a school that followed the French system,” he said. “Every time I drive my kids to school, I find around 10 Lebanese at least waiting for their kids and talking about current issues in Lebanon. My kids adapted easily at this school because both of them had Lebanese kids in their class.” Schools following the French educational or strong in French are an obvious choice for the Lebanese. “Schools such as Lycee Franco Chypriote, Lycee Pascal and American Academy are the main target of Lebanese families moving to Cyprus. They inquire about these three schools before moving to the island,” Panayiotis Frangou from D Frangou immigration consultants Ltd told the Cyprus Mail. “The number of Lebanese wanting to move to Cyprus is huge. I really mean huge.” He said he had seen a 70 per cent of increase in Lebanese costumers this year alone. “Before 2020 most of the Lebanese were seeking a Cypriot residency permit for backup, but now they are seeking permanent residency to settle on the island.” “Cyprus is a great choice” Daoud said, explaining that he can travel easily back and forth to Lebanon where his parents still live. But it is also a gateway to the Arab world and to the Arab Gulf where he opened a clinic as well.

In Cyprus this year he has opened two clinics, one in Nicosia and recently another one in Limassol. “The Cypriot market is great.” Not everyone has been so fortunate, however. Many of the Lebanese families who are trying to move to Cyprus are looking for a job but the system does not allow it. “The Cypriot job market is not like the Arab Gulf countries or some other countries. It is not easy to find a job and to obtain a work permit if you are Lebanese. I think the Cypriot government could help by easing the restrictions a bit,” said Frangou. But this is not stopping many Lebanese families from renting apartments in Cyprus and settling. “Many of them are renting to get the yearly residency. They are not always able to buy properties because of the undeclared capital control in Lebanon. So they choose to rent to obtain the residency,” he said.

For many Lebanese who reside in Cyprus the hope of returning to their homeland is always there. “This is why we chose Cyprus. Because we can return when Lebanon becomes a safer place,” said Daoud. He is determined to reopen his business in his country someday but does not see it happening any time soon. However even from afar and in a peaceful country like Cyprus the burden of being uprooted from his own country seems to haunt him. “My kids are traumatised and at least twice a week they cry because they miss their lives in Lebanon, their friends and their grandparents.” They were also devastated to see on TV the home of their grandparents destroyed after the Beirut port blast on August 4.

Daoud said that many of his friends are following his footsteps and have decided to move to Cyprus even without a plan. “Another family that we know has left Lebanon with their two boys after going through the Beirut port blast. They left Beirut just one day after the blast, leaving everything behind. They took nothing. Even their personal belongings were left at their home that was destroyed. They have now decided to sell everything in Lebanon and to settle permanently in Cyprus.” He expects more will come. And despite the sense of security Cyprus provides, he finds watching his country disintegrating from afar deeply disturbing. But he attempts to stay philosophical, quoting Bill Gates in the process: “Life is unfair. Get used to it.” George Eid is a Middle East correspondent for the Cyprus Mail