Caregiver Course for Cyprus — Category B Visa Guide 2026

Nepali caregivers work in Cyprus under a Category B residence and work permit, issued by Cyprus's Migration Department (Gov.cy), which licenses every non-EU domestic worker and live-in carer under this single permit category. Your Cyprus employer initiates the application, and — per Nepal's DoFE-approved process — total deployment from Nepal typically takes 40–65 days: employer application to the Migration Department, DoFE Nepal pre-approval, medical screening, and visa issuance through the Cyprus High Commission in New Delhi (15–25 days), followed by mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation.

An important, easily-missed detail: as of January 1, 2026, contracts newly signed for domestic workers in Cyprus are stamp-duty-free — a recent administrative simplification. This course is an add-on pathway specifically for graduates of our Diploma in Aged Care or Diploma in Caregiving Level IV — it is not a standalone entry-level caregiving course.

Cyprus's national statutory minimum wage rose to EUR 979/month (new hires) and EUR 1,088/month (after 6 months with the same employer), effective January 1, 2026, under a Council of Ministers decree covering full-time employees. This statutory minimum wage explicitly excludes domestic, agricultural, and seafaring workers — meaning it does not set the wage floor for a live-in caregiver.

Domestic workers in Cyprus have their own, separate statutory minimum: EUR 460/month gross, rising to EUR 500/month after contract renewal. This figure traces back to a 2012 government decree and has been consistently reported, unchanged, by multiple independent sources from 2023 through 2026 — even as the general minimum wage rose substantially over the same period. We could not directly confirm the current wording on Cyprus's own gov.cy page (automated access was blocked), so treat this as well-corroborated but not independently primary-verified, and confirm the current figure with Cyprus's Department of Labour or your employer's Standard Employment Contract before accepting a placement.

Legally, an employer may deduct up to 15% of gross wage for food and 10% for accommodation (capped around EUR 115/month combined on the EUR 460 base) — but may NOT deduct flight tickets, visa fees, medical insurance, or recruitment-agency fees from your salary; those are employer costs by law. After typical deductions and social insurance contributions, realistic net take-home on the EUR 460 base works out to roughly EUR 292–345/month, based on a third-party calculation — not an official government figure. Recruitment-agency marketing pages advertising EUR 400–600/month 'with food and accommodation provided' are promotional material, not statutory figures — do not treat them as guaranteed.

Cyprus's Migration Department recognises four household-employer categories, each with its own minimum annual income threshold to be eligible to sponsor a domestic worker or live-in carer: EUR 24,000 for a single applicant or couple, EUR 30,000 with one child, EUR 36,000 with two children, and EUR 42,000 with three children. A live-in carer specifically supporting an elderly relative or a person with a disability may additionally qualify the household for a domestic-helper allowance through Cyprus's Social Welfare Services.

As a condition of the Category B permit, the worker must be covered by Plan A Medical Insurance for Foreign Workers (covering inpatient, outpatient, and repatriation costs), with the employer also required to cover pharmaceutical costs under a Cyprus Ministerial Committee decision.

Our Cyprus pathway builds on the clinical foundation from the Diploma in Aged Care or Diploma in Caregiving Level IV with Cyprus-specific preparation: foundation English (targeting Speaking B1, Reading/Writing/Listening A2 — recommended, not compulsory, since English is widely used in Cyprus care settings), live-in household caregiving practice, Cyprus employment and cultural orientation, and the Category B visa and documentation process itself, including the DoFE Nepal pre-approval procedure and Cyprus High Commission application steps.