DECEITFUL DREAM SELLERS: ADDRESSING THE LOOP OF LIES SUSTAINING THE LABOUR EXPLOITATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN NORTHERN CYPRUS

The report describes a 'North Cyprus trap' where international students are lured by recruitment agents with false promises of easy employment and affordable living. Upon arrival in the de facto state of Northern Cyprus, students face economic insecurity and are forced into an illegal, exploitative labour market. Employers often refuse to provide required student work permits, leaving students vulnerable to underpayment, abuse, and legal risks. The author identifies a cyclical pattern where exploited students may become recruitment agents themselves to survive. To break this cycle, the report recommends prohibiting new university construction, regulating recruitment agents through mandatory registration and training, requiring universities to provide rights information in English, increasing labour inspections in the restaurant and construction sectors, and establishing a multi-stakeholder support committee.

• The higher education sector in Northern Cyprus has expanded rapidly, growing from 6 universities in 2011 to 23 by 2024, with international students from 'third countries' comprising 40.6% (41,596) of the total student population of 102,455.
• Recruitment agents use deceptive tactics to attract students, specifically lying about the ease of finding work and the actual living conditions in Northern Cyprus to incentivize applications.
• The higher education sector generates over one billion dollars annually, accounting for approximately 35% of the de facto state's GDP, which the author suggests reduces the incentive to regulate recruitment agents who can earn up to 1,000 euros per recruited student.
• International students are subjected to labour exploitation because employers frequently refuse to apply for the mandatory student work permits, hiring them 'under the table' to avoid granting labour rights and protections.
• Students working without permits face severe vulnerabilities, including receiving wages as low as 200 dollars per month despite high rents, and risk being fined, imprisoned, or deported if they complain to authorities.
• A cyclical system exists where international students, driven by economic insecurity and exploitation, are sometimes compelled to become recruitment agents themselves to survive.
• Universities contribute to student vulnerability by failing to provide information about labour rights and obligations in English, with many documents only recently being translated from Turkish.

APA

COSTELLO, B. (2025). DECEITFUL DREAM SELLERS: ADDRESSING THE LOOP OF LIES SUSTAINING THE LABOUR EXPLOITATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN NORTHERN CYPRUS. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/729d29ca-11a1-4204-9dfd-6203ec678163/BCostello 2025 UCY.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

COSTELLO, BEN. DECEITFUL DREAM SELLERS: ADDRESSING THE LOOP OF LIES SUSTAINING THE LABOUR EXPLOITATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN NORTHERN CYPRUS. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2025. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/729d29ca-11a1-4204-9dfd-6203ec678163/BCostello 2025 UCY.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=COSTELLO |first1=BEN |title=DECEITFUL DREAM SELLERS: ADDRESSING THE LOOP OF LIES SUSTAINING THE LABOUR EXPLOITATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN NORTHERN CYPRUS |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2025 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/729d29ca-11a1-4204-9dfd-6203ec678163/BCostello 2025 UCY.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{costello2025deceitful, author = {COSTELLO, BEN}, title = {{DECEITFUL DREAM SELLERS: ADDRESSING THE LOOP OF LIES SUSTAINING THE LABOUR EXPLOITATION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN NORTHERN CYPRUS}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2025}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/729d29ca-11a1-4204-9dfd-6203ec678163/BCostello 2025 UCY.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }