An Interior Minister Socratis Hasikos has publicly declared war to sham marriage. Typically, third-country citizens marry EU citizens to be granted a legal right to live and work in Cyprus. These are mainly women from Bulgaria and Romania.

The reason that gave a push to active measures was an upsurge of marriage frauds. Among 200 families that have been registered in Nicosia in recent times, 12 showed up as fictitious.