Temporary visitors permit (1year)

Hi all! My family and I are planning to move to Cyprus to trial it out for 1 year to decide if it’s for us. I’m of Greek Cypriot heritage but my husband is not, my father is still awaiting his passport (as he applied from the UK last year) but has been accepted so I would eventually look into citizenship by descent. I know now after speaking to an immigration specialist that there are going to be new requirements in place for this that include a Cypriot history test and being able to speak Greek at a certain level. Anyway for the meantime I just wanted to know when we should apply for the years visa if we are aiming to go at the end of the year/beginning of next year. The immigration specialist says we can start a couple months before we go or even submit everything within 2 weeks of arriving, however judging from some of the threads I’ve read on here it seems to be a very long wait. My question is, are they quick at accepting if you meet the requirements? Can you stay in Cyprus as long as your visa is pending or would I need to go back and forth until it is?

Thanks! 🙏🏼