Istanbul Shuts Its Doors to Irregular Migrants – Breaking News
New Policy Stops Residence Permits for Foreigners in Istanbul, Turkey
According to the latest data from the Presidency, there are currently 5.4 million foreign nationals living in Turkey. Among them, Istanbul has the highest number with 1.29 million foreigners. However, a new decision has been made to suspend residence permits for foreign nationals, except for special cases.
In the mega city of Istanbul, with an official population of 15.9 million and a dynamic population of 20 million, the Ministry of Interior implemented a policy of not granting residence permits to foreigners in 10 districts starting from October 2022. Last March, this policy was extended to 39 districts. The recent decision by the ministry on October 7, 2022, indicates that residence permits will not be granted to foreigners in the city, except for cases related to life safety, health, education, and international trade rights.
In addition to the 1.29 million registered foreign nationals, there are also those who have acquired Turkish citizenship through real estate ownership. They make up approximately 8% of the foreign population in Istanbul. Among the foreign nationals, Syrians constitute the largest group with 535,025 individuals.
To prevent ghettoization and address recent domestic-foreign conflicts, the Ministry of Interior introduced a policy of “dilution” last year. Istanbul police have been actively targeting illegal migrant networks and have already apprehended over 5,000 irregular migrants, primarily Syrians, in the past two weeks.
Penalties for renting houses illegally and hosting illegal immigrants have also been intensified. In addition to fines and sealing penalties, prison sentences have been imposed on those involved in illegal housing. Since the beginning of this year, operations against individuals who rent and accommodate illegal immigrants without proper contracts have resulted in fines of 26,750 lira for each person. Repeat offenders may face license cancellation for hotels and indefinite sealing of their houses. So far, four individuals have been arrested, and six have been placed under judicial control.
The Turkish government’s new policy aims to address the challenges posed by increasing immigration and find effective solutions.
