Immigration to Turkey 2023 – all you need to know to reside in Turkey

Immigration to Turkey has increased sharply in recent years due to the increasing crises in neighboring regions, such as Iran, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Of course, many of these applicants chose Turkey as their destination in search of a better life with different goals, such as: studying in Turkey, obtaining Turkish citizenship, Work and live in Turkey, invest in Turkey, etc.

Steps to migrate to Turkey

The first step

The first step is to choose how you intend to emigrate to Turkey. Such as buying a property in Turkey, renting a property, working in Turkey, setting up a private company in Turkey, and so on.

The second step

The second stage is how to get to Turkey. Depending on the type of immigration you choose, these steps may take from 3 days to 3 months. (Obtaining a visa, or like asylum requests from a tense country because of wars)

The third step

At this stage, all steps to migrate to Turkey should be reviewed legally by Turkish lawyers and official experts in the Turkish judiciary, and then they are implemented.

Statistics of immigration to Turkey

According to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), 577,457 people immigrated to Turkey by 2019, an increase of 23.8% over previous years. These included 466,890 foreign citizens and 110,567 Turkish citizens who returned to their homes after their stay abroad. These statistics showed that the percentage of male immigrants was 52.7%, while the proportion of female migrants was 47.3%.

Among foreign immigrants, the Iraqis came first again with 23.6%, followed by Afghans and Syrians with 9.6% and 4.4%, respectively.

As of 2019, 11.9% of migrants who entered Turkey were in the 25-29 age group. Another 11.5% were in the 20-24 age group and 10.3% in the 30-34 age group. Immigration to Turkey

The most attractive city for immigrants in Turkey

Istanbul ranked first as the most attractive city for immigrants in Turkey, with 202,000 people. In second place, the Turkish capital, Ankara, came to receive the amount of 71,337 immigrants. (Of course, Ankara can be considered the destination of many immigrants who chose to study in Turkey) Then, the Mediterranean city of Antalya came, as it received 36,674 immigrants to the city. In the same period, 323,918 people left Turkey for foreign countries, an increase of 27.7 percent over 2018. The data showed that 53.3% of these migrants are men and 46.7% are women.

What are the most nationalities that migrate to Turkey?

Iraqis came first at 20.6%, followed by Azerbaijanis at 7.4%, Uzbeks at 7.4%, Turkmenistan at 5.4% and Iranians at 4.9%. When analyzing the age distribution of migrants, it was found that 15.7% of them were in the age group 25-29 and 13.2% in the age group 20-24 and 30-34.

Read more about life in Istanbul

Refugees in Turkey

According to official figures, Turkey also hosts the largest number of refugees globally, nearly 4 million refugees from all over the world. The number of Syrian refugees living in the country was 3.63 million. Of course, it is true that the largest number of refugees are Syrian refugees, but the number of Afghan, Iraqi and Iranian refugees is also large.

All kinds of ways to immigrate to Turkey

Depending on the reason you choose to immigrate to Turkey, in addition to the period you plan to reside in Turkey, you may need different visas and documents. For example, some may want to migrate to Turkey to obtain Turkish citizenship by purchasing real estate, while some may choose to stay in Turkey for tourist purposes.

Regardless of where you came from or why you came to Turkey, you need a valid passport from your home country. Your passport must be valid for at least 90 days. Even if your passport is valid for 6 months, we recommend that you renew it before you travel to Turkey and then travel to Turkey after that.

The need for a Turkish visa depends on your country of origin, the length of your trip and its reasons. Many countries have signed visa exemption agreements that allow their citizens to travel to Turkey without a visa for up to three months. Citizens of some countries can also obtain a visa upon arrival in Turkey.

You can visit the Turkish Foreign Ministry website for a list of these countries and the duration of their residence permit. You can also see the cost of the electronic visa. www.mfa.gov.tr

The process of travel and immigration to Turkey

Before leaving for Turkey, make sure that you have all the documents you need. If you have traveled to Turkey to live, work or study in Turkey, you will need special permits to show them to the relevant authorities.

The main guidelines during the migration process are as follows:

Get a Turkish visa

To obtain a Turkish visa, you must apply to the Turkish embassy or Turkish consulate in your country. Do this well before leaving for Turkey. It may take several months for the Turkish authorities to process your visa application. If you have any questions about the type of visa you need, ask the embassy officials. Keep in mind that any deficiency in the documents provided may lead to the rejection of your application.

Work and residence permit in Turkey

If you decide to live in Turkey, you need to obtain a residence permit in Turkey by renting a property or buying a home, and if you work, you need a residence permit and a work permit in Turkey. To obtain a residence permit in Turkey in addition to a work permit in Turkey, it is best to apply to the Turkish embassy or Turkish consulate in your country.

Important points before traveling to Turkey

You may need to prove that you purchased a return ticket to your country of origin. You may also be asked to show your hotel reservation documents (if the accommodation has already been prepared by the employers, proving this will be sufficient).

If you plan to leave Turkey and return to your country of origin within a certain period of time (for work or vacation), make sure that you have applied for a visa.

Before submitting your application, review all the requirements and restrictions with the Turkish embassy or consulate in your country, as it is a good idea to verify the information with the Turkish authorities at the embassy so that mistakes are not made during your trip.

Immigration routes to Turkey

1- Immigration to Turkey by buying real estate

One of the most preferred methods for people wanting to immigrate to Turkey by purchasing real estate. In this case, you can buy a property in Turkey with a value of at least ($ 75,000), and you can apply for a residence permit in Turkey for you and your family. Of course, you should bear in mind that the price of buying a property in Turkey will change depending on the city in which you want to buy.

2- Obtaining Turkish citizenship by buying real estate with a value of at least $ 400,000

Immigration to Turkey by purchasing real estate worth $ 400,000 is also one of the very popular ways in recent months. This way, you must purchase a property or a group of properties, whether commercial or residential, for a value of no less than $ 250,000. And you can apply for Turkish citizenship for yourself, your spouse and children under the age of 18, and you will enjoy all of your rights as a Turkish citizen.

Bear in mind that It takes 3 to 6 months to issue your Turkish passport.

3- Immigration to Turkey through obtaining a work visa

If you are planning to immigrate to Turkey this way, you will first need to reach an agreement with a Turkish employer that will allow you to work in Turkey. In general, in order to obtain your work visa, you must apply to the Turkish embassy or consulate in your country with the documents and invitation from the business owner.

4- Immigration to Turkey by registering a company

In order to register a company in Turkey, you must be present in Turkey at the time of application. Documents such as a passport, first page translation of an ID card, and the company’s articles of association are required. The process of registering a company in Turkey takes between 3 and 5 days, and it usually costs around 1000 – 2500 dollars.

5- Immigration to Turkey through study and education

When immigrating to study in Turkey, you need to obtain admission from a Turkish university. Turkish public universities, as well as private Turkish universities, enroll international students in Turkey every year. Depending on the degree in Turkey and the field of study, the degree at which you must apply to universities in Turkey is completely different. You can apply for a Turkish student visa from the Turkish embassy or consulate in your country or from Turkey itself.

6- Immigration to Turkey through marriage

In this way to immigrate to Turkey, after marrying a Turkish citizen, you can apply for a residence permit in Turkey. Keep in mind that in order to obtain Turkish citizenship by marriage, you must be in Turkey for at least 3 years from the time of registration for marriage.

Here are some tips to help you do this:

• The person you marry must not be a refugee in Turkey.
• The marriage must be formal, and you must have sufficient evidence to prove your marriage.
• It will take at least 3 years of marriage to obtain Turkish citizenship.
• Your marriage must be registered in Turkey.