Ali Yerlikaya announces migration policy: 'Solving the problem at its source'

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that address verification for Syrians under temporary protection has been completed as part of the new migration policy. Yerlikaya noted that 396,738 Syrians have been given a final deadline to update their addresses, after which social support and public services will be suspended.

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Ali Yerlikaya announces migration policy: 'Solving the problem at its source'

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya explained the details of the updated migration policy to Sabah. Yerlikaya stated that address verification for Syrians under temporary protection has been completed. He said that 396,738 Syrians will be given a final deadline to update their addresses.

SOCIAL SUPPORT AND PUBLIC SERVICES WILL BE SUSPENDED

Yerlikaya emphasized that social support and public services will be suspended for Syrians who do not update their addresses. Syrians who have no record of activity or information indicating they have lived in Turkey for the last five years will be removed from the registry.

WE MUST SOLVE THE PROBLEM AT ITS SOURCE

Interior Minister Yerlikaya stated that they have based their strategy for combating irregular migration and human smuggling on the principles of "solving the problem at its source, effective border security measures, apprehension within the country, combating irregular labor migration, and an effective deportation mechanism."

Stating that there are 4 million 437 thousand 329 registered foreigners in Turkey, Yerlikaya said that 3 million 103 thousand of these individuals are Syrian. He also noted that 1 million 109 thousand foreigners live with residence permits, and 224 thousand people live under international protection.

Yerlikaya said that they have launched a new project to prevent long queues at migration offices and that residence permits can now be obtained from notaries. He also stated that residence permits for more than 100 thousand foreign students will be handled by their universities' student affairs offices.

'HOW YOU CAME IS HOW YOU WILL GO'

Minister Yerlikaya stated that visa-free entry to Turkey is possible from 95 countries and that those who come as tourists can request a residence permit after a certain period, saying, "Our policy is this: Whatever intention you came with, you will leave with that same intention! Did you come as a tourist? If you want to work as a shepherd, go back to your home country and apply for a work permit from there," he said.

CLAIMS OF 2 MILLION AFRICANS

Stating that 6 million 620 thousand Africans have come to Turkey in the last five years and 6 million 445 thousand of them have left the country, Yerlikaya noted that there are currently 142 thousand 423 Africans in Turkey with residence permits. He said that the number of those whose visa period is still valid is 7 thousand 302, and the remaining 25 thousand 109 Africans are missing.

Interior Minister Yerlikaya stated that as a result of address investigations, they determined that 731 thousand 146 Syrians were not at their registered addresses and that they have granted these individuals a 90-day period. He said that so far, 203 thousand 978 Syrians have updated their addresses, 130 thousand 430 have made appointments, and 396 thousand 738 people remain.

PUBLIC SERVICES WILL BE SUSPENDED

Yerlikaya stated that the 396 thousand 738 Syrians who have not reported their addresses will be given an additional 14-day period, and at the end of this period, public services will be suspended. Saying, "We are calling this the final gong, the final stop," Yerlikaya stated, "When they come to the hospital or school, we will say, 'The system has suspended you, go update your address,'" he said.

Stating that they will screen the 396 thousand 738 Syrians, Yerlikaya said that those who have had no activity in Turkey in the last 5 years will be removed from the registry. Expressing that a large portion of these individuals have gone to Europe, Yerlikaya said, "Frontex states that 996 thousand Syrians have crossed into Europe in the last five years," he said.

NO SYRIAN REGISTRATIONS SINCE 2022

Yerlikaya stated that no new Syrians have been registered since June 2022. Expressing that Syrians who enter Turkey illegally are not being registered, Yerlikaya said, "Even if they jump over the wall and say 'register me,' the direction of this matter goes elsewhere," he said.

Stating that they have created a safe zone in Syria against the terror corridor and to prevent migration, Yerlikaya said that 7 million people live in the border regions and they are not allowed to cross into Turkey. He also noted that they have built a 911-kilometer border wall.

NEWBORN SYRIANS

Ali Yerlikaya stated that there is a false perception that Syrian children born in Turkey are not Turkish citizens. He said, "There is no birth-based citizenship system in Turkey like there is in the USA."

News Source: 12punto