SEEKING A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE ON INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND TURKEY İbrahim KAYA TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 7 CHAPTER ONE REFORM IN TURKISH ASYLUM LAW: ADOPTING THE EU ACQUIS? Introduction 13 Background information on migration and asylum in Turkey 15 Legal framework in Turkey 17 General Picture: 17 Geographical Limitation 20 Asylum procedure 22 UNHCR in Turkey 25 Adopting the EU acquis and asylum reform 27 National Action Plan 27 Accelerated procedures 30 Need for a holistic approach to Asylum and Migration 32 Institutional reforms 32 Lifting the geographical limitation and burden sharing 36 Rights and implementation 40 Health care 41 Legal access to work 41 Education 42 The integration issue 42 The EU acquis and projects on asylum 46 Conclusion 48 BIBLIOGRAPHY 60 CHAPTER TWO THE IRAQI REFUGEE CRISIS AND TURKEY: A LEGAL OUTLOOK Introduction 65 Iraqi Refugees: A Turkish Experience 65 Legal Status of Iraqis in Turkey 67 International Law, Turkey and Refugees 68 The UNHCR and Refugees in Turkey 74 Rights of Iraqi “Refugees” in Turkey 76 Turkish Citizenship Law and Favourable Treatment for Iraqis 77 Conclusion 78 Bibliography 79 CHAPTER THREE CIRCULAR MIGRATION AND TURKEY: A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE A. Introduction 83 B. Circular Migration in the Turkish Legal Framework 84 1. Turkish Nationals Working Abroad 84 Entry & Exit Laws 84 Border Control 85 Illegal Turkish Workers Abroad 85 Coordination of Social Benefits in Turkey and Host Countries 86 Political Participation of Turkish Citizens Working Abroad 88 Bilateral Mobility Agreements 90 Turkey-UK The Experience of Circular Migration 91 2. Foreign Workers in Turkey 92 Short-Term Stay 92 Residence and Work Permits 92 Work Permit 93 Employment Visa 93 Residence Permit for Employment Purposes 94 Types of Work Permits 94 Illegal Employment 96 Turkish Labour Law and Non-Nationals 97 Exceptional Favourable Treatment of Turkish Nationals 99 C. Concluding Remarks And Suggestions 100 CHAPTER FOUR LEGAL ASPECTS OF IRREGULAR MIGRATION IN TURKEY A. Introductory Remarks 105 B. Typology of Irregular Migrants in Turkish Legal Context 108 1. Asylum 108 2. People Smuggling and Trafficking 111 3. Irregular Labour 113 4. Transit Migration 115 C. Coping with Irregular Migration in Turkey: Legal Framework 116 D. Concluding Remarks and Suggestions 118 Bibliography 119 CHAPTER FIVE TURKEY AND UNDOCUMENTED MIGRATION PART I: SETTING THE FRAME 123 1. Regular Migration: Empirical Framework 124 2. Regular Migration: Legal Framework 127 3. Irregular Migration 138 3.1 Pathways into Irregularity 138 3.2 Discourses 139 PART II: ESTIMATES, DATA AND ASSESSMENT OF TOTAL SIZE AND COMPOSITION OF IRREGULAR MIGRANT POPULATION 143 1. Most relevant studies 143 1.1 Academic Papers and Reports 143 1.2. Official Data 147 2. Estimates, data and expert assessments on stocks 151 2.1 Total Stocks 151 2.2 Gender and Age Composition 153 2.3 Nationality Composition 154 2.4 Economic Sector Composition 158 2.5 Former Asylum Seekers 161 3. Estimates, data and expert assessments on Flows 164 3.1 Demographic Flows 164 3.2 Border-Related Flows 164 3.3 Status-Related flows 168 PART III: DISCUSSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS 169 ANNEX: 177 REFERENCES 183
