Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya: “No Residence Permits for Tourists”

An interview interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya’s gave to Turkish media about the new migration policy was also echoed in the Russian press. Yerlikaya emphasized that those entering Turkey as tourists will not be granted residence permits.

The minister said “People from 95 countries can enter Turkey without a visa. They come as tourists, stay for six months, and then say, ‘I want to apply for a residence permit.’ Our policy is clear: You leave with the same intention you came with! If you came as a tourist, you can’t suddenly say, ‘I want to work as a shepherd.’ Go back to your country, apply for a work permit there, and I’ll evaluate it. Be honest about your intentions, and then I’ll grant you a residence permit accordingly.”

Yerlikaya also mentioned that the long queues at the Directorate General of Migration Management would soon be a thing of the past. He elaborated:

“There will be no more queues at migration offices. We’ve launched a new project where residence permits can now be obtained from notaries. Residence permits for over 100,000 foreign students will be processed through the student affairs offices of their universities. The Directorate General of Migration Management will complete the process, taking into account intelligence and other algorithms.”

Finally, Yerlikaya mentioned plans to collect fingerprints from foreigners entering the country, similar to the procedures in the U.S. and the U.K.