Russian citizens were granted the highest number of residence permits in Turkey

According to a statement made by the President of the Directorate General of Migration Management, the number of foreigners legally residing in Turkey has reached 4,741,115.

During a briefing to the Turkish Parliament’s Subcommittee on Migration and Integration about refugees and irregular migrants in Turkey, the Turkish official announced that the number of foreigners legally residing in Turkey was 4,741,115. Among them, 3,279,152 are Syrians under temporary protection.

Furthermore, similar to the previous year, Russian citizens have received the highest number of residence permits in Turkey this year. Official residence and work permits were granted to 130,482 citizens of the Russian Federation.

Following Russia, citizens of Turkmenistan came in second place with 103,607 residence permits, and in third place were citizens of Iraq with 98,253 residence permits, followed by Iranians with 84,542 residence permits, and Syrians with 80,657 residence permits.

Applications from Azerbaijan resulted in 64,998 approved residence permits, while Uzbekistan had 53,515, Afghanistan had 45,184, Kazakhstan had 43,053, Ukraine had 38,747, and 430,975 residence permits were granted to citizens of other countries.

In 2023, 165,571 irregular migrants were apprehended within the country.