SYRIANS IN ISTANBUL HAVE TWO MONTHS TO RETURN TO PROVINCES WHERE THEY REGISTERED

Mon 31 July 2023:

The Turkish government is giving Syrians in Istanbul two months to leave the city if they were not registered there, ordering them to return to the provinces where they were registered within the country.

In a statement released by Turkiye’s Presidency of Migration Management on Saturday, it said that Syrian refugees who had been granted temporary residency and protection status within the country must move back to the Turkish provinces they registered in if they are currently living in Istanbul. It gave them until 24 September, just under two months, to make the move.

Syrians in Istanbul with TP IDs issued from other provinces have until 24 Sep to return to the provinces of registration. This excludes Syrians who relocated to Istanbul with travel permits due to the earthquake. https://t.co/BfuA4SyMT2 pic.twitter.com/7v5WQcnIYY

— Omar Kadkoy (@OmarKadkoy) July 29, 2023

The statement added that those Syrians who present themselves to the Presidency of Migration Management will be given a “travel permit” which will enable their return to their provinces of registration. It also made clear that Syrians who had to relocate from their provinces due to the earthquake on 6 February this year are exempted from the order and can remain in Istanbul.

Istanbul currently hosts over 500,000 Syrian refugees, reportedly the highest number than any other city in Turkiye. The exact reasons for the refugees to return to their registration provinces is not yet clear, but it comes at a time when discrimination against Syrians and other foreigners is on a steep rise within Turkiye, both from elements of Turkish society and from authorities.

There has recently been an increased campaign by Turkish security services to round up and deport Syrians on either minor charges or through pressure to sign declaration papers, in what human rights activists say are effectively forced deportations to northern Syria.