Migration body denies Istanbul-wide residency ban
ANKARA
The Directorate of Migration Management has refuted claims that all 39 districts of Istanbul are closed to new residence permits for foreigners, clarifying that the ban is still limited to only 10 districts.
The bureau emphasized that recent reports circulating on media outlets and social media are inaccurate, asserting that their ongoing monitoring and evaluation studies for spatial concentration are in progress.
According to the directorate's July 16 statement, restrictions on new residence permit applications were initially implemented in Istanbul's Fatih and Esenyurt districts in January 2021. Following an evaluation conducted in October 2022, this ban was extended to include the Avcılar, Bahçelievler, Başakşehir, Bağcılar, Esenler, Küçükçekmece, Sultangazi and Zeytinburnu districts.
The directorate, responsible for periodic density analysis of the foreign population in districts and neighborhoods, has been taking measures to alleviate these concentrations.
As of July 1, 2022, a total of 1,169 neighborhoods in 63 of the country's all 81 provinces, where the density of foreigners exceeded 20 percent compared to the Turkish population, were closed to new foreign registrations. In Istanbul alone, 54 neighborhoods have been designated as closed.
Meanwhile, recent intensified measures by the Istanbul police have led to a decrease in the presence of illegal immigrants outside their homes, as individuals seek to avoid inspections.
As inspections began on July 4, the number of illegal immigrants detected gradually decreased. Subsequently, authorities commenced house raids to apprehend individuals whose addresses had been determined.
It has been discovered that illegal immigrants, fearful of being caught, have been sharing information among themselves about areas under police scrutiny.
Separately, law enforcement teams have conducted 81 operations this year targeting those who provide shelter and transportation for illegal migrants. During these operations, 126 individuals were apprehended for renting their homes and facilitating illegal immigration. Of those detained, 44 have been arrested, resulting in fines totaling 5.7 million Turkish Liras ($220,000).
