The Making of Immigration Policies in Turkey: An analysis of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection Drafting Process
The Making of Immigration Policies in Turkey: An analysis of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection Drafting Process

Author(s): Deniz Eroğlu Utku
Subject(s): Politics, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Geography, Regional studies, Civil Law, Policy, planning, forecast and speculation, Migration Studies
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Turkey; immigration policies; law; foreigners; international protection;
Summary/Abstract: Although Turkey has been an important immigration and asylum country (see Kale, 2005; Kaya, 2009, 2012; Kirisci, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2007) as well as a transit county (Sahin-Mencutek, 2012) in the region, the legal infrastructure to deal with the migration subject has been somewhat poor . This field has been governed by piecemeal legislations, and this lack of primary legislation, which covers both rights and responsibilities has been indicated as one of the reasons for decreasing the level of protection given to refugees and asylum seekers (Amnesty International, 2009). When we come to 2011, it is possible to see a remarkable development in the field of asylum seekers, although negotiations with the EU remained in deadlock. In 2011, The Law on Foreigners and International Protection in Turkey (No. 6458) was drafted and it was approved by Parliament on 4 April 2013.1 This was an innovative movement in the history of Turkish migration policies because it was the first comprehensive law to cover both foreigners and those who need international protection.

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