2025 Legislative Updates: Foreigners’ Rights in Turkey

Published on October 4, 2025 and written by Cyril Jarnias

Turkey, situated at the crossroads of continents, is a migration hub where matters related to foreigners’ rights are of crucial importance. In 2025, this legal field is experiencing notable developments with new legislation that promises to redefine the contours of the country’s immigration policies.

These legislative changes demonstrate the Turkish government’s willingness to adapt to new migration challenges while seeking a balance between national security and human rights. Following these developments is essential to understanding how Turkey envisions its role on the international stage in the face of contemporary migration movements.

Recent Legislative Reforms on Immigration in Turkey

Since 2023, Turkey has implemented major reforms to its immigration legislation, impacting visa access, residence and work rights for foreigners, as well as border control.

Key Legislative Changes Since 2023:

Visa Application Procedures

Procedures have been simplified for certain profiles, particularly skilled professionals. The goal is to accelerate application processing and improve transparency.

The system has implemented enhanced security checks and increased centralization of verifications, which may extend processing times for certain categories.

Residence and Work Rights

Criteria for obtaining citizenship have been revised: they now place greater emphasis on professional skills and contribution to the Turkish economy.

In several neighborhoods with high foreign density (approximately 1,200 “closed neighborhoods”), registration of new residents under temporary or international protection has been suspended. These measures aim to better distribute the foreign population across the territory.

A systematic address verification exercise has led to the deactivation of temporary status for those not complying with their declared location.

Border Control

Specific operations (“Kalkan/Shield operations”) were launched after May 2023 to curb irregular migration. This includes:

• Implementation of mobile migration points.
• Strengthening of land border controls.
• Accelerated deportation procedures for irregular entry or violation of residence rights.

“Our priority is combating irregular migration through coordinated action in source countries, increased border control, effective detection within the country, and rapid return procedures.”

According to Turkish Minister Yerlikaya

Context and Motivations:

Triggering Factors:

• Increased socio-economic pressure due to the high number of Syrian refugees (several million).
• Public concerns about the burden on social infrastructure.
• Explicit government objective: strengthen “national security” while promoting selective immigration focused on skills.

Summary Table of Key Measures

Measure	Key Change Since 2023	Intended Impact
Visa Procedure	Simplification & Securitization	Attractiveness + Control
Residence/Work	Increased Selectivity; Closed Neighborhood Suspension	Balanced Distribution
Border Control	Mobile Migration Points; Rapid Deportations	Reduction of Irregular Migration

Potential Consequences for Foreign Residents & Economy

• For highly skilled foreigners: increased opportunities through faster processes — but stricter professional requirements.
• For vulnerable migrants: restricted access in certain territories; increased risk if administrative non-compliance.
• Expected economic impact:
  • Strengthening of the specialized labor market
  • Possible reduction of the informal sector
  • Localized social tensions due to forced redistribution

Expert Perspectives & International Reactions

“These policies risk further marginalizing certain groups while increasing their social precarity,” warns Ayşegül Komsuoğlu Çıtıpıtıoğlu (specialized lawyer).

“Turkey must ensure that its measures against irregular migration fully respect the fundamental principle of non-refoulement…”

According to a UN report

Local associations denounce:

• Significant decrease in funding allocated to social integration in favor of only temporary assistance (“shift from social cohesion to social assistance”).
• Reported increase in cases where temporary protection is deactivated without effective recourse.

The international community generally welcomes technical modernization but remains concerned about:

• Effective respect for fundamental rights,
• Balance between national security and humanitarian obligations,
• Psychological impact on displaced populations.

In Summary

These reforms embody an acknowledged security shift with affirmed professional targeting but also raise questions about the sustainable respect of international commitments regarding human rights.

Impact of New Laws on Expatriates in 2025

Key Legislative Changes Adopted in 2025

In 2025, Turkey undertook a major overhaul of its laws on immigration and foreign residence. The reforms now emphasize the professional skills and economic contributions of expatriates. The visa process has become more transparent, with accelerated processing for certain qualified profiles. Citizenship criteria are also modified to favor the professional and social integration of new arrivals.

Area	Key 2025 Changes
Visa	Faster process for qualified individuals
Citizenship	Selection based on skills
Work Permit	Strengthened control and strict obligation
Tax Residence	Clarification of status (domicile or >183 days/year)

Rights and Obligations of Expatriates

• Mandatory obtainment of a valid work permit, generally managed by the employer.
• Strict compliance with the contract: any unauthorized activity results in immediate loss of unemployment rights or compensation.
• Access to unemployment if all contributions have been paid; some migration statuses remain excluded.
• Mandatory tax declaration:
  • Tax residents (>183 days/year or primary domicile): taxation on worldwide income.
  • Non-residents: taxation only on income generated in Turkey.

Economic and Social Impact

Economic

• Increased attraction for highly qualified professionals thanks to simplified procedures.
• Taxation aligned with OECD standards promoting transparency and attractiveness.
• Strengthened declarative obligations to combat fraud.

Social

• Better clarity in legal status but increased rigidity for less sought-after profiles (example: inactive retirees).
• Risk of social exclusion linked to potential precarity if permit is lost or status changes.

List of notable effects:

• Increase in foreign direct investments in certain strategic sectors
• Possible temporary limitation for seasonal or low-skilled workers

Reactions from the Expatriate Community & International Organizations

Local associations report mixed feelings:

Positive Points

• Appreciated legal clarity
• Reduced administrative processing time

Negative Testimonials

• Concern among those whose profile is not prioritized by the new law (example of a French couple who had to leave the country due to unrenewed authorization)

International organizations welcome tax alignment but warn about a potential reduction in cultural diversity due to selective tightening.

Concrete examples:

“With this new system, I obtained my permit in less than a month thanks to my software engineer profile.”

“After ten years in Turkey as an independent artist, it’s now impossible to renew my permit without an employer sponsor.”

Potential Consequences on Attractiveness

Turkey is becoming more attractive for highly qualified international talent.
However, it risks decreased interest from low-skilled workers and certain individual investors whose applications do not meet the new targeted requirements.

Profile	Post-Law Attractiveness
Engineers/Tech	Strong increase
Entrepreneurs	Increase conditional on investment
Retirees	Stagnation/decrease
Low-skilled Workers	Notable decrease

Final list – Factors influencing settlement:

• Administrative speed
• Increased legal security
• Clear but demanding taxation
• Increased risk of exclusion depending on sector/profile

Evolution of Foreigners’ Rights in Turkey

Since the major reforms of the 2010s, foreigners’ rights in Turkey have undergone accelerated transformation, marked by a series of laws, amendments, and regulatory adjustments that have shaped the situation of foreigners, particularly after 2023.

Year	Law/Measure	Key Change
2014	Law No. 6458	Creation of a comprehensive framework for residence, asylum, international protection, and deportation procedures. Strengthened respect for fundamental rights.
2020	Law No. 7262	Increased control of foreign NGOs, strengthened sanctions and controls to combat terrorism financing.
2023	“Mobil Göç” System	Generalization of a digital control system for rapid identification of irregular migrants.
2023-2024	Judicial Decisions	Regulation of deportation appeals and strengthened judicial control of forced returns.
2025	Citizenship Criteria Reform	Prioritization of professional skills and economic contribution in access to Turkish citizenship.

Recent Legislative Changes (Since 2023):

• Strengthened migration control with the expansion of the “Mobil Göç” system for identification and rapid deportation of irregular migrants.
• Profound revision of citizenship access criteria since 2025: emphasis is now on professional qualification and economic investment, to the detriment of traditional residence criteria.
• Visa and residence permit procedures: simplification and digitalization, but enhanced security checks, particularly for nationals of certain countries.
• Recent jurisprudence: courts have strengthened deportation control, limiting abuses and imposing effective judicial oversight, which better protects foreigners’ rights.
• Pressure on NGOs and civil society: anti-terrorism legislation (Law No. 7262) continues to limit the activities of migrant rights defense associations, with administrative sanctions and dissolution of critical organizations.

Political and Societal Influences:

The rise of nationalism and migration pressure, particularly with the presence of millions of Syrian and Afghan refugees, has led to a general hardening of discourse and legislation.

Turkey’s removal from the FATF “grey list” in 2024 reinforced financial surveillance, particularly impacting NGOs working with migrants.

Impact on Foreigners’ Daily Lives:

• Employment: Expatriates must imperatively obtain and maintain their work permit in order. Any activity not covered by the permit exposes them to immediate contract termination without compensation.
• Access to social services: Access to unemployment and social security remains conditional on regular residence and payment of contributions.
• Legal security: Foreigners benefit from more procedural guarantees during deportations but remain exposed to strict administrative control, particularly for national security reasons.
• Associative life: Foreigners involved in NGOs face increased controls, with risk of dissolution or asset freezing if suspected of links with banned organizations.

Recent Statistics (2025):

• Nearly 3.1 million Syrians under temporary protection are registered.
• Approximately 1.2 million valid residence permits are issued to non-Syrian nationals, including 250,000 work permits.
• Administrative deportations increased by 18% between 2023 and 2024, mainly for irregular residence or illegal employment reasons.
• Citizenship grants through investment dropped by 30% after the 2025 reform, while the share of naturalizations for qualified professional skills is rising.

Key Takeaways:

The recent evolution of foreigners’ rights in Turkey is marked by growing tension between targeted economic openness (for talents and investors) and strict migration control, under the influence of internal political issues and international pressures. The daily lives of foreigners are profoundly altered, with increased opportunities for sought-after profiles and precarity or legal insecurity for others.