Immigration To Turkey - Refugees and Asylum-seekers

Refugees and Asylum-seekers

According to figures provided by Ankara office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as of 2005 total of 32,832 people are recorded as having made a valid asylum application in Turkey since 1998. As of 2005, 3900 Iranians and 2200 Iraqis, 400 Somalians and 300 Afghans are still in the country, while an additional 1400 Chechens, who are in a "refugee-like situation", are deemed of concern. . These refugees are spread out to satellite cities with notable populations in Adana, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Bilecik, Burdur, Cankiri, Corum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Hakkâri, Hatay, Isparta, Kahramanmaras, Karaman, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kirikkale, Kirsehir, Konya, Kutahya, Mersin, Nevsehir, Nigde, Sivas, Sirnak, Tokat, Van, and Yozgat as well as Istanbul for Iraqis. Country specific groupings include Somalis in Konya, Iranis in Kayseri and Konya, Isparta, and Van, Iraqis in Istanbul, Corum, Amasaya, Sivas and Afghans in Van, and Agri.

These numbers greatly increased in the following years especially in regards to Afghans and Iraqis. As of January 2010, 25, 580 refugees and asylum seekers remain in the country. Of these, 5090 Iranians, 8940 Iraqis, 3850 Afghans and 2700 "other" (including Somalians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Chinese, Uzbeks, Palestinians and others) are still in the country. with the number expected to rise to 8710 Iranians, 9560 Afghans, 7860 other while the Iraqis are expected to decrease to 7890 by December 2011. Notable here is that Afghans are expected to make up the largest refugee population in Turkey in the near future.

UNHCR has four offices in Turkey; namely Ankara, İstanbul, Van and Silopi. The Van office up until 2009 handled all Applicants which enter through the Eastern border, which generally included all Iranians and Afghans who entered illegally.

Read more about this topic:  Immigration To Turkey

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