Residence permits

RESIDENCE PERMITS – WHAT ARE WE DOING TO HELP? I know that a lot of you are worried about the lack of clarity surrounding Turkish residence permits at the moment and I wanted to write a short note to explain what we are doing to try to get greater clarity about the new arrangements following the introduction of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection (Law No.6458) on 11 th April 2014. I know that several of you have run into difficulties while trying to renew your residence permits at some of the local offices of the Turkish National Police (TNP) Foreigners Departments. The General Directorate of Migration Management (GDMM) are planning to open their own network of offices around the country to take over the handling of residence permit applications from the Turkish National Police (TNP). But they are not yet ready. So the TNP have been tasked to retain responsibility for issuing residence permits until the GDMM offices are up and running. This is a very sensible and pragmatic arrangement. But, as will be clear to those of you who have tried to apply, the transition arrangements are not working as they should. Those of you who were able to attend the meetings I held in Fethiye, Marmaris and Bodrum in mid-March will remember that we warned that we expected teething troubles. Well, we’re having them.

Some TNP offices don’t appear to be accepting any applications at all. Others are accepting renewal applications but appear to be interpreting the regulations in different ways depending on the TNP office. Some ask for certain documents; others don’t. We have also heard that inconsistent guidance is being given on the level of health care cover required for residence permit renewal.

Completely understandably, this is causing confusion and worry amongst the UK resident population in Turkey. This is particularly the case for those of you with expired, or soon to expire, residence permits. We know that we urgently need to try to get some consistency into the system and ensure that you are able to maintain your immigration status in the most straightforward and least stressful way.

There is no magic wand here. We don’t run the system. But I did want to assure you that I am paying close personal attention to the issue. My consular team are in urgent contact with both the GDMM and the Ministry of the Interior to explain the problems being caused and urge them to get clear advice out to TNP and GDMM officials so that your residence permit applications can be dealt with speedily and consistently. We don’t sit on information. As soon as we get information from the Turkish authorities, we will pass it on to you straightaway.

I am really sorry that you are having to go through this unsettling experience. There is plenty of good will in the Turkish system and the tradition of Turkish hospitality is alive and well. But the transition from TNP to GDMM is a complex and difficult one and you are right in the middle of the resulting teething problems. Please bear with us and we will try to get you a satisfactory result as soon as possible. It is only fair to warn you that that may be weeks rather than days. We will however keep you regularly updated on progress.