"Full of Russians." That’s how Mural Çekin described Kadıköy last year. After Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization on Sept. 21, 2022 – requiring more citizens to join the war effort in Ukraine – Çekin watched thousands of Russians
You can have lived in Turkey for decades, invested money, bought a house, have Turkish ID, driver's license, health insurance and have had five-year residence permits and been an exemplary citizen. Yet you now have a residence permit for only two years and are not sure if it will be renewed. The path for foreigners of all and any nationality in Türkiye (with the possible exception of Germans) has altered many times over, based on capricious politics.
One year after mobilization, Turkey's immigration policies are driving Russians away
You can have lived in Turkey for decades, invested money, bought a house, have Turkish ID, driver's license, health insurance and have had five-year residence permits and been an exemplary citizen. Yet you now have a residence permit for only two years and are not sure if it will be renewed. The path for foreigners of all and any nationality in Türkiye (with the possible exception of Germans) has altered many times over, based on capricious politics.