Introduction
The first half of 2016 has been marked by a significant decrease in the number of migrants and refugees departing Turkey for Greece and onward to other parts of Europe, primarily due to the EU-Turkey deal that was agreed in late 2015. Concomitant closures of the Turkey-Syria border have left few Syrian nationals able to use Turkey as a transit point from Syria (and Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon) to Europe. The imposition of visas for Iraqis has impacted onward movement trends, as has a number of readmission agreements and increased patrols along major crossing points in the Aegean Sea and the Bulgarian border. The impact of the recent coup on migration trends remains unclear. The relatively slow pace of the implementation of the EU -Turkey deal – most especially visa - free travel for Turkish nationals will also be a determining factor in the second half of 2016. Returns from Europe to Turkey are underway, with reports of returnees of various nationalities detained in removal centres across Turkey.
Asylum Seekers/Refugees in Turkey
Turkey’s refugee population is comprised mainly of Syrian nationals and Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS) who are subject to a temporary protection directive. There are also other groups of asylum seekers and refugees residing in Turkey from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq and other countries but they are not subject to the same temporary protection directive. It includes:
• 2,733,044 registered Syrian refugees (as at July 2016)
• 271,466 refugees and/or asylum seekers from Afghanistan (109,012); Iran (26,974); Iraq (123,584); Somalia (3887) and others (8009) (as at 30 June 2016, UNHCR figures).
Syrian nationals, stateless persons and Palestinian Refugees from Syria are subject to the Temporary Protection Directive (2014). Temporary protection continues to apply to Syrians who have voluntarily departed from Turkey and later returned, it provides for access to primary and secondary education as well as medical services for individuals who are registered.
Irregular Migrants in Turkey
Irregular migrants include people in transit in Turkey (who may or may not have documents), those who have come to Turkey to work and live without documents, and rejected asylum seekers (and now possibly returnees) who have not left the country despite being obliged to do so (for more see Icduygu, 2011). The Turkish government estimates that it apprehended close to 500,000 people trying to move irregularly between 2005 and 2014; a number that increased in 2014-2015 (205,132 individuals apprehended). There are no official estimates of Turkey’s irregular migrant population, although the figures for arrivals to Europe indicate a diverse group including nationals from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Pakistan, Somalia, and Iran and other countries to a lesser extent.