Turkish authorities are reportedly considering a new model to address illegal migration, akin to Germany’s guest worker visa scheme to beef up its war-torn labor force, which saw thousands of Turkish workers moving to the European country starting in the 1960s.
The model would register incoming refugees as guest workers and present an alternative to sendbacks and deportations of thousands arriving illegally in Türkiye, which forms a vital gateway to Europe for many fleeing war, persecution or poverty across Asia.
It would ensure undocumented asylum-seekers are registered employees with insurance. It would also respond to demands from the Turkish business sector claiming migrants from African countries, as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan, could substitute a shortage in positions "most Turkish citizens don’t want to work."
As part of the model, these countries would send citizens based on criteria and numbers required by Türkiye to be registered in select fields. Ankara has been tending to its relations with these countries from where the flow of illegal crossings has seen a surge in recent years. While deporting irregular migrants back to their countries, Turkish authorities have been using national airlines in a bid to support host countries.
The new program would also cover the employment of Syrian refugees who are under temporary protection status in Türkiye. The country has been home to some 3.7 million Syrians who fled persecution and brutality in their country when the civil war broke out in 2011 after the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
In August, Turkish officials also revealed the "Aleppo model," a comprehensive plan to repatriate Syrians to their homeland and return illegal migrants by bolstering economic, social, cultural, industrial and agricultural infrastructure in northern Syria.
Some 554,000 Syrians have so far returned from Türkiye to the region now improved with new schools, hospitals, organized industrial sites and better infrastructure. Returns have also increased following the twin earthquakes that left over 56,000 dead combined in southern Türkiye and northern Syria.
More than 6 million Syrians now live in nearly 107,000 briquette homes erected in Afrin.
Priorities under the Aleppo model include solving housing and unemployment in the war-torn country.
Ending illegal migration is significant in terms of preventing drug trafficking, as well, considering that in recent years, street dealing has been carried out by illegal migrants, primarily from Afghanistan.
Tackling the issue has been a top priority for the Turkish government. In another measure, the country plans to follow the example of the European Union for visitors who arrive in Türkiye with a 90-day visa, which they then want to extend. These persons will be asked to provide bank account and income information, as well as documents like title deeds and health insurance. If such documents aren’t supplied, the applicants will not be granted a visa or a permit of residence.
In the meantime, the Labor and Social Security Ministry will be cracking down on the employment of illegal workers. It will also release a road map for foreign workers, according to which businesses employing foreigners will be required to receive training, reminded of regulations and taught under which conditions foreigners can be employed.
Türkiye, home to a total of 4,893,752 foreigners, has seen a significant decline in immigration in 2022, an annual migration report revealed last month.
The number of immigrants fell by 33.2% year-over-year to 494,052 people, most of whom were Russian citizens, marking a stark change in the nationalities of immigrants and emigrants arriving in the country.
Ankara views "international injustice" as the leading cause of irregular migration. Turkish officials say improving conditions in the countries where illegal migrants hail from is necessary, along with the need for voluntary returns in line with international standards for intercepted irregular migrants.
Türkiye sees the issue as something that needs international cooperation and seeks to establish bilateral, regional and international groups to ensure the cooperation.
Also in July, it joined more than 20 nations and international organizations to launch the "Rome Process" to prevent and tackle irregular migration and human trafficking.