After announcing that nearly 1.1 million foreigners live in Turkey’s biggest city, the Interior Ministry says no more can register in the Fatih District covering Istanbul’s old town.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Wednesday said 1.092 million foreigners currently live in Turkey’s largest city Istanbul with an official permit. The city is home to some 16 million people.
“There is a definition about foreigners. If any of these are not legal, we call them irregular immigrants or illegal immigrants,” he said, underlining that this number only includes foreigners who have permits to stay in Istanbul.
Yerlikaya added that 350,000 of them are Syrians who are under temporary protection, and that the city’s Fatih District Municipality, which covers the historic old town, is closed for further foreigners’ settlement.
“The number of foreigners in Fatih was 103,600 in 2019,” Yerlikaya noted, adding that 40,000 foreigners and 20,000 Syrians live in Fatih today.
The government has made similar decisions earlier in different cities, including Antalya, to keep a balance between foreigners and Turkish citizens.
The number of foreigners including refugees and migrants in Turkey remains a heated topic in the country.
According to the latest government figures published on November, 2023, 4.74 million foreigners, of whom 3,27 million are Syrians who are under temporary protection, live in Turkey.
Turkey has faced waves of migrants and refugees in the last decade. The latest influx started after Russian Invasion of Ukraine resulting in 145,000 Russian and Ukrainians living in Turkey according to government figures.
Experts and opposition parties say the real number of foreigners is likely higher than the official figures. The far-right and anti-migration Victory Party claims that there are more than 13 million foreigners including legal and illegal refugees and migrants.
balkaninsight.com