Rich British, Iraqi refugee in the same status

Two Turkmen of Iraqi origin sought asylum in Turkey by crossing the border two years ago. One is an electrical engineer; the other is not educated, but their problem is the same. They came to Turkey escaping oppression, cruelty and violence in Iraq, but instead of a helping hand, they have faced the same high fees and restrictions as an average foreign resident.

After two years, the two Iraqis were recognized as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner’s Office for Refugees, or UNHCR. The United States has accepted them and its government has paid for their passage. However, something was left unchecked. Both of the refugees owe Turkey 2,060 Turkish Liras for the time they spent in the country. The state they sought asylum in requires a 306.30 lira inhabitancy charge every six months from foreigners in Turkey, regardless of their status.

The Iraqi refugees have not paid and the Police Directorate of the province has not granted them the papers they need to leave the country. Furthermore, although they have the papers to migrate to the United States, they face the danger of being deported from Turkey back to Iraq. A 48-year-old woman who took residence in the shelter of Van Women’s Foundation also could not travel to the country she was accepted in because she too could not pay the charge.

“A refugee seeking asylum in Turkey is of the same status as a British tourist settled in Didim to enjoy his retirement. The Department of Finance demands the same charge from both of them without considering their situations,” Metin Çorabatır, UNHCR representative for Turkey, said in summary of the situation.

10 million liras income

There are 18,000 people in Turkey considered refugees by international criteria but considered asylum seekers by the Turkish government. They have to pay the inhabitancy charge twice a year. If they cannot pay, their debt grows with interest. This is an important source of income for the Ministry of Finance. Theoretically, this application means 10 million liras of income annually. However, most of the refugees cannot pay the fee.

Besides Turkey, only Madagascar and Monaco demand an inhabitancy charge from asylum seekers. Çorabatır pointed out that whether an asylum seeker or settler, all foreigners were considered of equal status in Turkey. He said the UNHCR sent a note to the Ministry of Finance on the matter a year ago but there have been no developments. Çorabatır added that when they could not pay the charge, the refugees are considered illegal aliens and their risk of being deported increases. There are a lot of people reported to be sent back to their home country even though their asylum requests to a third country were accepted.

According to Refugees Division Superintendant of Amnesty International’s Turkey branch, Volkan Görendağ, it is legally possible to exempt the ones who are unable to pay the charge. However, the governorships, which are legally in charge, are not helpful on the matter, instead they are trying to collect the charges, said Görendağ. He added that the petitions offered by the refugees were generally rejected or not filed. Görendağ said that the problem could be solved by adding just one sentence to the related article of law and with another addition those refugees may gain rights to education and health.

They are paying but how

Çorabatır said that refugees worried about their status may go to extremes to get the money: “We are not aware of how they do it. There might be undesired behavior patterns included. It might even lead to prostitution. Some lucky refugees get credit from the countries they go to. Sometimes the police take initiative and exempt the refuge from the charge, but since there is no legal stance, this might lead to different applications in different provinces and sometimes to tragedy.”

Deprived of rights of health

Residence Fee: Foreign residents are charged 306.30 liras every six months. If not paid, the debt bears interest.

Compulsory Residence: Foreign residents are forced to reside in one of 30 provinces and are required to register there movements regularly.

Work rights: An ssylum seekers’ right to work was recognized in 2006; however, they are subject to code no. 4817 which regulates the work conditions of foreigners provided they have at least a six-month residence permit. Additionally, employers are expected to prove their need to use foreign labor, which is a difficult task. Therefore, some refugees and asylum seekers work illegally in daily jobs, without any security or proper wages.

Access to the social services: Those who pay the residence fee can have limited access to social services. However, in order to apply to the Social Aid and Solidarity Foundation, one has to submit his/her residence permit and be clear of debts. Without them, they are clearly deprived of basic rights including education and health services.

Residence: Since foreign residents are not supported by any official institution, they must find and pay for their own housing.

Health: They are not included in the code no. 5510 of Social Security and General Health Insurance. This keeps asylum seekers out of the scope of health services, which in turn forces them to pay for these services.