Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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according to the Regulation (Article 16). The Regulation reiterates the principle of
nonrefoulement, while making clear that beneficiaries are excluded from the possibility of
long-term legal integration in Turkey (Article 25). With the registration documents specified
by the Regulation, temporary protection beneficiaries may access public education and health
services, and apply for work permits.
Unlike Syrians under temporary protection, applicants for refugee, conditional refugee, and
subsidiary protection statuses must go through an individual status determination procedure.
Thus, Syrians and non-Syrians are processed using different procedures that lead to separate
statuses and divergent possible outcomes of their protection requests. Non-Syrian asylum
seekers enter the International Protection procedure, where they register with both UNHCR
and DGMM, and undergo individual refugee status determination (RSD) with the ultimate
outcomes being resettlement or return—although it may be many years before either one of
these options is available. Currently, those registering under this procedure face waiting times
of up to eight years for RSD interviews with UNHCR. During this time, they are permitted to
stay in designated satellite cities in Turkey with basic rights and protections. The Law on
Foreigners specifies that an application for international protection is to be concluded within
six months of being filed; however, given the overwhelming number of people seeking
protection in Turkey, and how recently the DGMM system was established, some applications
take longer. Applicants are notified of a future date on which their case will be decided, and
are protected in the meantime.
Non-Syrian asylum seekers generally register first with UNHCR or its contractor, SGDD/ASAM
(Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants), and are instructed to report to
a designated province to register with the Provincial DGMM Directorate (PDMM). (The
registration with and guidance provided by UNHCR are not legally binding under Turkish law
although it is generally respected, and foreigners can register in the provinces without having
registered with UNHCR.) It is often the case that asylum seekers register only with UNHCR,
and do not report to the designated PDMM, thus making the numbers of registered asylum
applicants with UNHCR significantly higher than the number of people under the DGMM
international protection procedure. Table 7 below reflects the leading populations of non-
Syrian asylum applicants registered with UNHCR. The four countries with the most nationals
seeking asylum in Turkey are all OIC member countries.
Table 7: Non-Syrian asylum seekers and refugees registered with UNHCR, by nationality,
April 2016
Country Registered Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Iraq 123,075
Afghanistan 105,607
Iran 26,028
Somalia 3,889
Other 7,780
TOTAL 266,379
Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), BM Mülteciler Yüksek Komiserliği (BMMYK), “2016
UNHCR Türkiye Aylık İstatistikleri,” accessed May 5, 2016,
The creation of DGMM is, however, the key to Turkey’s implementation of its policies toward
foreigners, including those benefitting from international protection. The consolidation of all
these functions in a single agency gives the government of Turkey the means to implement a