Exceptional Citizenship for Syrian Nationality Holders

The Turkish government began granting Turkish citizenship on an exceptional basis starting in 2016, specifically for Syrians; before 2016, Turkish citizenship had been granted to a limited number of Syrian journalists, doctors, and teachers.

How does nomination for Turkish citizenship work? In this article, we explain the methods and mechanism of nomination for citizenship, and who is most likely to obtain it. These are findings drawn from real-world experience, not official reports, and are laid out according to the following table of contents:

• Who is eligible to be nominated for exceptional citizenship

• Reasons for the removal of exceptional citizenship files

• Solutions for removed exceptional citizenship files

• Does being nominated for exceptional citizenship mean you will actually receive it

• Can Turkish citizenship be obtained through student residence

  Who is the group most often nominated for citizenship

There are many cases, but they can be summarized as individuals who have achieved sufficient, beneficial integration in terms of work and interaction with Turkish society:

1. Owners of officially and legally active companies in Turkey: those who hold official work residence permits in Turkey, pay taxes, and actually run their business, with the company showing income and expenses — regardless of the size of the business, meaning even if the business is small and not large-scale, it is enough for it to be official for the owner to be nominated for Turkish citizenship.

2. University students in Turkey: these are individuals who will form a strong contributing group in Turkey, and who have certainly managed to become proficient in Turkish, gained sufficient understanding of Turkish culture, and formed friendships and relationships within Turkish society. For this reason, they are among the most frequently nominated for exceptional Turkish citizenship. It should be noted that this applies specifically to Syrians and some of the other nationalities mentioned earlier.

3. Investors and merchants who bring benefits to Turkish society, generally nominated through trade guilds or chambers of commerce and industry.

4. People who have provided clear services to society, or who could be beneficial to Turkish society, such as doctors, teachers, scientists, and so on. These are nominated by the Foreigners Department, which becomes aware of your information through updated records and any additional information that could be a reason for you to obtain Turkish citizenship.

5. Certain special cases involving orphans, people with disabilities, and those with special needs.

File Removal and the Most Common Reasons for Removal

Unfortunately, keeping in mind that a number of files simply go back for re-evaluation rather than being permanently removed:

1. Submitting forged documents or information during the citizenship application: this is the most common and widespread reason for file removal. Even in this case, if Turkish citizenship was obtained through such means, you remain exposed at any time to prosecution, revocation of citizenship, and even deportation from the country. The number of people removed under this specific category cannot be determined, since the person submitting forged information is the one who knows they submitted false and forged information.

2. The reason for nomination ending, or being cancelled, during the citizenship process: for example, if the reason for nomination was a work residence permit and an active company, and after nomination the company closes and the work residence permit is cancelled — in this case, there is a 90% chance the file will move to re-review and subsequent removal.

3. The nominee becoming subject to legal proceedings, whether criminal or administrative: this is one of the most important reasons that can halt the naturalization process until the courts finish ruling on the case, and if a conviction is upheld, it will be the main reason for your citizenship application being rejected.

4. Among the cases that can lead to rejection or cancellation of the citizenship application is the inability to verify the applicant's professional history and sources of wealth — most of these cases involve people working in goldsmithing/jewelry and money transfer businesses.

5. Some cases arise from simple reasons that can be resolved: in this case, it is advisable to retain a Turkish lawyer specifically to determine the reasons for rejection or removal. For example, among the cases encountered are translation errors made during the submission of documents for citizenship, certain terms not being properly clarified by the translator, and inconsistencies between the information in different documents.

Solutions for Some Cases That Faced File Removal or Rejection

The solutions are legal ones and, to begin with, it should be noted that they take a long time — they are not quick, magical fixes as some might assume — in addition to their somewhat high costs and the lack of any guarantee of a positive or negative outcome.

Retain a Turkish lawyer specifically to find out the reason for the file's rejection or removal. This process can take between one and three months.

After learning the reason for the file's rejection, the next step is to look into the reasons and the possibility of filing an administrative lawsuit to recover the file or fix the existing problem — noting that, as mentioned, some cases cannot be resolved for the reasons described earlier.

It should also be kept in mind that removal relates to the civil registry at the provincial level, not to the Directorate of Migration Management.

If My Name Is Nominated for Turkish Citizenship, Does That Guarantee I Will Receive It?

Answer: Having your name nominated for Turkish citizenship absolutely does not guarantee you will obtain it, and the outcome of your application could still be rejection.

There Is Some News Suggesting Turkish Citizenship May Be Withdrawn from Recently Naturalized Citizens — Is This True?

Answer: Turkish citizenship is granted under Turkish law, with the approval of the Council of Ministers presidency. Revocation of citizenship is carried out under the law, not collectively or arbitrarily, but rather through individual case-by-case review.

In summary, the granting of Turkish citizenship is done under the constitution and is a constitutional right, and it cannot be revoked except under the constitution.

Question: Is There a Way for Students Studying in Turkey, Regardless of Nationality, to Obtain Turkish Citizenship?

Answer: Based on the experience of some individuals, after graduation, the student residence permit was converted into an official work residence permit in Turkey, and the person then applied for Turkish citizenship on the basis of that work residence permit.