Migration processes and experiences of Iranian migrants to Turkey: The case of Antalya province

As a receiving and sending country, Turkey has a critical location in terms of migration. It is either seen as a transit or a host country particularly by those who emigrate from the Middle East, and the continents of Asia and Africa. Consequently, it hosts a vast number of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Antalya also draws attention as one of the cities that receive the most migrants in Turkey. This study attempts to analyse the reasons for the immigration of Iranians, who regularly or irregularly emigrated particularly after the Islamic Revolution (1979), to Antalya, and their problems and integration processes. This research has a qualitative research design. In-depth interviews were held with Iranian immigrants with different migration experiences. The participants were attempted to be reached with the use of the snowball sampling method. While selecting the participants, their differing sociodemographic characteristics were taken into consideration. Interviews were conducted with a semi-structured questionnaire. This research was conducted with a total of 12 participants, consisting of eight women and four men. The study identified four factors as reasons for Iranian individuals to migrate: political, economic, educational, and religious reasons. It has been observed that some participants migrated to Antalya without having any relatives there, but the decision to migrate was influenced by their network of relationships established in Turkey. The significant majority of the participants plan to stay in Turkey in future as well. Therefore, it is understood that Turkey is not a transit country. One of the main problems faced by Iranian immigrants in terms of integration processes is the loss of their status after migrating to Turkey. In addition to that, economic problems, language barriers, difficulty in adapting to the local region, and bureaucratic obstacles can also negatively affect the participants' integration processes. It has been determined that cultural proximity, linguistic proximity, and the friendly behavior of Turks also contribute to the integration process.