The evolution of immigration policies in Turkey: A journey from the Ottoman Empire to the present day

It is important to understand how Turkey's historical migration experiences have shaped its current migration policies. The territorial losses that occurred in the last periods of the Ottoman Empire caused important migration movements to Anatolia. This situation deeply affected the social, cultural and economic structure of both the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey. Integration of immigrants, settlement policies and migration management were among the important problems in this period. The Republic of Turkey has gained significant experience in managing these migration problems that it inherited from the Ottoman Empire. Migration policies and migration management have been fed and shaped by these experiences in the historical process. During the Guest Worker Period, labor migration from Turkey to Europe affected the economic and social structure of both Turkey and the receiving countries. During the Cold War Period, Turkey's strategic location caused migration policies to be shaped in the context of international relations. In this period, Turkey has been at the intersection of migration routes from east to west and from south to north, and this situation has brought the security dimension of migration policies to the fore. In the post-1990s period, Turkey faced increasing migration movements and refugee flows, and this situation necessitated a review of migration policies. Turkey has taken important steps in meeting the basic needs of immigrants such as integration, housing, education and health, and has gained serious experience in this field. The aim of this thesis is to examine Turkey's migration policies in different periods and the social, economic and political effects of these policies. The method of the research is to review the indexes, reports, books and similar publications that emerged after some facts in the literature. During the review, books and articles in the literature were examined, and when necessary, relevant laws and regulations were reviewed and policy changes were tried to be observed in the light of historical information. In addition, a historical and descriptive research design was planned in the study. During the research, the migration movements from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Turkey and from the beginning of the Republic to the present day and the policies implemented for these migrations were examined comprehensively, it was seen that the migration movements in the Ottoman Period formed the basis of the migration policies of the Republic of Turkey and it was determined that these policies evolved in line with national and international developments over time. In addition, it has been determined that the developments in the international arena have affected Turkey's migration policies and state administration, and Turkey has developed new strategies in this field.