Legal errors in Turkish immigration department causes Syrian refugees’ suffering
ISTANBUL, Turkey (North Press) – Recently, Syrian refugees in Turkey complained about what they described as “great negligence” by the staff of the General Immigration Department, especially those responsible for issuing the temporary protection card (kimlik).
Sources concerned with the situation of the Syrians in Turkey believe that the major spelling errors in the information on the Syrian refugees’ cards, which were logged by the Turkish Immigration Department employees, are among the major legal problems from which Syrian refugees suffer.
The sources indicated that one of the most common mistakes mentioned in the temporary protection card are errors in writing the name or nickname, or even in the name of the father and mother, and the birth dates of the Syrian refugees.
“These errors force Syrian refugees to search for a way to legally correct the errors, as they have no choice but to book an appointment to update their data again,” the sources added.
The new appointment process results in new suffering, as appointments are difficult to book and can only be done by “brokers” who demand high payments.
The sources indicated that the Syrian refugees are forced to pay an amount of approximately $20, only to book an appointment to update the data and have brokers ask for even more money.
The “mistakes” of the Syrian refugees cause other difficulties, especially if they want to transfer their kimlik from one city to another, as the matter is not completed until after the mistakes are corrected, according to the sources.
“A travel permit from one city to another is not given due to the mismatch of the data on the kimlik and the information existing in the Turkish government system,” the sources noted.
A few days ago, a number of the Syrian refugees without a kilmik, but who possessed “tourist residency,” were shocked at the delay of the requests to renew their residency by the Immigration Department in Istanbul.