Impact of Migration Policies on Ukrainian Migrants in Turkey: Embrace vs Provision

Abstract

The aim of this study is to elucidate decision-making processes of Ukrainian forced migrants of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds relocated in Turkey in the wake of the Russian-Ukrainian War since 2022. We examine trends in prospective plans, including return, settlement, migration to third countries, and identify key factors influencing social integration in Turkey. To this end, extensive field research was conducted in five provinces in Turkey – İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Eskişehir and Antalya – between 2022 and 2024. This study employed qualitative method consisting of in-depth interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, including Ukrainian diplomatic representatives, migrant organizations, Turkish provincial migration management officials, and post-2022 Ukrainian migrants who were residing in Turkey under various statuses. The findings indicated that decisions between permanence and transience were determined by the state’s migrant and asylum policies along the embrace and provision continuum. In addition, active involvement of ethnic organizations of Ukrainians in migration processes appear to act as a factor that either triggers or hinders social cohesion.

Keywords

Ukraine, Crimean Tatars, Meskhetian (Ahıska) Turks, Turkey, migration policies

Citation

Şebnem Köşer Akçapar and Filiz Tutku Aydın, “Impact of Migration Policies on Ukrainian Migrants in Turkey: Embrace vs Provision”, Uluslararası İlişkiler, Advanced Online Publication, 26 November 2025, pp. 1–22. DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.1825369

Affiliations

Şebnem KÖŞER AKÇAPAR Professor, Department of Sociology, Social Sciences University of Ankara, Ankara & Visiting Professor, Geneva Graduate Institute E-Mail: [email protected] Orcid: 0000-0003-2168-8871

Filiz Tutku AYDIN Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Social Sciences University of Ankara, Ankara E-Mail: [email protected] Orcid: 0000-0002-0673-756X