Page 100 - Syrians in Türkiye - Special Report

GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TÜRKİYE THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION

X. RIGHT TO WORK AND EMPLOYMENT

One of the most common issues in the agenda about Syrians who are living in our
country is the right to work and the arrangements made in this respect. This is a matter
that affects not only economics; it also indirectly affects social life.

According to Article 91 of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection No.
6458 and Article 29 of the Temporary Protection Regulation, the “Regulation on the
Work Permits of Foreigners under Temporary Protection” was accepted by a decree of
the Council of Ministers dated January 11, 2016 and numbered 2016/8375, and
entered into force on January 15, 2016. Thus, the procedures and principles regarding
employment conditions for Syrians under temporary protection in our country were
determined.

Employers who want to hire foreign nationals of Syrian origin who came to our country
before the Regulation due to internal turmoil in their countries and who have been
granted a residence permit for at least 6 months by the Ministry of Interior, or Syrian
nationals who have established their own company in order to obtain a work permit,
are given the right to apply to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security within the
framework of certain procedures and principles. In these cases, the Ministry examines
the request for permission without being subjected to any evaluation criteria to work
promptly, they are provided a one-year work permit.

With this regulation, the Syrians in our country who have been dependent on aid are
able to earn economic freedom and contribute to the country they live in. In the context
of the regulation, certain basic conditions are included in the assessment of applicants
for work permits:

* Foreigners under temporary protection will be able to apply to the Ministry for
work permits six months after the date of their temporary protection registration.

* The application must work in the province where the temporary protection
registration was completed.

* Foreigners under temporary protection will not be paid less than the minimum
wage.

No documents are requested in the applications. Applications are done completely
electronically through the e-government portal. The first document requested to be
scanned into the system is the employment contract; and the second is a photograph of
the Syrian citizen under temporary protection. The evaluation of all information other

100 SYRIANS IN TÜRKİYE SPECIAL REPORT