TURKEY'S DIVERSIFYING FOREIGN RESIDENTS : AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

The movement of people from less developed regions of the world to the more advanced countries has been widely studied with regard to its implications for economic growth, international security and socio-politica! consequences in receiving countries. Turkey, critically placed in one of the most volatile regions of the world, has a very diverse and dangerous neighborhood. Thus, the country plays an important role in the migration of people from neighboring countries to Western Europe as a buffer state. Although Turkey\'s role as a transit country has been well documented in the literature, what is less known is that the country also receives increasing number of immigrants, both from Middle East but also more recently from Westem Europe. This study is an attempt to uncover new aspects of migration conceming Turkey. First it finds that, Turkey is gradually becoming one of the new destinations of migration, as the officia! statistics c1early demonstrate. Secondly, the study also analyzes a survey data conducted by the authors regarding demographic characteristics, socio-cultural orientations and integration process of the foreign residents in Turkey. The results of the survey research indicate that foreigners are not subjected to any serious and widespread discrimination either by the authorities or by the communities in Turkey. Among the participants, 36.9 per cent state that they have sensed no discrimination when applying for a job or at work places. The percentage of those feeling themselves secure in Turkey is 87.7, while those feeling unsafe is only 12.3 per cent. The major difficulties the foreigners confront are unemployment, economical problems and excessive bureaucratic process especially in obtaining a work permit.