Afghan migrants in Türkiye seek solutions to residency and consular challenges

Representatives of Afghan migrants living in Ankara, Türkiye, have raised concerns over residency fees, visa restrictions, detention cases and access to consular services during a meeting with a delegation from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting was held on Friday October 23, with the participation of Saeed Ahmad Banuri, head of the office of the leadership of the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, and Saniullah Farahmand, the Islamic Emirate’s ambassador to Türkiye.

Banuri said the delegation had been assigned, following directives from the Islamic Emirate’s leadership and reports received from Türkiye, to hear migrants’ complaints directly and refer them to the relevant authorities in Afghanistan and Türkiye for follow-up.

During the meeting, three representatives of Afghan migrants outlined several challenges, including the high cost of renewing residence permits, difficulties obtaining visas for sick migrants, problems in camps, the detention of some Afghans despite holding valid residency documents, difficulties obtaining civil and health documents, and high air travel ticket prices.

The representatives also called for the activation of an Afghan migrant affairs attaché office in Türkiye to facilitate the handling of their concerns.

Farahmand said the Afghan Embassy would continue efforts to address migrants’ problems within its capacity.

Banuri assured the representatives that their concerns would be documented and conveyed to the relevant authorities in both countries in an effort to find solutions.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Saber Omar, deputy head of the Consular Affairs Department responsible for migrant affairs at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed difficulties involving civil documentation and assured the participants that efforts would be made to address the issue.

The meeting focused on improving consular assistance, addressing residency-related difficulties and strengthening coordination between Afghan authorities and their counterparts in Türkiye.