Why Can’t Turkish Citizens Get a Visa?

There is a situation that has been on the agenda since the last months of 2021, but has become a problem in the last few months; Visa problem of citizens of the Republic of Turkey. Numerous people, especially those who apply for visas to Europe and America, receive a refusal on the grounds of a few specific items.

In addition to touristic visits, similar situations are experienced in educational and business trips, wasted application costs, causing airline tickets, reservations and frustrations.

Documents are ready, everything is complete, no visa!

The visa application process is both costly and stressful. In addition to the documents required for the application money, property, good job Convincing stuff like that should be presented. Either ‘some money’ in your account or be able to cover your expenses; You need to have someone sponsoring you.

In addition, regardless of an event, business trip or touristic visit, details such as accommodation, entry and exit dates are also requested. This is yet Persons who are not guaranteed to obtain a visa means struggling with expenses such as flight tickets and hotel reservations. But all these efforts are increasingly in vain.

‘We are treated like second-class people’

Schengen visa rejection rate, which was 4 percent in 2014, It rose to 12.7% in 2020. It is stated that this rate will increase even more in 2021 and 2022. Almost everyone who receives a rejection has two things to say; ‘Arbitrary refusals are given’ and “We are treated as second-class people”.

So what happens to visa applicants?

One of the platforms where complaints about visa refusals take place is the complaint. In a blog post it has published recently, the platform can handle visa complaints in the summer period. increased by 715% explained. I reviewed the visa complaints on the platform and compiled some examples.

‘The arbitrary attitude of the officer’

In the visa application process, scenarios such as past visits, regular entries and exits to different countries, green passport, being a public employee are the things that make me say ‘it will come out’, according to recent experiences. no guarantee for anyone. The ‘arbitrary attitudes’ of the officers in the consulates is also among the situations that are frequently criticized.

There are also interesting cases that show this ‘arbitrary attitude’ and how problematic the process is;

One of the most common complaints of people who have visa problems is the situation. they could not reach the relevant consulatesthey are left unanswered at the point of processes such as objection or obtaining information.

You were eligible for France in 2020, not anymore…

It would be much easier to obtain a visa for subsequent visits to a country that was previously entered and exited, and there would even be a chance to be granted a visa for a longer period of time. However, this is no longer enough. applicants Although all documents are complete continues to be rejected.

“We are tired of the attitude that the Turks are trying to settle in our country”

The migration from our country to European countries and America in recent years is known. Situations like these seem to have pushed European countries to be ‘very selective’ in admitting Turkish citizens to their countries. But even someone who is a senior manager, has a lot of money, has a house, a car, and his family. see it as a risk pretty weird…

A family whose entrance was approved 5 times was rejected this time;

Germany most rejecting leading countries. Article 3 is one of the most frequently cited items when refusal is given. Articles 10 and 13 come with it.

What do these articles say, on what basis are Turkish citizens rejected?

The biggest reason for the rejection of European and American visa applications seems to be ‘fear of not returning’… The ambiguity and illogicality of the articles cited as the reason for the rejections also strengthens this possibility. Refusal clauses differ in Schengen and US visas. However, the general reasons are largely the same.

So what do the items say? Let’s take a look at some of the most common rejection clauses for a Schengen visa;

• Article 3, travel expenses planned by the visa applicant, entry and exit costs, etc. He says he doesn’t have the financial resources to afford it, or he hasn’t been able to prove that he obtained the financial resources he cited ‘legally’.
• Article 10 One of the most controversial and frequently used substances. According to this article, the reason for the refusal is “the purpose of the planned trip is not credible”.
• Article 13 on the other hand, he says bluntly ‘if you come, it seems like you won’t come back’. According to this article, the reason for the refusal is “reasonable suspicions of leaving the territory of the member state before the validity period of the visa expires”.

Each of these substances is part of a procedure that has been practiced for years, and they have always existed. Of course, scenarios abound where they are valid justifications. However, the reason for this much debate is the reasons given are no longer realistic and even in the most irrelevant cases, they are justified by everyone, from a business person to a scientist, from a tourist who has traveled to Europe many times before, to a student going for education…

What do visa-free countries say about it?

There is a difference between the USA and Europe here. While Europe rejects it intensely, there is a more interesting situation for the USA. Besides the rejections Even applying for a US visa is difficult Because visa application appointments are given months later or even a year later.

As the number of citizens whose visa applications are rejected increases, Turkey has reported to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that the Schengen visa system has been abused. submitted a report. While mentioning the increasing rejection rates in the report, the high costs and difficulties of the visa application processes were also mentioned and it was pointed out that the situation should be corrected.

One of the focus of the report is Europe as a sanction due to political tensions They were statements that he ‘consciously refused’ to the citizens of the Republic of Turkey. However, as you can guess, Europe rejected these statements and stated that there was no problem in the visa process.

In the statements about the visa processes from both the USA and Europe, the reason is ‘Density due to the increase in travel after COVID-19Things like ‘ were justified.

But is the only reason some sort of covert sanction based on political tensions as in the report?

Frankly, it seems like we are ignoring some facts at this point. It is very likely that such an attitude was taken due to political tensions. But besides that, there are a lot of people around us. While living with the thought of ‘leaving the country, escaping’ And while we’re all aware of it, it’s too naive to think that Europe or the US didn’t notice it.

For example, in the past months, we have seen news that there are many citizens of the Republic of Turkey trying to enter the USA illegally via Mexico. These people could easily go to Mexico without any visa problems and then surrender to the US police at the border and apply for asylum. We know that there is an intense migration to Europe, although this is not exactly the case.

Unfortunately, at this point, the citizens of the Republic of Turkey are a symbol for the USA and Europe. potential immigrant. While the fact that this is true doesn’t justify the rejections, it’s definitely something we need to think about.

As a result, while a European or American comes to our country and roams freely, we have to do forty somersaults to enter those countries, While it is difficult to imagine in the current economic situation It really does make you feel like you’re being treated like a second-class person, as it’s often said, to spend all that money on interviews and being rejected. However, it seems that as ordinary individuals there is nothing we can do about it…