FROM KIN-STATE RHETORIC TO IMPLEMENTATION: ASSESSING TURKEY’S NEW TÜRK-SOYLU MIGRATION REGIME

Abstract

This paper focuses on Turkey's 2025 amending Law no. 2527 that retroactively changes the co-ethnic preferential migration regime reserved for foreigners (yabancı) of Turkic origin (Türk soylu). As part of the historical legacy of migration policy and diaspora governance in Turkey, this article examines how the new presidential decree refines eligibility requirements and introduces administrative hurdles including forms of credentialing and professional registration. With cites to literature and specific case studies regarding Turkic diasporas such as Meskhetian Turks (Ahıska Türkleri), Crimean Tatars, and Uyghurs the paper emphasizes that the communities are heterogeneous and confront implementation challenges. It also delves into the politics of kin-state preferential policies, labor market discrimination and inter-state rivalry that shape selective inclusion—most notably, securitization and its implications for Uyghurs in Turkey. Evidence from post-Soviet ethnic return regimes demonstrates the complicated relationship of privileged exclusion. Results suggest that despite formal expansions of co-ethnic protection, the structural bureaucratic and political filters constrain mass access to protections, with uneven results across ethno-political lines and gender. This study synthesizes legal-institutional analysis, comparative case material, and secondary literature on co-ethnic migration regimes. This study adds to our knowledge of the dynamics between kin-state rhetoric and conditional implementation in migration governance.