About

The procedures regarding the work permits of foreigners were first assigned to our Ministry by the Law No. 4817 on Work Permits of Foreigners which entered into force on 06.09.2003. Pursuant to Article 25 of the aforementioned Law and subparagraph (h) added to Article 9 of the Law No. 3146 on the Organisation and Duties of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Department of Work Permits of Foreigners was established within the General Directorate of Labour.

By Law No. 4817, the Ministry took over the authority of many institutions such as the former Undersecretariat of Treasury, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, and the former Ministry of Public Works and Settlement to grant work permits to foreigners.

However, due to the significant increase in the number of people coming to our country to work since 2003, the number of applications increasing from 10 thousand to 80 thousand per year, applications being made by many different professions and nationalities, the increase in informality if the field is not regulated, the need to develop policies specific to different sectors, the importance of having a suitable legal basis for bringing highly qualified manpower to our country, the International Labour Force Law No. 6735 was published in the Official Gazette on 13. 8.2016 and the Law No. 4817 on Work Permits of Foreigners was repealed. With the entry into force of the Law, the General Directorate of International Labour Force was established as a main service unit within the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

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