Iranians as real estate purchasers and international students: Transformation of Turkish-Iranian migration corridor

ABSTRACT

In case of migration of Iranian nationals, while Mediterranean countries are hesitant to accept Iranian undergraduate students and do not admit applications from Iranian citizens due to sanctions, Turkey has increasingly been preferred by Iranian students and individuals who purchase real estate in Turkey in return of residency permit in the last decade. By revealing the South-South migration in context of capital intensified migration in Turkey, the article argues that the introduction of citizenship-by-investment category in 2016 regulating the exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship and increasing quotas for international students have motivated more Iranian students to apply undergraduate programs in Turkey and Iranian nationals to buy real estate in Turkey. This transformation in Turkish migration domain isin line with the neoliberal logic and demands of market by commodifying both citizenship and education. In unfolding motivations of Iranians, the research utilizes qualitative data collection technique in which I conduct twenty-five semi-structured interviews with Iranian undergraduate students and real estate purchasers. Interviews suggest that the mobility of Iranian students and investors offers a unique example in the Mediterranean region as Turkey has become a plausible option for Iranian nationals who can obtain an alternative way to exit from Iran.

KEYWORDS:

• Turkey-Iran migration
• neoliberalization
• citizenship-by-investment
• international student
• neoliberalism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

[1] For the detailed information on the tuition for foreign students enrolling at the departments of Istanbul University in 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 education years, see https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/FileHandler2.ashx?f=uluslararasi-o%CC%88g%CC%86renci-u%CC%88cretleri.pdf and https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/FileHandler2.ashx?f=2020–21-o%CC%88g%CC%86reni%CC%87m-u%CC%88cretleri%CC%87.pdf last accessed November 2021.

[2] For the tuition, see https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/FileHandler2.ashx?f=2020–2021-uluslararasi-katki-payi-ogrenim-ucretleri.pdf. For statistics on Iranian students at Cerrahpaşa Medicine Faculty, see https://istatistik.yok.gov.tr/ last accessed November 2021.

[3] https://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Europe/Turkey/Price-History last accessed October 2021.

[4] https://residencepermitturkey.com/50k-homes-citizenship last accessed August 2021.

[5] For information on tax exemption, see https://kpmgvergi.com/blog/yabancilara-ve-turkiye-de-yerlesik-olmayan-turk-vatandaslarina-konut-ve-is-yeri-teslim-istisnasina-iliskin-belirsizlikler/173 last accessed October 2021.

[6] For more information on US Treasury sanctions on Iran, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1147 last accessed May 2022.

[7] See, https://www.iranintl.com/en/20211003541530 last accessed May 2022.

[8] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/iranians-buy-turkish-homes-and-passports-5jx23dct3 last accessed June 2021.