Contents (7 sections)
Immigration consultancy in Turkey is specialist support that helps foreigners living or working in Turkey, and the employers who hire them, exercise their rights against work permit, residence permit, deportation, administrative fine and citizenship decisions at the right time and before the right authority. Fast Danışmanlık combines the administrative-process experience it has built up since 2010 with the litigation expertise of our partner attorneys.
What is immigration consultancy?
Immigration law (in Turkish, "yabancılar hukuku", the law on foreigners) is the body of rules governing foreigners' entry into Turkey, their residence, their work and their citizenship, chiefly the Law on Foreigners and International Protection (No. 6458), the International Labour Force Law (No. 6735) and the Turkish Citizenship Law (No. 5901). Consultancy in this field covers understanding the reasons behind a negative decision, not missing the objection deadline, and choosing the most suitable route among a new application, an administrative objection or a lawsuit.
Fast Danışmanlık is not a law firm. We handle the review of decisions and files, the preparation of administrative application files, document and translation follow-up, and process management; legal opinions, lawsuits and court proceedings are handled through our partner attorneys and attorney business partners.
Which decisions do we help with?
Work permit refusal: objection and lawsuit
Refusals by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS) are usually based on the employment criterion (at least 5 Turkish citizen employees per foreigner), the financial criterion (capital, net sales or exports), the salary criterion, or missing and incorrect documents. A refusal can first be objected to at the Ministry within the statutory period from notification; if the objection is also rejected, the administrative lawsuit route is open. In some files, remedying the deficiencies and submitting a new application gets results faster than an objection.
The expiry or cancellation of a work permit also needs careful attention. Because a valid work permit counts as a residence permit, leaving the job or losing the basis for the permit also affects the foreigner's legal basis for staying in Turkey. In that case, a work permit application with a new employer or residence permit planning must be done without delay; otherwise, an overstay can arise within a short time.
For employers, reading the reason for refusal correctly also determines the fate of the next application. You can see how many foreigners your company can employ with our foreign employee quota calculator, and review the full application process on our company work permit page. A similar route is followed for families whose application has been refused; we explain the assessment criteria specific to domestic services (household employment) on our caregiver work permit page.
Free calculatorForeign Employee Quota in Turkey: 2026 CalculatorUse your Turkish headcount and financial data to see how many foreigners your company can employ and your remaining…Residence permit refusal or cancellation
A residence permit application may be refused because of missing documents, insufficient income, invalid health insurance, an address in a neighborhood closed to foreigners, or a file that does not match the purpose of the permit. An existing permit may be cancelled for reasons such as the purpose of the permit no longer existing, the use of false documents or the loss of the required conditions.
After a refusal or cancellation decision, the foreigner may be given a short period to leave the country; doing nothing during this period can lead to an overstay and an entry ban. Administrative objection or administrative lawsuit options against the decision must be considered within the statutory period and, where appropriate, a new application must be made with the right documents. We cover the reasons for refusal and the options in our article what to do if your residence permit is rejected; for a new application, use the document list on our residence permit page.
Deportation orders and entry bans
The period for filing a lawsuit against a deportation (removal) order is much shorter than for other administrative decisions, and it runs from notification. To have an entry ban lifted or to obtain time-limited entry permission, a reasoned application is made to the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM). For ban durations and application routes, see our deportation and entry ban removal page.
Objecting to administrative fines
In cases such as employing foreigners without a permit, working without a permit, visa or residence violations, and breaches of notification obligations, separate administrative fines may be imposed on the employer and on the foreigner. The authority you must apply to (the criminal judgeship of peace, known as sulh ceza hâkimliği, or the administrative court) and the deadline vary according to the type of fine; you must apply to the correct authority within the statutory period from notification. We summarize employers' obligations and penalty risks in our guide to hiring foreign employees in Turkey.
Refusal of a citizenship application
Turkish citizenship applications are assessed by the Ministry of Interior; they may be refused for reasons such as not meeting the conditions, missing documents, too much time spent abroad, or a public order assessment. Depending on the reason for refusal, either an administrative lawsuit or a new application once the reason for refusal no longer applies is considered. For a comparison of the citizenship routes, see our Turkish citizenship guide.
Appealing a refusal: deadlines are short
Objection and lawsuit deadlines in immigration law are often shorter than for general administrative acts, and they start to run from the date the decision is notified. Once a deadline is missed, even the strongest file may never reach a court. That is why the first step for every decision is to establish the notification date and the type of decision.
| Decision | Issued by | Remedy | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work permit refusal | Ministry of Labour and Social Security | Objection to the Ministry first, then an administrative lawsuit | Within the statutory period from notification |
| Residence permit refusal / cancellation | Provincial governorship (Provincial Directorate of Migration Management) | Administrative objection or administrative lawsuit | Within the statutory period from notification |
| Deportation order | Provincial governorship | Lawsuit at the administrative court | Within a statutory period from notification that is much shorter than the general lawsuit period |
| Administrative fine | The authority that imposed the fine | Criminal judgeship of peace or administrative court, depending on the type of fine | Within the statutory period from notification |
| Citizenship refusal | Ministry of Interior | Administrative lawsuit, or a new application once the conditions are met | Within the statutory period from notification |
Noticing a notification sent to your registered address or delivered electronically only later does not necessarily mean that the deadline starts later for you. Keep your address details up to date and contact us without delay when a decision is served on you.
Objection, new application or lawsuit?
Not every negative decision requires a lawsuit. The right route is chosen according to the reason for refusal, the time remaining and the person's legal status in Turkey. A general framework:
| Option | When is it suitable? | Point to note |
|---|---|---|
| New application | If the refusal stems from a deficiency that can be remedied (documents, address, insurance, criteria) | An application made before the deficiency is fully remedied will be refused again on the same grounds |
| Administrative objection | If you believe the administration assessed the file incompletely or incorrectly | Must be made within the statutory period, with reasons and supporting documents |
| Administrative lawsuit | If the decision is unlawful and the objection has not succeeded, or if the law provides for a direct lawsuit | Handled through our partner attorneys; time and costs must be planned |
What to prepare when a decision is served on you
- The decision itself and a document or screenshot showing the notification date
- Your passport and your current or previous residence or work permit cards
- Copies of all documents submitted with the refused application
- For decisions concerning an employer, the company's Social Security Institution (SGK) and financial records
- Documents showing circumstances in your favor, such as family ties, your health situation or an employment relationship
Our immigration consultancy process
- Free pre-assessment
We go over the decision, the notification date and your file's history, and clarify in the first meeting how much time is left.
- Reviewing the decision and the file
We review in detail the reason for the refusal or cancellation, any missing or incorrect documents and the criteria the administration relied on.
- Choosing the route
We present the options of a new application, an administrative objection or a lawsuit, compared in terms of time, cost and risk.
- File preparation and attorney coordination
Documents, translations and employer letters are prepared; where a lawsuit is needed, the complete file is handed over to our partner attorneys.
- Follow-up and next steps
We follow the process until it is concluded and, depending on the outcome, plan your residence or work permit together with you.
Who do we support?
- Employers and companies: work permit refusals, quota problems and fines for employing foreigners without a permit
- Working mothers and dual-career families: refused applications for a nanny or an elderly caregiver, whether you are the family or the caregiver
- Foreigners living in Turkey: residence permit refusals or cancellations, entry bans and citizenship applications
- Foreigners married to Turkish citizens: family residence permit problems and citizenship-by-marriage applications
We serve the entire Marmara Region, in particular Istanbul and Kocaeli, as well as Bursa, Tekirdağ and Sakarya. Because document and file processes can be handled remotely, you can get support from any province of Turkey (officially Türkiye), and even from abroad.
Why Fast Danışmanlık?
- 16 years of experience in immigration consultancy and administrative procedures since 2010
- Deadline-driven work: we clarify the time remaining in the first meeting
- A choice between a new application, an objection or a lawsuit based on the reason for refusal
- A coordinated process with our partner attorneys at the court stages
- Your personal data kept confidential and protected in line with the Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK, No. 6698)
No outcome can be promised for any objection or lawsuit; but with a timely, well-reasoned and complete file, we maximize the chance of a positive result. You can share your decision with us by phone or WhatsApp at +90 542 392 90 92, or write to us through our contact page.
Legal Support: frequently asked questions
First, the reason for refusal is reviewed: if the deficiency can be remedied, a new application is made; if not, an objection is filed with the Ministry within the statutory period from notification. If the objection is also rejected, the administrative lawsuit route is considered through our partner attorneys. You can find the application requirements on our Turkey work permit page.
Together with the refusal decision, you may be given a short period to leave the country; staying in Turkey after this period expires counts as an overstay and can lead to an entry ban. The options of a new application or a legal remedy must be considered within this period.
The cancellation decision is notified to you, and you must leave the country or pursue legal remedies within a certain period. Because the reason for cancellation may be taken into account in later residence and citizenship applications, always have the reasons for the decision reviewed.
The deadline varies by type of decision and runs from notification; for deportation orders, the lawsuit period is much shorter than for the others. Recording the notification date and contacting us without delay keeps all your options open.
Fast Danışmanlık is not a law firm; lawsuits and court proceedings are handled through our partner attorneys. We take care of the decision review, document and translation preparation, and process coordination.
Yes. Depending on the type of fine, you can apply to the criminal judgeship of peace or the administrative court within the statutory period from notification. You can see the amount of a fine arising from a visa overstay in advance with our overstay fine calculator.
As a rule, you can reapply once the reason for refusal no longer applies; for refusals arising from missing documents or the required residence period, for example, this is often the most practical solution. Depending on the nature of the reason, an administrative lawsuit is also considered.
Yes. With a power of attorney issued at the Turkish consulate in the country where you are, the court process can be conducted by an attorney; we can also complete the document and file preparation remotely.
