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In a small Istanbul pastry shop, Sadri Haghshenas crafts traditional borek pastries with practiced hands while her thoughts drift 1,600 miles away to Tehran, where her 20-year-old daughter recently returned under distressing circumstances.
“I swear, I cry every day,” Haghshenas confides, momentarily pausing her work. “There is no life in my country, there is no life here, what shall I do?”
Her family’s story illustrates the precarious existence faced by tens of thousands of Iranians who have built temporary lives in Turkey, only to find their situations increasingly uncertain amid regional tensions and complex immigration policies.
Haghshenas and her husband moved to Turkey five years ago with their teenage daughters, surviving on tourist visas that required renewal every six months to two years. But financial hardship—her husband can no longer work due to health issues—meant they couldn’t afford legal assistance when their daughter Asal’s visa renewal deadline approached.
The consequences were swift and severe. Asal, still completing her high school education at 20, was detained at a checkpoint and spent a night in an immigration facility. To avoid formal deportation proceedings that might permanently bar her return, the family arranged for a friend to escort her back to Tehran, hoping she might eventually secure a student visa to rejoin them.
Communication has been impossible since Asal’s departure due to Iran’s ongoing internet blackout, leaving her mother in agonizing uncertainty.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, approximately 100,000 Iranians resided in Turkey in 2025. United Nations data indicates about 89,000 Iranians have entered Turkey since the outbreak of hostilities, while around 72,000 have departed. Unlike refugee crises from other regional conflicts, most Iranians have remained within their country’s borders, with those crossing into Turkey often en route to countries where they have more permanent status.
For those seeking to stay in Turkey, the path to stability is narrow. Short-term visa-free stays provide temporary refuge, but long-term options are scarce.
“There are people who have lived on them for over 10 years,” explains Sedat Albayrak of the Istanbul Bar Association’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Center. He notes that while international protection status exists in theory, the system effectively funnels Iranians toward repeatedly renewing temporary permits instead.
Nadr Rahim’s experience exemplifies this precarious arrangement. After moving to Turkey 11 years ago to provide better educational opportunities for his children, he maintained his financial stability through a motorcycle salesroom back in Iran. The war changed everything.
“Since the war started, there have been no sales,” Rahim explains. International sanctions and internet disruptions have made transferring money nearly impossible. His family can afford to remain in Turkey for only a few more months.
The prospect of return brings its own anxieties. Rahim’s children, having grown up in Turkey, lack fluency in Farsi and would struggle to adapt to Iranian society. “If the war continues, we will have no choice but to return,” he admits, spending his days anxiously following news from Tehran.
The economic realities for Iranians in Turkey often involve considerable sacrifice. A 42-year-old Iranian woman who arrived eight months ago shares a cramped room with six others in a women’s boarding house. She maintains her legal status by attending university classes in the morning before working service jobs until the early hours, sometimes until 3 a.m.
“I truly love Iran. If necessary, I would even go and defend it in war,” she says, speaking anonymously due to security concerns. Despite her patriotism, she sees little future there, yet her situation in Turkey barely allows her to send minimal financial support to her parents.
“I have a bad life in Turkey, and my parents have a bad life in Iran,” she reflects. “I came to Turkey with so much hope, to support my parents and build a future. But now I feel hopeless.”
For others, Turkey itself represents just another temporary stop. A 33-year-old architect from Tehran who fled during Iran’s crackdown on mass protests in January had initially planned a short stay. When conflict erupted in February, her calculations changed dramatically.
“I started to believe that it’s a very bad situation, worse than I expected,” she says.
Unable to work remotely for her Iranian clients due to internet restrictions and facing the expiration of her 90-day visa-free stay, she has made plans to continue her nomadic existence in Malaysia, where she’ll exchange shelter construction work for accommodation during another temporary visa period.
As for what comes next, she simply has no plan—a sentiment echoed by many Iranians caught between increasingly difficult choices in an unstable region.
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10 Comments
Sad to hear about the Haghshenas family’s situation. Navigating the complex immigration policies and financial constraints must be incredibly challenging. I hope they’re able to find a solution that allows them to remain in Turkey or at least avoid being forcibly deported back to Iran.
Agreed, the stakes are high for these families given the unstable conditions in Iran. Hopefully the Turkish government can provide some support or flexibility to help them maintain legal status and avoid having to return home against their will.
This is a troubling situation for the Iranian expatriates in Turkey. Having to abruptly return to Iran against their will due to visa complications and financial constraints must be incredibly stressful and disruptive for these families. I hope solutions can be found to allow them to remain safely in Turkey.
It’s distressing to hear about the Haghshenas family’s plight. Iranians in Turkey are in a precarious position, facing difficult choices due to visa issues and regional tensions. I hope the Turkish government can offer some flexibility or support to prevent these families from being uprooted.
This is a concerning development, as it could force many Iranian expatriates to return to a very volatile situation in their home country. Immigration policies need to have more flexibility to account for these types of complex humanitarian scenarios.
This is a heartbreaking situation. The Haghshenas family’s story illustrates the real human impact of these complex regional dynamics and immigration laws. I hope the authorities can find a way to provide support and allow these Iranians to remain in Turkey safely.
The plight of the Iranians living in Turkey highlights the human cost of geopolitical tensions and immigration policies. I hope there are solutions that can allow these families to remain safely in Turkey rather than be forced to return to Iran against their will.
Absolutely, these families deserve stability and security. The Turkish government should consider humanitarian exceptions or temporary residence options to prevent them from being sent back to Iran where their safety may be at risk.
It’s a difficult situation for the Iranian families living in Turkey. Having to uproot and return to Iran due to visa and immigration challenges must be very stressful. I hope they can find a way to resolve their legal status and continue living safely in Turkey.
The forced return of Iranians living in Turkey to their home country is a very concerning development. These families have built lives in Turkey and face an uncertain and potentially dangerous situation if forced to go back to Iran. I hope humanitarian considerations prevail.