Article 49 TPR appears to grant temporary protection beneficiaries the possibility of “making a request” for family reunification in Türkiye with family members outside Türkiye. While the article provides that PMM shall “evaluate such requests”, the wording of this provision does not indicate strictly a right to family reunification for beneficiaries. It is rather worded as a possibility subject to the discretion of PMM.
According to Article 3 TPR, a beneficiary’s spouse, minor children and dependent adult children are defined as family members. The article also provides that in the case of unaccompanied children, “family unification steps shall be initiated without delay without the need for the child to make a request”.
In practice, Türk Kızılay is the main actor working on family reunification applications, especially reunification of children with their families in Türkiye, while AFAD manages family reunification requests in the border regions. According to their statistics, as of April 2022 3,869 people have received support from Türk Kızılay with family reunification to date.[1] They also provide accompaniment in case of child reunification in Türkiye and family tracing services.
[1] Türk Kızılay, Migration Directorate Monthly Report April 2022, page 4. Available at: https://bit.ly/3OJ8aKw.