According to a report from the General Directorate of Migration of Turkey, citizens of Uzbekistan ranked third in the number of detained illegal migrants in 2025.
This year, Turkey detained 13,683 citizens of Uzbekistan. In 2024, this figure was 11,521, and at that time Uzbekistan was in fourth place on the list, the media reports.
The increase has been observed since 2022. If in 2021, 4,817 Uzbeks were detained, then in 2022 — 7,553 people. Since the beginning of 2026, 1,437 citizens of Uzbekistan have already been detained.
In terms of the number of detainees, citizens of Afghanistan and Syria are ahead, but their numbers have significantly decreased. In 2025, 44,157 Afghans and 22,515 Syrians were detained. For comparison: in 2024, these figures were 65,815 and 50,641, respectively.
The statistics on illegal migration also include citizens of Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, and Algeria.
Raids to identify illegal migrants intensified after the presidential elections in May 2023 and continue regularly. In major cities such as Istanbul, checks are conducted daily, during which dozens of foreigners are detained for subsequent deportation.
At the end of January, the Migration Agency under the government of Uzbekistan announced that starting from March 1, 2026, Uzbeks residing in Turkey on a permanent basis for at least three years will be automatically granted work permits in this country.
The record "Uzbekistan ranked third in the number of illegal migrants detained in Turkey in 2025" first appeared on the pages of K-News.
