The Turkish Directorate General of Migration reported that in 2025, 13,683 citizens of Uzbekistan were detained for illegal migration. In the previous year, 2024, the number of detained Uzbeks was 11,521, which allowed the country to take fourth place on the list. This is noted by various sources.
The dynamics of the increase in detentions has been observed since 2022. In 2021, 4,817 citizens of Uzbekistan were arrested, and in the following year, the number of detainees rose to 7,553. Since the beginning of 2026, 1,437 Uzbeks have already been detained.
In the first two places for the number of detainees are citizens of Afghanistan and Syria; however, their numbers have significantly decreased. In 2025, 44,157 Afghans and 22,515 Syrians were detained, while 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.
After the presidential elections in May 2023, raids to identify illegal migrants in Turkey intensified and continue regularly. In major cities such as Istanbul, checks are conducted daily, during which dozens of foreigners subject to deportation are detained.
At the end of January, the Migration Agency under the government of Uzbekistan reported that starting from March 1, 2026, Uzbeks living in Turkey for at least three years will automatically be granted work permits.
The record that Uzbekistan took third place in the number of illegal migrants detained in Turkey in 2025 first appeared on the K-News website.
