Responses to Information Requests

​​​​​​​Responses to Information Requests (RIRs) are research reports on country conditions. They are requested by IRB decision-makers.

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Responses to Information Requests (RIRs) cite publicly accessible information available at the time of publication and within time constraints. A list of references and additional sources consulted are included in each RIR. Sources cited are considered the most current information available as of the date of the RIR.            

RIRs are not, and do not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Rather, they are intended to support the refugee determination process. More information on the methodology used by the Research Directorate can be found here.          

The assessment and weight to be given to the information in the RIRs are the responsibility of independent IRB members (decision-makers) after considering the evidence and arguments presented by the parties.           

The information presented in RIRs solely reflects the views and perspectives of the sources cited and does not necessarily reflect the position of the IRB or the Government of Canada.          

23 February 2009

TUR103063.E

Turkey: Documentation that male students need for deferment from military service; documentation required for students to travel abroad; whether a Canadian student visa would entitle the student to continue deferment of military service for academic purposes
Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

A 1 July 2001 report published by the Netherlands Directorate for Movements of Persons, Migration and Consular Affairs on military service in Turkey notes that requests for deferment of military service by students "must be backed up by documents from … the university" (Netherlands 1 July 2001, Sec. 5.1). This was corroborated by an executive assistant at the Turkish Education Office at the Consulate of the Republic of Turkey in New York, who stated in a 13 February 2009 telephone interview with the Research Directorate that male Turkish post-secondary students must submit proof of academic registration to a Turkish military service office in order to obtain a deferment of military service (Turkey 13 Feb. 2009a). A consular official at the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Ottawa indicated that Turkish students studying in Canada must send their documents to the Turkish Education Counsellor in New York (Turkey 30 Jan. 2009). Students must re-apply for permission to defer military service every year (ibid.; Netherlands 1 July 2001, Sec. 5.1). Military authorities maintain records on the registration status of eligible recruits who have deferred their military service (Turkey 30 Jan. 2009). Turkish students whose military status is not in order cannot obtain a Turkish passport; persons evading military service may be detained at a Turkish border control (ibid. 13 Feb. 2009b).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Netherlands. 1 July 2001. Directorate for Movements of Persons, Migration and Consular Affairs, Asylum and Migration Division. "Turkey/Military Service." (UNHCR) <http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/467010bd2.html> [Accessed 17 Feb. 2009]

Turkey. 13 February 2009a. Consulate of the Republic of Turkey in New York City, Turkish Education Office. Telephone interview with an executive assistant.

_____. 13 February 2009b. Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Ottawa. Telephone interview with a consular official.

_____. 30 January 2009. Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Ottawa. Telephone interview with a consular official.

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International (AI); Aviationsecuritynews.com; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) ; Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers; Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Washington, DC; Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Ottawa; European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net); Factiva; Human Rights Watch (HRW); Hurriyet [Istanbul]; International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF); Istanbul International Ataturk Airport; Istanbul University; Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA); Travel Information Manual (TIM); Turkish Ministry of Defense; Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Turkish Ministry of Interior; United Kingdom Home Office; United States Department of State; War Resisters' International (WRI).

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