A group of Turkish citizens are currently in Denmark and unable to return to Turkey because of passport and visa complications.
Turkey has refused to grant passport to the young adults and children, who travelled to the Scandinavian country on tourist visas to join their parents, who are already Danish residents, but then were denied reunification permits that would have enabled them to stay in Denmark.
This means the group – of which the size and ages of the individuals have yet to be confirmed – are now all illegal immigrants, but Denmark’s Justice Ministry is prevented from sending them back to their homeland because Turkey will not grant them passports.
Professor of immigration law Peter Starup described the situation as “unusual”. He explained that if Turkey continued to delay the repatriation process on the back of Denmark’s decision not to grant them reunification permits then the case becomes “highly problematic”. He pointed out that by Turkey acting like that, it would be “thrusting its citizens” on Denmark and, therefore, interfering with the country’s domestic affairs.
Justice Minister Karen Haekkerup has said that Danish authorities will be pressurising the Turkish Embassy to provide the young Turks with the travel documents they need as soon as possible.