3.7 Cross-border mobility in employment, entrepreneurship and vocational opportunities
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Programmes and schemes for cross-border mobility
The Department of Employment Services of İŞKUR has the duty to mediate placing of the labour force in suitable jobs in the domestic or foreign market, finding employees suitable to labour force needs and signature of foreign service agreements in accordance with the Law on Turkish Employment Agency.
Services relating to foreign employment are provided by Provincial Directorates of İŞKUR.
Turkey has bilateral labour force agreements with Austria, Australia, Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Qatar, KKTC, Libya and Jordan and foreign employment in such countries is regulated by the relevant agreement.
KOSGEB organizes foreign business trips and support such travels in order to improve promotion and marketing activities to enhance SMEs’ market shares in domestic and foreign markets and to enhance competitive power and level of entrepreneurs.
The Ministry of Trade provides supporting opportunities for Technical Counselling Companies to open foreign offices in target countries.
Legal framework
In accordance with the Law on Turkish Employment Agency, İŞKUR is engaged in services and procedures relating to foreign employment services. Such services cover responding labour force claims made by Turkish and foreign companies for employment at foreign businesses, conduct of procedures relating to job seekers applying to work in foreign countries, grant of announcement permit in order to allow companies to meet their labour force needs, procedures relating to regulation of foreign employment services of private employment offices, development and signature of foreign service agreements and procedures relating to passports of workers and their families.
The Law on Work Permit of Foreigners sets forth the principles relating to work permit of foreigners in Turkey and the work permits to be granted to foreigners.
The framework relating to employment of foreigners in Turkey is regulated in this law in the form of temporary and permanent employment while citizens of member states of the European Union and their spouses and children who are not citizens of member states of the European Union may be granted with work permit regardless of the terms specified in the Law.
Foreigners among nationals of a country with which an international social security agreement is made based on the principles of reciprocity who are able to prove that their insurance premiums are regularly paid in their own countries are exempt from the social security liabilities in Turkey for the time period set forth in that agreement.
SGK insurance registry should be made within 30 days after approval of the application for applications made within the country and within 30 days starting from entry of the foreigner into the country for applications made in foreign countries.