MIGRANT ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENT PROBLEMS OF SYRIAN MIGRANTS

Abstract

Migration movements have political, economic, social, humanitarian, security and development consequences that affect international relations on a global scale. Therefore, it is important to support immigrant entrepreneurship. Gaziantep province was chosen as the study area. Gaziantep is one of Turkey's leading cities, in terms of industry and trade. For this reason, it has extremely suitable conditions in terms of determining the general characteristics and human resources of Syrian immigrants in Turkey and their integration. Since it is a city adjacent to the Syrian border, it has gained strategic importance as it is a city where people fleeing the political crisis in Syria took shelter in the camps there. The data obtained from the participant entrepreneurs were recorded by using semi-structured and indepth interview techniques and by taking notes during the interview or by using virtual communication opportunities. The data were coded and categorized using the MAXQDA qualitative data analysis program. In light of the data obtained in the study, it has been determined that immigrant entrepreneurs have problems with starting a business, problems with not having enough information about the institutional environment, problems arising from not having enough knowledge about laws and regulations, and problems with their perspective on immigrants. It has been determined that there are difficulties in understanding the currency/currency fluctuations (such as exchange rate difference, fluctuations in the exchange rate) in the problems experienced by my immigrant entrepreneurs while doing business. In addition, the advice of the participants for other immigrant entrepreneurs to be successful in their business was “eliminating the language barrier.”