Student residence permits are cut to one year and visa extensions move online

Gazetted on 24 August 2026, this regulation amended Articles 2-10, 12-14, 20, 25 and 28 of the Residence Permits and Visas Regulation. Materially: the student residence permit is now granted for a maximum of one year at a time (previously up to two); universities must report their foreign students' status to GöçSis every three months, and the Immigration Department may cancel a student's permit if a university stops reporting; a visa or e-Vize extension must now be applied for online through GöçSis at least five business days before the current visa expires, and the extension fee is not refunded if the extension is refused or the visa is later cancelled; and the residence-permit exemption previously available to holders of a UNHCR protection document was repealed. Our fuller reading also found terminology changes (a new unified "Vize/e-Vize" concept and the new GöçSis system), a new passport-validity condition for students/workers from countries with no TRNC representation, a narrowed eligibility condition on the Humanitarian residence permit, a revised fee schedule, and a narrowed Ministerial circular-making power — none of these is yet published as a separate rule.

Before

Student residence permits ran up to two years at a time; visa extensions had no online-filing deadline or non-refundable fee; UNHCR protection-document holders were exempt from needing a residence permit.

After

Student residence permits run up to one year at a time; visa/e-Vize extensions require an online GöçSis application at least five business days before expiry, with a non-refundable fee; the UNHCR protection-document exemption no longer exists.