ORLANDO – The government of Turkey is exploring the possibility of launching a visa program aimed at attracting global talent in the field of technology.
Though complete details about the eligibility and fee for the visa have not been revealed, Industry and Technology Minister Fatih Kacır confirmed that the country would introduce a ‘Tech Visa’.
“We will soon implement the Türkiye Tech Visa. Thus, we will make our country a hub for individuals with technology expertise,” Kacır said while addressing an event in the United States.
In his address on Wednesday, the minister highlighted that the visa would ease the entry of tech entrepreneurs to the country.
The minister also shared the country’s plans for a more tech-friendly ecosystem and said the National Technology Initiative represents Türkiye’s journey toward achieving full independence in critical technologies, transitioning to value-added production and competitively exporting high-tech products worldwide, Daily Sabah reported.
The minister said that the program aims to attract technology entrepreneurs with critical expertise, innovative business models, and technology-based initiatives.
Kacır shared that the country aims to increase its revenue by exporting sophisticated tech products besides increasing the capacity of human resources.
The minister also shared that the country is witnessing progress in terms of Research and Development, bolstering it with statistics.
The official shared that in 2002, there were 414 patent applications throughout the country in a year but the last year saw a 22-fold increase in the number.
“Türkiye’s share in world trade last year was 1.06%. Twenty years ago, this figure was at the level of 0.55%. In terms of world trade, we added another Türkiye on top of Türkiye. Of our $255.8 billion exports, $241 billion consists of industrial products,” said Kacır.
Besides the tech visa initiative, the minister noted that the country was set to announce a “Disruptive Technologies” initiative to woo entrepreneurs.
It bears mentioning that no further details were highlighted by the minister regarding the ‘tech visa’.
