Taking on the obligations of European Union membership is a great challenge for any candidate country. The magnitude of this challenge is beyond comparison when it comes to the Turkish alignment tot the EU legal immigration acquis, as this being adopted by a candidate country which has been experiencing the most problematic accession process ever since its initial membership application in 1959.

This book tests the assumption that Turkish alignment to the EU legal immigration acquis will not be an easy task to accomplish. For this purpose it investigates what the normative obligations are for candidate countries to meet in the area of legal immigration, to what extent Turkish law and policy already comply with these obligations and what would need to be amended in the Turkish legal order for a full alignment as well as how the Turkish law and practice can contribute to the development of the EU immigration acquis.