Settlement denied

Settlement denied

Until very recently, Turkish nationals had the right to start a business in the UK with the ability to settle after four years of continuous residence. Visa holders were initially granted a one-year visa. They could then apply for a three-year extension, at the end of which they were eligible for settlement.

On 16 March 2018 the Home Office announced that it will no longer accept settlement applications made under this category, with immediate effect. The changes apply to those already in the category — there's no cut-off date and no transitional arrangements have been made.

This has been a huge shock to the roughly 12,500 Turkish migrants currently in this category, including myself. We all made huge life changes to come here. People sold their houses, interrupted their children’s education and moved their businesses with the expectation that they could be settled in four years’ time. We even have official letters from the Home Office confirming the date we’re eligible to apply for settlement. But the rules have been changed overnight with no notice, and settlement applications are no longer being accepted. Unlike other visa categories, there’s no transition period. We are now in a state of limbo. 

Up until the morning of 16 March I was planning on applying for settlement in May this year. Having lived in the UK on various temporary visas for almost 10 years, I was looking forward to finally setting down roots, for everything being more permanent, less transient. I was thinking about expanding my business, diversifying my work, maybe getting a mortgage and adopting a cat. All of these plans have now been postponed indefinitely. 

When my current visa expires in May, I’ll have to apply for another three-year extension — whether or not I’ll ever be able to settle permanently, and when, remains a mystery. Any trust I had in the system is gone. 

I believe that applying these changes retrospectively to existing visa holders is extremely unfair. So I started a solidarity group for the people affected. Within two weeks, over 500 people joined. 

There’s a wide range of members from all sorts of backgrounds, and together we are raising awareness of what’s happened and trying to challenge it. We have contacted MPs. We have written to media outlets. We got in touch with NGOs and other migrant groups. We are very aware that many different migrant communities’ issues are all interconnected and we must speak out together.

This week we launched a crowdfunder to help us challenge these unfair changes. In just two days, we managed to hit 90 per cent of our target. The support from our community has been amazing, and we’ve even had donations from complete strangers who just wanted to add their voice to our cause. This crowdfunder is only the first step and we will need to raise a huge amount of money at the next stage, but we’re confident we’ll get there. 

These changes have revived our community and brought people together in a spirit of solidarity like never before.

You too can stand with us by emailing your MP and asking them to raise this – let’s tell the Home Office we will not stand for unfair immigration policies.