Thousands of Turkish citizens in the UK are thought to have been left “living in limbo” due to post-Brexit delays in extending their visas.
Those interviewed by openDemocracy say the delays are causing serious hardship, leaving people without the right to rent homes, enrol children in school or travel abroad. Migrants’ rights campaigners describe the delays as among the worst in a beleaguered immigration system, and the issue has drawn criticism from the Turkish government.
Until December 2020, one of the most common ways Turkish citizens could get permission to live in the UK was via business visas issued under the European Community Association Agreement (ECAA), an arrangement between Turkey and the EU also known as the Ankara Agreement.
