A record-breaking 20,000 Turkish citizens made applications this year for a special UK businessperson visa that would eventually grant them British residency, according to data requested by the BBC Turkish.
The rush comes as the 1963 Ankara Agreement, which granted Turkish citizens a path to immigrate to the UK for business purposes, is set to expire on 31 December along with the Brexit transition period.
For years, Turkish citizens have used the agreement to stay in the UK as an investor or entrepreneur. Once obtained, Turkish citizens need to renew their visa annually. However, after three years they are eligible to apply for permanent residence and eventually British citizenship.
The UK is set to leave the agreement, which was signed by Turkey and the EU’s predecessor the European Economic Community, as it is departing from the union.
However, Home Office statistics released by BBC Turkish indicate that the divorce has encouraged thousands of Turkish citizens to file for the visa before the British train leaves the station.
More than 10,000 people living in Turkey filed applications for the visa in the first nine months of 2020, more than the combined numbers of filings in the last 10 years.
The total number of applications both from within and outside the UK neared 20,000. Last year, the total reached 14,000, which was also a record, again encouraged by the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
