OVER 80,000 signed a petition set up calling on the UK government to ‘support people in Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, who are homeless and have family in the UK to come to the UK, like the Ukraine Family Scheme visa.’
In response to the petition, the government said that they ‘responded immediately with life-saving support to people’ but the ‘The situation in Turkey is different to that in Ukraine’ saying there are a number of existing visas which can be applied to for family wishing to support their loved ones affected by the earthquake.
“…The situation in parts of Turkey which have been affected by devastating earthquakes calls for a different type of support. The UK is coordinating closely with the Turkish government to ensure our support meets the needs on the ground and that we can stay responsive to emerging needs.
“The UK Government has no plans to create a new visa scheme for family members of British citizens affected by the earthquake. We recognise that some people displaced by the natural disaster may wish to join family in the UK, and where those family members do not have a current UK visa, they can apply for one via one of our standard visa routes, which remain available, and applications can be submitted at the nearest Visa Application Centre…”
Stating the government will continue to support British nationals whose families have been effective, and families that wish to apply for a visa can do so directly at the Visa Application Centres in Turkey.
The full government response can be read here…