Turkish nationals are losing interest in a free visa route that allows them to legally work in Britain, new figures show.
The number of people applying for the so-called Ankara Agreement, a treaty between Turkey and the EU, has been falling consistently for five years, reaching its lowest level since 2009.
The agreement is a popular route for Turkish speakers who want to settle in the UK because it grants them permission to set up their own business. The assessment criteria is far more relaxed than standard British visas and successful applicants can apply for permanent residency after four years.
Thousands of Turkish citizens are today working in the UK in a variety of professions, from domestic cleaning to teaching people how to play the piano.
Londra Gazete obtained the figures from the Home Office under the Freedom of Information Act. The data, which was rounded to the nearest five, shows that Ankara Agreement applications peaked in 2010, when 2930 people applied.
They have since dropped steadily to 2130 applications in 2014, the last full year for which data is available. It supports earlier reports published by Londra Gazete that interest in the Ankara Agreement appears to be waning.
This may be in part down the immigration policies pursued by the current government and its predecessor, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. Both governments tightened visa regulations and increased checks, making it harder for non-EU nationals in particular to come to Britain.
Ankara Agreement applications are accepted at the British Consulate in Istanbul, but the vast majority are made by Turkish migrants who are already in the UK.
Britain has largely been unable to alter the Ankara Agreement, which came into force when the country joined the European Union in 1973, because it is an international treaty between Turkey and Europe.
But it has been able to increase checks on tourist and other business visas, which many Turkish nationals apply for before switching to an Ankara Agreement application once they arrive in the UK.
The laxer criteria has led to some eccentric cases. In 2013 a 34-year-old shoeshiner, Metin Ali Kalkan, who had been polishing shoes in the southern Turkish town of Mersin for the last five years, successfully carried his business to Britain after being granted permission to work under the agreement.
His law firm said at the time that it would be charging customers on the streets of London £4.50 each to give their footwear a shine.
The UK Border Agency, which handled visa and immigration issues at the time, had rejected his application because of the nature of the business and the small capital – just £500 – that he planned to bring from Turkey. But a court later ruled that Mr Kalkan’s application had been handled unlawfully and that he should be allowed into the country at once.