UK Visa from Turkey

Turkish nationals need an appropriate UK visa to school, work, visit, transit through, or join family members in the UK. Thanks to the Turkish Worker and Turkish Businessperson visas, the UK experienced an influx of Turkish immigrants from the 1980s until 2021.

According to the Home Office, over 500,000 people of Turkish ancestry currently reside in the UK. The number includes about 150,000 Turkey nationals, 300,000 Turkish Cypriots, and over 50,000 Turks of other nationalities.

Although the Turkish Worker and Turkish Businessperson visas were closed to new applicants in 2021, many UK visa pathways are still available to Turkish nationals. Each visa type has its specific purpose, eligibility criteria, and conditions of stay. The visa type suitable for you depends on your purpose of seeking entry to the UK and your intended duration of stay.

You can obtain settlement status in the UK after some years of residing under specific visa categories. And your ILR can eventually qualify you to obtain British citizenship.

Page Contents

• Overview of UK Visas from Turkey
• Types of UK Visa
• UK Standard Visitor Visa
• UK Work Visas
• UK Study Visas
• UK Family Visas
• UK Business Immigration Visa
• UK Visa Requirements from Turkey
• UK Visa Application Process From Turkey
• UK Visa Application Fees from Turkey
• UK Visa Application Centres in Turkey
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Over 20 categories and subcategories of UK visas are available to Turkish citizens. Based on the purpose of entry, UK visas can be categorised into:

• Visitor visas
• Work visas
• Study visas
• Family visas
• Business visas

Each visa category contains several subcategories with specific eligibility criteria and entry requirements.

The Standard Visitor visa allows foreign nationals to visit the UK for various purposes for up to 6 months. You can be issued a single-entry, multiple-entry, or long-term Standard Visitor visa, depending on your reason for seeking one. The application fee is different for each type.

You can visit the UK for the following reasons.

• For tourism.
• To visit family or friends.
• To volunteer with a charity organisation for up to 30 days.
• To participate in a school exchange programme.
• For short-term studies, placements, or exams.
• To attend business meetings, interviews, training, or conferences.
• For medical treatments.
• As an academic or senior doctor.

To qualify for the standard visitor visa, you must prove that you:

• Intend to leave the UK at the end of your visit.
• You have sufficient financial means to cover your stay.
• You have the financial means to pay for your return or onward journey.
• You do not intend to stay in the UK for extended periods or make it your primary home.

Additional eligibility requirements may exist if you’re coming to study, do a placement, receive medical treatment, or as an academic or senior doctor.

UK Work visas allow foreign nationals to migrate to the UK for temporary or long-term work. Several UK Work visas are available to Turkish citizens, including short-term and long-term Work visas. Some of them include:

• Skilled worker visa
• Health and Care Worker visa
• Global Talent Visa
• Graduate Visa
• Senior or Specialist Worker visa
• Secondment Worker Visa
• Graduate Trainee Visa
• International Sportsperson Visa
• Government Authorised Exchange Visa
• Seasonal Worker Visa

The requirements and validity vary for each visa. Skilled and healthcare Worker visas make up the larger percentage of UK Work visas issued to foreign nationals in recent years.

To qualify for the Skilled Worker visa, you must have a valid job offer from a licenced UK employer. You must also meet the minimum salary requirements for the job and receive a certificate of sponsorship from your employer.

Multinational companies with offices in the UK can send their staff to work in their UK branch as senior or specialist workers, secondment workers, graduate trainees, service suppliers, or UK expansion workers if they meet the requirements.

You can apply for a UK Study visa if accepted into an eligible UK educational institution. To qualify for the visa, you must prove that you have sufficient means to pay your fees and support yourself in the UK.

There are three categories of UK Study visas:

• UK Student Visa: For persons 16 years and older coming to study an eligible course in an eligible student sponsor institution. The institution will issue you a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), with which you’ll apply for your visa.
• Child Student Visa: For foreigners between the ages of 4 and 17 coming to the UK to study in an independent school in the UK.
• Short-term Study visa for English language courses: If you’re coming to take an English Language course in the UK lasting longer than six months but less than eleven months.

Student visa holders are no longer be able to bring their dependents to the UK, except if they’re studying a research-based postgraduate level course or a government-sponsored program.

The UK Family visa route allows UK citizens and settled residents to sponsor dependent family members to the UK. So, if you have a British or UK-settled family member, they can sponsor you to join them in the UK through the Family visa route.

Family members who are eligible to sponsor you include:

• Spouse or civil partner
• Fiancee, fiance, or proposed civil partner
• Child
• Parent
• UK resident relative who’s responsible for your care

To be eligible for the spouse visa, you must have been married or been in a civil partnership with your sponsoring partner for at least two years. Your UK partner must also meet the minimum income requirement.

The Spouse/Partner visa is valid for two years and nine months and can be extended for an additional two years and three months. You can apply for permanent residency after five years of holding a Spouse visa.

The Home Office grants business visas to foreign entrepreneurs who want to move to the UK to establish qualifying businesses.

To qualify for the Innovator Founder visa, you must have an innovative business idea endorsed by an approved UK endorsement body. The business idea must be competitive globally and provide employment opportunities in the UK. You must also have the financial resources to fund the business and support yourself in the UK.

The Innovator Founder visa is valid for three years with the possibility of unlimited extensions. However, you may be eligible to apply for an ILR after three years.

Although specific requirements exist for each UK visa type, some conditions are common to all UK visa routes. They include:

• Valid passport or travel document having at least two blank pages
• Proof of adequate financial means to support yourself in the UK.
• For Family visas, evidence of relationship with the sponsoring UK resident
• For Work visa, employment contract and Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) from your UK employer.
• For Study visas, Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your sponsoring UK institution.
• For Business visa, business plan and letter of endorsement from an eligible endorsing body.
• Travel health insurance
• Criminal background record certificate
• Tuberculosis test result

You must provide certified translations of all documents not written in English or Welsh.

Applications for UK visas are made online on the Home Office’s official website. The steps to applying for a UK visa are as follows:

• Determine the type of visa you need: Choose the right one for you based on your purpose of travelling to the UK. Each visa type has its specific eligibility criteria and required documents. Ensure you meet the requirements for the one you choose and have the necessary supporting documents.
• Complete the online application: Create an account on UKVI’s website and complete the appropriate application form. Pay the application fee using your debit or credit card and submit your application. You may also be required to schedule a biometric appointment at a VAS centre.
• Prepare supporting evidence: Check the required documents for your visa type and prepare them before your visa appointment.
• Attend your biometric appointment: You’ll submit your biometric data (photograph and fingerprints) and supporting documents during this appointment.
• Wait for a decision: The VAS will forward your information to the Home Office. It’ll take about three to four weeks to decide on your application. You can start preparing to travel to the UK while waiting.

The following are the applicable fees for some UK visa categories.

• Standard Visitor Visa – £127 for 6 months to £1059 for multiple trips of 6 months over 10 years
• Skilled Worker Visa – £769 for up to 3 years to £1,519 for over 5 years
• Family Visa – £1,938 when applying outside the UK, and £1,321 to switch or extend when in the UK.
• Health and Care Worker Visa – £304 for a job on the Immigration Salary List and up to £590 without
• Student Visa – £524
• Innovator Founder Visa – £1,590
• Health Immigration Surcharge – £1035 for adults or £776 for student visas and children. Healthcare workers do not pay the surcharge.

Priority visa service from Turkey costs an additional £500.

TLScontact is UKVI’s official partner for visa applications in Turkey. After completing your online visa application, you must schedule a UK visa appointment at the TLScontact VAS centre nearest to you in Turkey. They have offices in

• Adana
• Ankara
• Antalya
• Bursa
• Istanbul
• Izmir

UK visa appointment services are free in all of these centres. However, they also offer paid optional added value services such as accelerated visa processing, prime time appointment, express courier service, and many others.