Gozde and Ercan came to the UK five years ago seeking a secure future for their young son and daughter, one where the political uncertainty of Turkey was left far behind.
But with the changes to immigration laws extending eligibility for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five to 10 years expected to come into force this autumn, and an ever-lengthening wait for a visa, that security now feels farther away than ever.
“Years ago we came here with a lot of dreams for our children, for our careers. And now our dreams are falling down,” Ercan, who is now considering going back to Turkey if he cannot get ILR this year, told The i Paper.
‘An uncertain future’
Ercan, 46, and Gozde, 42, moved to Beckenham in south London in July 2021 under the Turkish ECAA visa, which allowed Gozde to set up a business as a law consultant and bring her husband and children with her.
Although they both had good careers in Turkey, they left Istanbul because they felt there was “too much uncertainty” around “the economy, the school system, and politics”.
“We relocated to the UK in the hope of a more stable and predictable future,” said Gozde. “So we decided to move here because of uncertainty, but now we face the same thing here. It’s really depressing.”
Under the ECAA visa, which was discontinued in 2021, applicants were eligible to apply for ILR after five years, as with other skilled worker visas.
This meant Gozde and Ercan’s family should all have been eligible for ILR this year, but this is now in question due to Home Secretary Shabhana Mahmood’s plans for “earned settlement”, which would extend default eligibility to 10 years.
The plans are designed to tackle the so-called “Boris wave” of migrants which saw net migration surge in 2021 as a result of skilled worker visas introduced after the post-Brexit emigration of EU workers.
More than two million people, including half a million children, are set to be affected by these changes, with charities warning families may be split up and children plunged into poverty as migrants spend longer in precarious visa situations with no recourse to public funds.
The measures to bring down immigration are also a pursuit to gain ground in the polls against Reform UK although net migration recently fell to its lowest level since Covid.
Cost could be too great
Mahmood said the plans are meant to target “lower-skilled migrants”, and has introduced salary thresholds to try and ensure workers in higher-paid jobs can earn ILR faster.
People earning over £125,140 will qualify for a reduction of seven years out of the total 10, and those in higher-skilled jobs who either earn over £50,270 or work in public sector, healthcare and teaching roles would become eligible for ILR in five years.
Gozde and Ercan, right, spoke to MPs during an event at Parliament in February to protest the proposed changes (Photo: Work Rights Centre)
Both Gozde and Ercan qualify as high-skilled workers, and their combined income is over £50,000. But as Gozde is the visa holder, it is her income only that matters – and at around £20,000 that doesn’t meet the threshold.
The ILR extension itself comes with its own cost. Each time the family has to renew their visas, it costs £3,336 each. If ILR eligibiilty is extended, they will have to pay again, costing the family over £12,000.
Ercan, a doctor back in Turkey, is studying for equivalency exams, and will have to continue paying overseas fees at around three times the home rate if he is not granted ILR.
As much as he doesn’t want to leave the UK, if he doesn’t get ILR, he may have no choice, as the cost of qualifying in the UK is much higher if he has to pay international fees.
“I am studying for the examinations, but if I don’t see the rest of my life here, it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
‘We have done our part’
Gozde feels betrayed by the government’s failure to fulfil the “promise” they were made when they moved to the UK, making her doubt their decision.
“As migrants, we have fulfilled all our legal, economic, social, and cultural integration into society,” she said. “We trusted in the UK’s commitment to equality and justice. And now, when we have fulfilled all our responsibilities, they shouldn’t change their idea at the last minute.”
She no longer trusts the government, feeling that if they can change their minds once, they might do it again, leaving them waiting for 20 years.
Outside of work, Ercan and Gozde are active in their community, which they say is full of “very kind people”. Ercan volunteers as a youth support worker for the council and Gozde has applied to be a magistrate, though she recently learnt she can’t start serving as one until she gets her ILR. Volunteering should also qualify them for a reduction from the 10-year eligibility, though again Ercan’s doesn’t count.
“We feel like citizens of the UK, but we need [the government] to confirm that,” said Ercan.
“I want to be feel accepted by this country,” echoed Gozde. “We have done our part, we have contributed our skills and our hard work. So it’s not a privilege for us to be given ILR in five years. It’s a right.”
‘Waiting is the worst part’
“We can’t make any future plans now,” said Gozde. The family applied for a visa extension in September last year and are yet to hear back.
Gozde says their children, now aged nine and 12, are “constantly asking” about the visa situation, to which their parents have to reply that they “don’t know”.
Gozde and Ercan with their children. The family says the UK is their home now and they don’t want to go back to Turkey
“All their friends are here, they are they love their school And when we say, ‘maybe we will have to go back to Turkey’, they don’t want to go because they feel the UK is their home,” she said.
Ercan and Gozde have written to their MP asking why ECAA applicants are facing such long waits for visa renewal, compared to just a couple of months in previous years.
“This waiting is the worst part.” she said.
Applications to renew so-called “legacy visas” can often take longer than those for visas which are still being issued, according to the Work Rights Centre. The charity thinks this is because there are no longer dedicated teams in the Home Office to handle such applications and capacity to handle them is lower.
Gozde suspects they are stalling for time until the ILR extension come into force.
The expected next Labour leader and prime minister, Andy Burnham, has indicated that he might reconsider Mahmood’s plans, providing a glimmer of hope for families like Gozde and Ercan’s.
Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre, said: “Like Ercan and Gozde, so many families uprooted their entire lives, settled their children into new schools, and invested a lot of money to build a new life in the UK on the promise of settlement in five years. To renege on that promise is shameful.”
“If he becomes PM, Andy Burnham has the opportunity to turn over a new leaf for this government. He must choose to rebuild trust with the migrant workers who hold up our healthcare system, care homes and schools, and ditch ‘earned’ settlement entirely.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have seen a significant increase in those applying under the ECAA route, and this has led to some delays. In response, we have increased the number of decision-makers processing applications.
“Settlement in the UK is a privilege, not a right. That is why we are reforming settlement rules, based on contribution to the UK and ensuring those staying here respect our laws and contribute to the country.”