Glossary
UKVI — explained for Turkish readers
UK Visas and Immigration, the Home Office directorate that decides visa, settlement and citizenship applications and sets the supporting-document rules.
UKVI stands for UK Visas and Immigration. It is not a separate ministry but a directorate of the Home Office, responsible for deciding applications for visas, leave to remain, indefinite leave to remain and British citizenship. When a caseworker writes to you, when a decision letter arrives, or when guidance refers to “the department”, it is UKVI.
The Turkish equivalent in function is the Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, which decides residence permits, although Turkish visas are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rather than by the migration authority. UKVI does both.
For translations, UKVI's rule is that any document not in English or Welsh must come with a full translation that can be independently verified: accurate, dated, and carrying the translator's or company's name, signature and contact details. UKVI keeps no list of translators and does not endorse any. See translations for a spouse or partner visa for the family-route version of the rule.