News and updates
ECAA settlement consultation: outcome and next steps
The Ankara Agreement route closed to new applicants after 31 December 2020. Existing holders extend and settle under Appendix ECAA. A consultation on the settlement arrangements has been run and we are watching for its outcome.
Where the route stands
No new application under the Turkish European Community Association Agreement has been possible since 31 December 2020. People already on the route are not stranded: Appendix ECAA lets them extend and then apply for indefinite leave to remain, normally on five years of continuous residence, with the knowledge of language and life requirement met in the usual way. A consultation on how settlement for this group should work has been run. We have not seen a published outcome, and we will not describe one until we have — treat any change as pending rather than decided.
What to have ready in the meantime
The evidence for an ECAA settlement application is heavier than for most routes because it is a business record as well as an immigration one: accounts, invoices, contracts, tax returns and evidence that the business has been run continuously. Where any of that sits in Türkiye — a ticaret sicil gazetesi entry, a faaliyet belgesi, an accountant's statement — it needs a certified English translation. Absences are the other pressure point, so keep passport stamps and travel records in order.
What we would change if the rules move
A new appendix would change the residence calculation and possibly the evidence list, not the translation standard, which stays as it is in the Immigration Rules. Our page on ECAA and Ankara Agreement settlement is updated when the Rules are, and the guide for ECAA holders works through an application in order.