Ankara Agreement - Gherson & Co Successfully Appeal

Gherson & Co has experience in all aspects of immigration law, including the Turkish ECAA agreement commonly known as the Ankara Agreement.

We were recently instructed by a Turkish national who was established in the UK under the provisions of the Ankara Agreement but the Home Office refused an application for further leave to remain.

We appealed on behalf of our client and we were successful. The Home Office were claiming that the applicant was not established in business in the UK, a requirement of the Ankara Agreement, despite the fact that the applicant has an established business and was embarking into new business areas. The Home Office doubted that she was involved in the business as among other reasons, her name did not appear on her company's bank statements. However as the judge on appeal pointed out, 'Anyone with commonsense or basic knowledge of company law would be aware that correspondence to the company [is] usually sent to its Secretary'.

The judge allowed the appeal and the applicant was granted an extension of her leave to remain.

If you require advice on this or any other UK immigration matter, please do not hesitate to contact one of our specialist lawyers and advisors.