It’s the time of year when many Turkish travelers are planning their summer holiday. You won’t be surprised to hear that I hope many of you will choose the UK. Whether it’s for the buzz of one of the world’s great capital cities, the rich and varied history, the tolerance and diversity of its people or the magnificent scenery, I think my country has a huge amount to offer the visitor. Even the food is excellent these days! There is something to suit all tastes, from gourmet French cordon bleu, through South Asian curries and Chinese dishes to some fine Turkish restaurants if you need the taste of home.
I’m also conscious that many Turks worry about our visa system and that it will frustrate their travel plans. I can assure you that this is the last thing we would want to do. We welcome visits from Turkish tourists, business people and students. People to people contact between our countries is the lifeblood of our relationship and we have seen a 23% increase in the number of UK visas issued to Turks since 2009.
Many Turkish students who go to the UK return with a huge affinity for our country. We want that to continue.
Over the next few months, my visa team in Istanbul will be working flat out to provide the best possible service to you, the Turkish public. There are an awful lot of urban myths about the UK and visas. So here are a few facts:
- over 90% of all visa applications by Turks are successful;
- we aim to process all visitor, student and work applications within 15 working days;
- Turks can now apply for a UK visa from seven different cities in Turkey: Istanbul, Bursa, Ankara, Izmir, Gaziantep, Adana and Antalya;
- we offer a transparent service: the Home Office publishes information on how well the Turkey team is doing in meeting these standards. You can find full data for Istanbul here (go to ‘guide to processing times’ and insert ‘Turkey, Istanbul’) along with all our other application points in Turkey.
So if you are thinking of travelling to the UK this year, my message to you is please press on with your plans. And please think about applying for your visa well in advance. You can normally secure an appointment at one of our application centres within five working days.
Of course not everyone can apply well in advance, particularly those in business who often need to travel to the UK in a hurry to conclude a deal. If so, please consider using our priority service. For an additional TL355, this allows you to have your visa application placed at the front of the queue. And, please, if you are a regular traveller consider applying for a 5 year or 10 year multiple entry visa.
We have a visa system to ensure that only bona fide visitors travel to the UK. The UK has a real problem with illegal immigration (including from third country nationals travelling visa-free to Turkey who then move on into the EU) . That means that we do require detailed applications supported by biometrics and documents. And, even with a valid visa, an immigration officer will probably ask you a handful of questions at the UK border. But we are polite, efficient and fair. We aim to strike the difficult balance between keeping the UK secure and giving a warm welcome to our guests. It is not easy, and I am sure we make the occasional mistake, but I believe that we mostly succeed in that aim.
The UK in the summer is a wonderful place to be. The weather might let you down. Bu the historical attractions and our landscape won’t. Just over 98,000 Turks were issued visas to come to our shores last year to find out for themselves. I hope you will join them.