Hundreds of Turkish nationals who built businesses and families in Britain are facing removal after a sharp rise in refusals of permanent residency, prompting accusations that the Home Office has failed to learn the lessons of the Windrush scandal.

Since the start of the year there has been a steep increase in rejected applications for indefinite leave to remain from people on European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) visas, the longstanding route that has allowed Turkish nationals to settle in the UK by setting up a business. For years most applications were approved; now the number of successful applications has fallen from the usual several thousand to just a few hundred since January.

Department figures show that between January and June 2025 there were 3,378 grants of settlement for ECAA applicants. For the same period in 2026 the figure had fallen to 745, a drop of 78 per cent.

Errors and made-up requirements in refusal letters

Refusal letters have been riddled with basic errors, made-up requirements and a disregard of human tragedies that were previously treated with discretion, according to The Guardian's reporting, published on 7 November.

Among those refused is a woman who started treatment for cancer in Turkey after being diagnosed on a trip during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the NHS restricted such care. Her application was denied because she was said to have chosen to begin treatment in Turkey, even though her medical team advised that transferring clinical care carried significant clinical risk. Despite a review, the Home Office stood firm and informed the woman in October that she and her three young children should now leave the United Kingdom.

Another refused applicant was told his window-cleaning business was not legitimate because he did not have a social media presence, a requirement that does not exist. One woman whose father in Turkey lives with terminal Alzheimer's was denied indefinite leave to remain because the Home Office said his condition had been known for several years, meaning her absences from the UK did not stem from an urgent unforeseen situation.

In one refusal that was eventually overturned, the department said it had been unable to locate a website for the applicant's business or any evidence of an online presence, and falsely claimed the applicant had not provided a complete set of bank statements. In another case the Home Office wrongly calculated the number of days the applicant was out of the country, incorrectly claiming they had been away for more than 180 days within a 12-month period.

MPs and lawyers raise the alarm

The rise in refusals appears to apply to applications lodged since September 2025, shortly before Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced proposals at the Labour conference for tougher conditions on those applying for leave to remain. Lawyers dealing with ECAA cases have said there have also been long delays for applications lodged from September 2025, beyond the usual six-month wait.

The number of ECAA applications under administrative review, in which the Home Office re-examines a refusal, has soared since the start of the year. A freedom of information request showed the figure rising from 145 in 2025 to 395 between January and mid-August 2026.

Former foreign secretary David Lammy, the MP for Tottenham, a constituency with a large Turkish-speaking population, said there seemed to be a sudden change in the government's policy, which had devastated the lives of those affected and evoked memories of the Windrush scandal. He called on the Home Office to urgently revisit the Lessons Learned review into that scandal, saying he wanted to see justice for Britain's Turkish-origin community.

The Home Office's approach appears to contradict recommendations from the independent Windrush review, which the then home secretary Priti Patel accepted and promised to act on. Those included establishing clearer guidance on the burden and standard of proof, increasing direct contact with applicants, and revising the criteria and process for assessing cases involving vulnerable applicants.

A Home Office spokesperson said there had been no change to how ECAA settlement applications are considered, and that every application continues to be considered on its individual circumstances, in line with the published rules and guidance.

Settlement under the ECAA route is governed by Appendix ECAA Settlement. Anyone affected should check the official GOV.UK guidance, as immigration rules change.