Post
by Dantean » Sun May 24, 2020 9:53 pm
I haven't kept up with the changes in the regulations, but I think the answer to question 1 would be no. I would think that changing to the Turkish Worker visa would reset the clock to 5 years. (Previously, Turkish Worker did not lead to ILR)
I'm not sure about question 2 after the changes. It used to be you would have had to be working for the same employer to get the visa, and the visa would only be good for that same employer for the first 3 years. Then for the next year, you could work for any employer in the same occupation. But, if you've been in the UK working for the same employer since January 2016, that would be more than 4 years, so it seems like you would start in the category of "Work in any occupation for any employer", so as long as you were working, without too much of a break, you might be eligible. (But your new ILR date would be 10.01.2021 I think)
Another interesting possibility, if you applied for the Turkish worker visa before the end of the Tier 2 while it's still valid, your legal status under the Tier 2 would be extended until a decision came on the Turkish Worker visa, under Section 3C. They can take up to six months to process, so you might reach your ILR date before hearing back, in which case perhaps you could then apply for ILR under the extended Tier 2 eligibility.
Again, I'm not too current on the regulations, so all this would be good to confirm. Maybe someone with more current knowledge can comment.
