English UK meets Turkish partners in Istanbul 

We had two days of positive meetings in Turkey, one of UK ELT's growing source markets.  

Compliance manager Naadiya Rawat was in Istanbul in late November to meet agents and update them on visa changes and immigration rules.  

'It was a very positive trip in an important market for our members.  

'Agents are mostly positive about UK visa applications – they had quite a high success rate in summer 2024, especially compared to difficulties in other destinations.' 

'We arranged for UKVI outreach officer Zeynep Kabukcu to outline current visa requirements and upcoming changes around the new visa application centre and transition to e-visas, and that webinar was very popular with Turkish agents. Around 70 attended and were able to ask questions,' she said. 

'It was good to sign memorandums of understanding with local agent associations UED and YEDAB and to meet many agents as well as staff from the British Council and the British Consulate.' 

Naadiya also attended the UED Summit and gala dinner along with representatives from eight English UK member centres. UED celebrated the sector during the gala dinner and presented prizes to education providers from the UK, Ireland, Malta and Germany. 

The UK continues to be a popular choice for Turkish students. UED agents expect around 10,000 juniors to travel to the UK for a summer course in 2025.