Turkish shoe shiner wins visa battle against Britain

LONDON – Anatolia News Agency

British courts acknowledged Metin Ali Kalkan to be right and ruled that he could continue his profession in London with the capital of 500 pounds. DHA photo

A Turkish shoe shiner has won a legal case against British courts after his visa application was refused by the country.

Metin Ali Kalkan, 34, appealed to the British Consulate General in Istanbul a year ago to get a visa and run a business in London, where his brother lives, based on the Ankara Agreement, dating back to 1963. After his visa application was refused by British authorities, Kalkan launched a legal action against Britain.

British courts acknowledged Kalkan to be right and ruled that he could continue his profession in London with the capital of 500 pounds.

“I had said before ‘Even a shoe shiner can apply for a visa for running a business as an investor and he can get service and make money in EU member countries.’ The reasons for the consulate’s refusal were unfair and the British court has now vindicated us,” Kalkan’s lawyer, Hakan Camuz said, stressing the case’s symbolic importance.

Praising the decision, Kalkan said that he had been back in London for one month and was continuing his job.