From 3 August 2026, refusals under Appendix ECAA Settlement will again be eligible for administrative review. The Home Office confirmed that the settlement route was omitted in error when Appendix Administrative Review was restructured in 2024. Statement of Changes HC 259 corrects that omission.

The amendment affects Turkish ECAA businesspeople, workers and eligible dependants applying for indefinite leave to remain. Extension-of-stay refusals were already covered, so the new change is specifically about settlement decisions.

What administrative review can do

An administrative review under Appendix AR asks the Home Office to decide whether an eligible refusal was wrong because of a caseworking error. It is not a new application and does not allow the case to be rebuilt.

Reviewable errors can include applying the wrong Immigration Rules, failing to follow published guidance, overlooking submitted evidence or calculating a qualifying period incorrectly. A separate team conducts the review.

The ECAA route closed to most new principal applicants at 11pm on 31 December 2020. People who already held, or had successfully applied for, qualifying ECAA leave before then can still seek further permission and settlement.

Businessperson extensions are normally granted for 36 months where the requirements are met, although 12 months may be granted where the business’s continuing success remains uncertain. Extension applications have no Home Office application fee. The settlement fee is £3,226 from 8 April 2026. This amendment is separate from debate about the UK’s shift to ten-year settlement and other UK immigration rule updates in 2026.

Administrative review at a glance

Feature	Current position
ECAA settlement refusals	Eligible from 3 August 2026
ECAA extension refusals	Already eligible
In-country deadline	14 calendar days after receiving the decision; seven days if detained
Eligible entry-clearance deadline	28 calendar days after receiving the decision
Fee	£80, normally refunded if the refusal is withdrawn following a successful review
New evidence	Generally excluded, with limited exceptions
Purpose	Correcting caseworking errors, not presenting a new case

The evidence rules

New evidence is normally disregarded because the review focuses on the original application. Limited exceptions apply. If a refusal says wage slips were false, for example, evidence may be considered solely to show that the deception finding was wrong. The process is narrower than the wider options discussed in our guide to how visa refusals work.

Protecting your immigration status

Where a valid application was made before existing permission expired and section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 extended that leave, an in-time administrative review normally continues it until the review is decided or withdrawn.

Missing the deadline, making a fresh immigration application or leaving the UK while an in-country review is pending can end or withdraw the review and may affect section 3C leave. Prompt advice from a residency by investment lawyer in London or another regulated adviser can help identify the correct remedy. Applicants should also ensure that the move to UK eVisas reflects their current status.

A standard ECAA refusal does not itself create a full statutory appeal. Appeal rights can differ if the Home Office has also decided a separate human-rights claim. If administrative review fails, judicial review may be available where the decision is arguably unlawful, but it is a court process rather than a fresh assessment of the application.

Planning beyond the UK

Some Turkish clients also review the Turkish citizenship timeline with a Turkish citizenship by investment lawyer. Wider options may include Greece residency by investment, the Hungary Golden Visa, the Italy investor visa or St Lucia citizenship by investment. These do not replace UK permission but may form part of planning with our global residency and citizenship programmes team.

Get the review filed before the deadline

Read the refusal carefully, identify the precise caseworking error and act within the applicable time limit. Contact our immigration team as soon as a refusal arrives so the decision, evidence and status implications can be reviewed before the deadline.