THE English-teacher wife of a Scots academic who was refused entry to Britain because she could not provide proof she has a basic grasp of the language has been reunited with her family following a Government U-turn.

Jilda Clark was finally reunited with her husband and two children for the first time in Scotland at the weekend.

Her arrival came as the Scottish Government told the family they have raised concerns about the immigration laws with Westminster officials.

Mrs Clark had wanted to join pharmacy academic Dr Philip Clark to be closer to his frail parents Philip snr, 86, and Irene, 88, from Ayr, but had her application rejected.

The family protested to Prime Minister David Cameron and First Minister Alex Salmond after the UK Border Agency said her English qualifications in Turkey were not good enough and that she had to sit a test to make sure she can speak "survival English".

This was despite Mrs Clark being an English teacher for 24 years.

After The Herald highlighted their plight, news of Mrs Clark's ban spread across Turkey.

It was feared she would be separated from her husband and two children, Brendan, 17 and Eilidh, 12, who had moved to Scotland, for at least six months pending an appeal. However, in the wake of the row, officials at the UK consulate in Istanbul contacted the family to say the way was clear for a visa to be granted, which meant no appeal or basic English language test would be necessary.

Mrs Clark, 48, who has been the foreign languages department principal at the International Gateway Academy in Istanbul for the past nine years, said: "It has been wonderful having everyone back together. It has been has been hard for Brendan and even harder for Eilidh. It has been very, very special to be together, and to hear them speak and laugh again."

On her experiences with the UK Government, Mrs Clark said: "I have experience of working with the Turkish government and my approach to governments has always been to be respectful and follow the rules.

"I found the experience trying to get here very hurtful. It was like a slap in the face. I just wished they had tried to speak to me to try and understand my situation."

MSP Humza Yousaf, Minister for External Affairs and International Development, was contacted by the family, with his spokesman later writing to the family that he "shared your anxieties over the UK's current family migration rules".

Ruth Steele, a senior policy adviser, told the family in a letter: "The Scottish Government is very concerned that the UK Government's restrictions on family migration are having a very damaging impact on many ordinary, hard-working UK citizens and their families.

"We did raise concerns with the UK during the consultation that preceded these changes, outlining the need for a flexible approach to migration across the UK.

"In addition, Scottish ministers have written to the Minister for Immigration on several occasions to raise these issues.

"I hope this offers some reassurance that the Scottish Government rejects the UK Government's negative rhetoric about immigration and migrants, and is acting on your concerns. "

The UK Government brought in the language proficiency test for some would-be immigrants two years ago while vowing to tighten immigration. Anyone applying for a visa for long-term residency has to sit a test to make sure they have a basic grasp of spoken English.

The agency's UK Visas and Immigration section would not accept qualifications provided by Mrs Clark, who has a BA and MA in English language teaching gained at the University of Bosphorus and University of Istanbul.

The family applied to have Mrs Clark cleared for entry to the UK under immigration rules that allow for "family life as a partner".

Mrs Clark now hopes to teach migrant children in Scotland while Dr Clark plans to return to pharmacy work.