Transparency in Price and Service

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has published Transparency Rules to ensure consumers have the information they need to make an informed choice of legal services providers, including understanding what the costs may be in relation to certain matters.

We will always be happy to discuss what work is likely to be entailed and the potential associated costs when dealing with your immigration needs. Please feel free to contact a member of our immigration team to explore in more detail.

The following provides an outline of our potential fixed fees to individuals for assisting with UK immigration and British nationality applications.

Please note that the below fee information is not a quote, and excludes disbursements. If you are in any doubt as to the likely complexity of your application please contact a member of our team to discuss. We aim to take full details of your circumstances before quoting a fee and in most cases, the fee you are quoted by us at the time of instruction will be the final fee. However, it occasionally happens that issues arise during the course of the process that increases complexity the work required on the application. Where this occurs, we will notify you of the nature and implications of the issue, as well as the amount and reasons for the additional fee before carrying out the additional work.

Fees for applications made under the Immigration Rules.

Fees for British nationality applications.

VAT at a rate of 20 per cent will be applied in addition to our fees unless a VAT exemption applies to your individual circumstances.

Example factors that could make a case more complex (and expensive) include the following:

where you have a previous history of non-compliance with immigration laws in the UK or any other country
where you have a criminal conviction or any issues relating to your past conduct that the Home Office may take to suggest you are not of good character
where the Home Office asks you to attend an interview, and
the seniority of the lawyers working on your case

Included costs

The fees summarised in the attached lists are intended to address the typical stages of an application to the Home Office or an appeal to the First-tier tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber).

Where the application is for permission to enter or stay in the UK under the Immigration Rules, for naturalisation or registration as a British citizen or an application for an administrative review or other review of a decision, the stages may include:

discussing your circumstances in detail, reviewing your current and previous immigration documents and other supporting documents
advising you on your options for making an application, including providing you with information on the legal requirements, whether you currently meet them and if not, the requirements for meeting them in the future
advising you on the supporting evidence required for your application
reviewing the supporting evidence you provide us and assisting you, where required, to obtain further evidence (such as bank statements, supporting letters, criminal record certificates, documents to confirm English-language ability and documents to prove residence in the UK)
preparing your application and providing you with information about how to submit it
liaising with the Home Office during the processing of your application (where possible) and keeping you updated on its progress, and
advising you about the Home Office’s decision on your application and the immigration compliance and forward planning actions applicable to your situation

Where the application is a request to the Home Office to correct an error to an immigration document or status, the stages may include:

advising you on the process for requesting a correction to the document or status
advising you on the supporting evidence required to make the request, if any
preparing and submitting the correction request to the Home Office, and
advising you about the Home Office’s decision and the immigration compliance and forward planning actions applicable to your situation.

Where the matter is an appeal to the First-tier tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), the stages may include:

discussing your circumstances in detail, reviewing the refusal decision, your current and previous immigration documents and other supporting documents
advising you on the merits of appealing the decision, including providing you with information on the legal requirements and the prospects for success
preparing the grounds of appeal and lodging the notice of appeal on your behalf; advising you on the supporting evidence required for your appeal
reviewing the supporting evidence you provide us and assisting you, where required, to obtain further evidence (such as witness statements, supporting letters, documents to confirm English-language ability and documents to prove residence in the UK)
instructing and briefing a barrister to represent you at appeal, and
advising you about the tribunal’s decision and its implications, including any further steps you should take following the decision

Depending on the complexity of the matter and the specific work required the range of fees estimated may increase or decrease. Please contact a member of our team for an assessment of the complexity of your matter.

Excluded costs

The costs quoted here do not include providing you with advice in circumstances where the Home Office asks you to attend an interview and attending the interview with you, where you have asked us to do so. Should this situation arise, we would quote you a fixed fee based on your requirements.

The costs quoted here also do not include disbursements. Disbursements are costs related to your matter payable to third parties such as:

fees charged by the Home Office, which are outlined on the GOV.UK website at UK visa fees
service charges made by the Home Office’s commercial partners at overseas Visa Application Centres, which are outlined on their individual websites and can be accessed via the GOV.UK website at Find a visa application centre
service charges made by the Home Office’s commercial partner Sopra Steria, which can be accessed on the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Centres (UKVCAS) website or obtained from UKVCAS as an individual quotation based on the service required;
fees charged by the First-tier tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), which are outlined on the GOV.UK website at Appeal from within the UK and Appeal from outside the UK
service charges made by third-party couriers – these may vary from country to country and according to the courier company used
charges payable for obtaining documentation from Ecctis to confirm the academic level of overseas qualifications and verification of whether qualifications were taught or researched in English – these charges are outlined on the Ecctis website at Visas and Nationality Services
fees payable for obtaining official translations of documents produced in languages other than English; and
costs relating to advice received from a barrister on the specific circumstances of your case: the need to obtain advice of this type will be rare and we would obtain your consent to this in advance.

You will be responsible for all sums charged by such third parties. Fees to be paid to the Home Office or its commercial partners and translation fees will normally be paid directly by you. We will arrange for barristers costs to be invoiced by the barrister to you.

Please contact a member of our team to discuss these costs.

How long will my matter take?

The time that it takes from receiving your initial instructions to the final conclusion of your matter will depend on the specific circumstances and on the Home Office’s processing time for your application. The Home Office publishes general processing times for immigration applications here. Please contact a member of our team to discuss your individual circumstances in more detail.