Our firm does not undertake legal aid work so meaning that our clients must privately fund an application that they wish for this firm to prepare and submit to Home Office UK Visas and Immigration.

It is the practice of this firm to undertake work on a fixed-fee basis in order that our clients can understand at the outset what the costs of a particular legal assignment.

An initial consultation (either at our office or by modern means of communication) generally lasts for around one hour and costs £100 plus VAT at 20% (UK government tax on goods and services) if payable. During that consultation we will advise you as to the legal options available on the facts of your case, the procedures that need to be followed in respect of those options and the evidence required to support a suitable application. Should you thereafter wish to instruct this firm to further advise and assist in the preparation of such an application we shall provide a written estimate of fees and the type of factors that will determine what the final price is likely to be. For the avoidance of doubt, our estimate would always include time spent in considering documents supplied by our client, attending on our client, and preparing, submitting and following-up an application to the date of decision by an official acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Should later work be required such as, for example, an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal or an application for judicial review to the Upper Tribunal or Administrative Court, additional legal fees would inevitably be incurred.

As a general guide, applications on human rights grounds such as an application for regularisation of status on the basis of a family and/or private life established in the UK or for entry clearance applications by family members seeking to enter the UK often incur legal fees of around £2,000 to £4,000 plus VAT at 20% if payable, whilst applications for extensions or variations of existing leave to remain (such as an application as a partner or a points-based system migrant) would often incur legal fees of around £1,500 to £3,000 plus VAT at 20%. Applications for registration or naturalisation as a British citizen can be either relatively straightforward or extremely complex so meaning that legal fees can range between £750 plus VAT to £2,000 plus VAT. No case is identical which is why during the initial consultation we strive to provide not only advice specific to the facts of the case but also an estimate of legal fees appropriate to those facts. In addition to our firm’s legal fees, there will usually be separate (and often substantial) Government fees payable when an application is submitted to the Home Office. In addition, translation fees, expert’s fees and (should litigation be required) Court fees and Barristers fees may be incurred.

Home Office processing times vary dependent upon the type of application submitted and the pressures on the Home Office at any particular time. At the initial consultation we explain whether a particular application can only be submitted by post or whether there is a ‘premium’ option available, albeit that this would incur an additional Home Office fee. If a postal application is chosen we endeavour to provide an estimate of when a decision is likely to be made but we cannot guarantee the date in question.