Immigration: Hourly rate

The following are examples of our pricing for assisting clients with the preparation and submission of immigration applications and presenting appeals (e.g. concerning Human Rights) such as:

  • Applications for naturalisation or registration under the British Nationality Act 1981.
  • Applications on behalf of European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and their family members under the applicable EEA Regulations or Immigration Rules, including applications for permanent residence, residence cards, and registration certificates.
  • Applications under the Immigration Rules, including;
    • student and work experience visas
    • visit visas (for tourism, or visiting friends / family)
    • spouse and partners applications, including fiancé(e)s or proposed civil partners
    • applications for work, business or study under the Points-Based System
    • dependent relative and family reunion applications
    • ancestry visas
    • other categories, such as applications on the basis of long residence

Regarding price information the quoted fee would include:

  • Considering documents.
  • Attending on the client.
  • Taking their instructions and providing advice.
  • Preparing and submitting the application / presenting the appeal.
  • Advising the client on timelines and the outcome of their application / appeal.

The exact number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances in your case, such as:

  • The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider.
  • Which language(s) you speak.
  • Whether you are applying with dependants.

Example (hourly rate)

£450 plus £90 VAT

The preparation and submission of an application for leave to remain / entry clearance under the Immigration Rules (non-business/non-investment)/ EEA matters / British Nationality

On average, this type of work in a standard application takes between 6-12 hours to complete.

Work covered

Example (hourly rate)

£450 plus £90 VAT

The preparation and submission of an application for leave to remain / entry clearance under the Immigration Rules (business/investment)

On average, this type of work in a standard application takes between
25 – 50 hours to complete.

Work covered

Example (hourly rate)

£450 plus £90 VAT

The provision of advice and representation at the First-tier Tribunal (IAC) in relation to appeals against immigration decisions by the Secretary of State for the Home Department/Entry Clearance Officer, excluding asylum appeals

On average, this type of work in an appeal involving a hearing at the Tribunal takes between 20 – 40 hours to complete.

Work covered

VAT

All the figures given include VAT charged at 20% unless specifically stated.
However, charging VAT in relation to immigration matters may depend on where
you live and what immigration permission you have. We will confirm whether
VAT (at a rate of 20%) is payable when you instruct us and we can work out if
VAT is properly chargeable.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties. A disbursement means, in respect of those activities for which the practice is regulated by the SRA, “any sum spent or to be spent on behalf of the client (including any VAT element)”. We charge you for disbursements we incur. We will not incur disbursements without obtaining your agreement beforehand.

Please do not confuse our fees with those that the UK Government charges you for processing your application. You pay the UK Government direct the application processing fees (at the time of submitting your application). Examples of disbursements are costs of translating foreign language documents (it is normally our policy to ask clients to arrange to obtain translations separately from us), courier costs, special Delivery Royal Mail costs (i.e. of sending valuable documents such as passports/biometric cards and sending out applications and supporting documents to the Home Office).

  • Independent expert reports e.g. medical experts. These are not required in many cases: we will let you know as soon as possible if we consider an expert report is necessary.
  • If there is an interview and we do attend with you, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.
  • Interpreters fees (see below).

Interpreters

  • We do not act in matters which require professional interpreters. Clients may bring a relative or friend to come and help interpret at meetings with us. Occasionally an Appeal might involve witnesses who do not speak English, in which case the Tribunal if requested should provide an interpreter free of charge on the day of the hearing.

How long will my application take?

We cannot guarantee how long the UK Government will take to process your application. You can read its current processing times on its UKGov website. If we are instructed before your leave expires and you pay all UK Government charges we will always submit your application to the UK Government before your leave expires. Normally applications made in the UK are submitted during the 28 day window prior to expiry of leave.

Please note the anticipated number of hours and fees are an estimate based on the facts above. The number of hours needed will vary on the complexities of the case. All applications are likely to vary and of course we can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.