Please note that we will provide a scope of work tailored to your individual circumstances once we have been provided with full details of your situation. Set out below, in no particular order, is our typical scope of work for assisting with a UK immigration application:
Immigration Fees
Scope of the services
- Obtaining information in relation to your particular circumstances and discussing your circumstances in detail;
- Giving you advice about the requirements of the Immigration Rules and whether you meet the criteria;
- If you do not fulfil certain criteria, advising whether this can be overcome and how and advising on the UK immigration options available and agreeing which option is the most appropriate application for you to make, and what other options may be available to you. This on average takes 2 to 3 hours;
- Providing detailed advice on the documentation required and the procedure for submitting the relevant application;
- *Considering the supporting evidence you have provided, and where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses. This on average takes 4 to 7 hours; *The amount of hours depends on the number of documents, whether they need to be translated, whether anything is missing and how long it will take to obtain the missing documents.
- Providing advice on the timelines and likely outcome;
- Meetings, where required;
- Preparing and drafting the relevant application form and providing draft suggested wording for any documents required in support of the application (such as a covering letter) and submitting it on your behalf. This on average takes 3 to 6 hours;
- Preparing the bundle of documents which need to be submitted in support of the application;
- Booking an appointment for submission of the application and/or submitting the application directly to the Home Office;
- Answering any routine queries that the Home Office may have in relation to the application;
- Attendance at a Home Office interview: if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, we will give you clear advice (and discuss the possibility of us attending with you) at an appropriate time. This could be between 3 to 6 hours of work;
- Once the application has been approved, reviewing the approval documentation, which may include a passport endorsement and/or a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) to ensure that it has been validly issued;
- Providing advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.
Our pricing
Please note the anticipated number of hours and fees are an estimate based on the facts above. The above scope does not include assisting with challenging a refusal decision if the application is not approved. If there is a refusal decision, if you wish to challenge a decision to refuse your application, we will provide a separate fee quote for this work.
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
Our hourly rate starts from £250 (excl. VAT) but this can be higher depending on the complexity of the matter.
On average, this type of works takes 5 to 15 hours to complete. This means that on average costs are between £1,100 to £3,300 excluding disbursements. 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 other dependants.
If you are able to provide sufficient evidence at our first meeting and clearly meet the applicable Immigration Rules, the cost is likely to be lower.
Disbursements
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as visa fees. Disbursements which we may incur on your behalf are normally:
- interpreters fees range between £100 to £150 (excluding VAT) per hour. This kind of application will normally require between 30 minutes to 1 hour with an interpreter, depending on the complexity of your case;
- 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.
The fees stated above do not include:
- Any Home Office fees for making the application. You will pay these to the Home Office directly as part of the application process.
- Priority processing fees.
- Counsel fees (though this is not required in many cases we handle).
- Third party fees, such as translation costs and overseas lawyers’ fees.
VAT
All the figures given above include VAT (currently at a rate of 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 is payable when you instruct us, and we can work out if VAT is properly chargeable.
Timescales
We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. However, we will confirm the updated processing timeframes with you at the point of instruction.
We will confirm with you at the point of instruction the timeframe for the processing of your application however, generally speaking if matters are routine and not complex it can take up to 8 to 12 weeks on average.
Typical Home Office processing times from the date of submission of a straightforward application are as follows:
Overseas
- Between 1 and 15 working days to process applications for temporary immigration permission submitted overseas, depending on the complexity of the application and whether the application is submitted using one of the priority services.
- Between 30 working days to 3 months to process applications for settlement submitted overseas, depending on the complexity of the application and whether the application is submitted using one of the priority services.
In-country
- Between 1 working day and 6 months to process applications submitted in the UK, depending on the complexity of the application and whether the application is submitted using one of the priority services.
Other applications
If you wish to submit an application, please contact us and we will be pleased to provide a fee quote and scope of work for the relevant application.
Our policy is to charge (wherever possible) on a fixed fee basis. Where a matter is complex (for example, if you have previously been refused a visa for the UK or another country or you have a criminal record) or involves providing a significant amount of strategic advice, we may charge on a “time-spent basis”, subject to an estimate which is based on the relevant hourly rate advised in your engagement letter.
Factors which can make an application more complex and involve our charging fees either at the higher end of the above stated ranges or which exceed them, include:
- the time taken to assist with the matter;
- the urgency of the matter;
- the level of correspondence involved;
- the amount and quality of supporting documentation;
- the likely level of engagement with the Home Office; and
- the need to engage and liaise with third parties.
Multiple Applications
If you would like assistance with submitting a number of applications, for example an application for indefinite leave to remain followed by an application to naturalise as a British citizen, or applications involving dependant family members, please contact us and we will be pleased to provide a fee quote and scope of work for the relevant applications.
Applications by Corporates
The fees set out above only cover assisting with applications submitted by individuals. We are also specialists in assisting companies with submitting applications, such as:
- representative of an overseas business applications;
- sponsor licence applications; and
- reviewing and drafting policies to ensure companies comply with their sponsor licence duties and responsibilities and the law in relation to the prevention of illegal working.
Outbound Advisory
We are able to provide advice and assistance with outbound immigration applications for other countries, working on a case-by-case basis with third party advisers who specialise in the relevant jurisdiction. We will provide a proposed scope of service and a fixed fee on instruction.
Disclaimer
We recommend that you contact us on 0333 772 7736 or at enquiries@360lawservices.com before relying on this information or taking any course of action (or omitting to take any action) that has or may have legal implications. If you rely on this information without obtaining legal advice you do so at your own risk.
