Immigration Fees

In accordance with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) guidance on price transparency, we have published our price and service information where it is possible to be upfront about charges without full knowledge of all the circumstances of the case.

Fixed fees

In certain circumstances, we can agree a fixed fee at the start of your case. Once we have spoken to you and assessed the circumstances and the extent of work to be done, we will give you a fixed fee quote that covers all the work. Your fee estimate or fixed fee would be agreed upon prior to us formalising our engagement with you.

The exact number of hours required, or the fixed fee will depend 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 at the lower end of the range.

Application types & cost
  1. Naturalisation or Registration as a British citizen under the British Nationality Act 1981
      • Typical fixed fee is between £1000-£2000 depending on the complexity of the case. All figures exclude VAT unless specifically stated.
  1. 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
      • A typical fixed fee is between £800-£1000 depending on complexity of the case. All figures exclude VAT unless specifically stated.

Applications under the immigration rules:

  1. Student and work experience visas
      • A typical fixed fee is between £800-£1000 depending on the and complexity of the case. All figures exclude VAT unless specifically stated. Out of country applications do not attract VAT unless made within the EEA.
  1. Visit visas (for tourism, or visiting friends / family)
      • Due to the particular nature of this type of application, i.e. having to demonstrate an intention to leave the UK over and above holding a return flight ticket, typical costs are between £1000-£1500 depending on the and complexity of the case. Visit applications do not attract VAT in most circumstances.
  1. Spouse and partner applications, including fiancé(e)s and proposed civil partners.
      • A typical fixed fee is between £900-£1500 depending on the complexity of the case, for example, whether the financial requirement is met from employment, savings, or self-employment. All figures exclude VAT unless specifically stated. Out of country applications do not attract VAT unless made within the EEA.
  1. Applications for work, business, or study under the Points-Based System
      • A typical fixed fee is between £1000-£2000 depending on the complexity of the case. All figures exclude VAT unless specifically stated.
  1. Dependent relative and family reunion applications
      • Under the existing law, these matters are highly complex and are likely to incur a fixed fee of between £1500-£2000 depending on the complexity of the case. All figures exclude VAT unless specifically stated. Out of country applications do not attract VAT unless made within the EEA.
  1. Ancestry visa
      • Typical fixed fee is between £900-£1200 depending on the complexity of the case. All figures exclude VAT unless specifically stated. Out of country applications do not attract VAT unless made within the EEA.
  1. Long residence
      • Typical fixed fee is between £1000-£1500 depending on the complexity of the case. All figures exclude VAT unless specifically stated.

The costs quoted here do not include:

  • Any Home Office fees for making the application. You will pay this to the Home Office as part of the application process.
  • Where the Home Office refuse your application, advice, and assistance in relation to any appeal
  • Other expenses where applicable such as VAT, Disbursements for medical/expert evidence/ barristers

Whether any fees and disbursements attract VAT and if so the amount of VAT they attract;

Charging VAT in relation to immigration matters can be complex as it 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 we have been instructed and can work out if VAT is properly chargeable. However, most fees attract VAT at the rate from time to time in force, currently 20%.

UK Visas and Immigration and Home Office fees do not usually attract VAT.

Disbursements (not included in costs set out above):

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as visa fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. Disbursements may be liable to VAT at 20%.

  • Translation – these depend on the size of the document and the amount of text to be translated. We will always discuss the cost with you before instructing the translation company to proceed.
  • Independent expert reports e.g. medical experts. These are not required in most 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 travel to see you, there may be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.
  • Life in the UK test or any other tests applicable
Services are included:

Each case is unique and in our initial consultation, we will provide an estimate of the services we will need to achieve the result you want.

The work will involve:

  • discussing your circumstances in detail and confirming whether this is the most appropriate application for you to make and what other options may be available to you.
  • giving you advice about the requirements of the Immigration Rules and whether you meet the criteria.
  • giving you a detailed list of documents and information to be provided, assisting you with templates where possible.
  • collating and reviewing supporting documents.
  • liaising with third parties where required to obtain evidence.
  • Liaising by email and brief phone calls.
  • considering the supporting evidence you have provided, which depends on the type of case and the complexity of the issues.
  • assisting with obtaining further evidence, if necessary (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses.
  • preparing the relevant application forms, submitting these on your behalf and booking any necessary appointments.
  • drafting a comprehensive covering letter in support of your application.
  • giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.
  • Advising on outcome if you do not fulfil the relevant criteria, the implication and whether this can be overcome.

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.

Application processing times and procedure are subject to UK Visas and Immigration/Home Office.

Processing times and procedure will vary depending on whether you are making your application from outside the UK or in the UK and because we are reliant in some respects on you and others for information. It will also depend on the type of application, your circumstances and how complex your case is. Not all UK Visas and Immigration posts overseas offer the full range of priority visa processing for all the application types. Applications filed in the UK can take up to 6 months to be processed using the standard service.  On average applications are processed in between 24 hours to 8 weeks depending on the level of service purchased at the time the application is submitted.

The key stages and work will involve the following, where you are making an administrative review application, appeal or judicial review

Merits and likely outcome (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change).

In administrative review making representations which would include assessing the documents required, advising you on any required supporting documents, reviewing the merits of those documents, advising on any amendments to the documents and drafting detailed representations.

 In an appeal or judicial review

Preparing the claim and reviewing UK Visas and Immigration and the Home Office’s response and/or defence and advising you on the merits of their response/defence (this is likely to be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change).

Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing

Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents

Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses

Preparing bundle of documents

Preparing a case management agenda and attending a hearing (if appropriate) which sets out the list of issues, directions and including likely length of any hearing.

Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements and documents

Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list.

Preparation for and attendance at the hearing including instructions to Counsel and where appropriate a conference with Counsel prior to the hearing

Reviewing court decision and advising on any consequences or next steps

It is difficult to give a time estimate for these matters. The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. A matter can take a month or two for an administrative review matter or a few months if settlement is reached in a court matter. If the claim proceeds to a full and final hearing at court, it could take up to a year or more. The timescales will also depend on, among other things, the complexity of the matter, whether there are any preliminary issues to be resolved, how many days the hearing is listed for, whether it is an appeal in the tribunal or a judicial review how quickly the particular court lists the case for a hearing, and on how quickly the other side responds to requests for information.

Qualification and Conduct

Our team has extensive experience in Immigration.

All members of our Immigration team are specialist lawyers in this area and work is always supervised by our Principal solicitor Wilson Osondu who has been working in this area for more than 10 years. From time to time members of the team may be assisted by a trainee or paralegal, details will be provided to you as and when you choose to instruct us.