Immigration Fees
Legal Fee Information for Immigration Services
Introduction
We have set out below the issues you need to consider in relation to Legal Fees and disbursements for the preparation and submission of immigration applications. Our Legal Fees cover all of the work required to handle your case from instruction to conclusion.
VAT, currently 20%, will be payable on all our fees and some disbursements, unless exempt, and we will clearly confirm which disbursements carry VAT in formal quotation or as we advise you to incur them.
VAT is not payable:
If you are resident overseas
If you are an asylum seeker
If you don’t have leave to remain in the United Kingdom
If your immigration application is refused and you are appealing and have no leave to remain in the UK
Legal Fees and Action We Will Take
Legal Fees are the amount you will be required to pay for all the work performed by us in actioning your instructions from commencement of your case to conclusion.
We can provide our services on a fixed fee or on an hourly rate basis due to the individual nature and requirements of each client’s matter. Our hourly rate of £204.00-£312.00 plus VAT (£244.80- £6374.40 Inc. VAT) will be applied in these matters. This is based on the solicitor,and the level of their experience, who will work on your case:
A-Grade Solicitors: £312.00 plus VAT per hour (£374.40 inc. VAT)
B-Grade Solicitors: £256.00 plus VAT per hour (£307.20inc. VAT)
C-Grade Solicitors: £204.00 plus VAT per hour (£244.80 inc. VAT)
We provide immigration advice and assistance to our clients with the preparation and submission of immigration applications.
The price information provided below is a guide price only and is not necessarily a binding quote for your individual matter. The fee estimate tailored to your matter will be provided upon your instructions. The costs below exclude asylum applications.
All fees are average unless quoted as fixed fee:
Fees for Immigration application : | Typical Legal Fees Excluding VAT | Typical Fees Inc. VAT @ 20% |
Tier-1 Visa application | £1,000 - £5,000 | £1,200 - £6,000 |
Tier-4 Student Visas application | £600 - £2,500 | £720 - £3,000 |
Skilled Work Visas application | £600 - £3,000 | £720 - £3,600 |
Sponsor licence application and management | £1,000 - £7,000 | £1,200 - £8,400 |
Other point-based system application | £600 - £3,000 | £720 - £3,600 |
Family visas application | £600 - £5,000 | £720 - £6,000 |
Immigration Appeal | £1200 - £8,000 | £1,440 - £9,600 |
Judicial review | £312 (p/h) for A grade £256 (p/h) for B Grade £204 (p/h) for C grade £143 (p/h) for C grade | £374.4 (p/h) for A Grade £307.2 (p/h) for B Grade £244.80 (p/h) for C Grade £171.6 (p/h) for D grade |
EU settlement scheme | £600 - £2000 | £720- £2,400 |
Nationality and Citizenship applications | £600 - £5,000 | £720 - £6,000 |
Asylum / Human Rights Applications | £3,500 - £8,000.00 | £4,200 - £9,600 |
Every case is different and so we can only estimate the costs of our service once we’ve discussed your situation and seen your paperwork.
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
Whether you meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules easily
Which language(s) you speak
Whether you are applying with other dependants- we charge separately for each dependant
Any previous adverse immigration history and any criminal records
The complexity of your matter
The urgency of your matter
If you can 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 detailed above.
For a more specific quote, kindly email us with details of your immigration matter and we will be happy to provide you with a quotation.
If at any stage our fees change, we will notify you and discuss the reason for any changes. This would typically occur if you change your instructions or your case involves an unforeseen complexity.
Our average fees assume that:
The transaction is concluded in a timely manner and no unforeseen complication arise.
All parties to the transaction are co-operative and there is no unreasonable delay from any parties providing documentation.
What service is included in the price and key stages
Taking your instructions and providing advice
Considering documents
Preparing and submitting the application/appeal
Managing instruction and payment of third parties such Managing instruction and payment of third parties such as country experts, medical practitioners, and translators liaising with the Home Office on any further enquiries;
Advising about the outcome of the application, conditions of your visa and any immediate further steps you need to take.
Also making writing representations
Advising you on timelines and the outcome of any application/appeal
Disbursements and Other Costs
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as visa fees. Youwill pay these directly to the Home Office via your banker’s card which we will request at the time of submitting the application.
We handle the payment of disbursements on your behalf. Most disbursements attract VAT at the prevailing rate which we will add to the bills we receive. We pass the total cost on to you. We do not add VAT on to disbursements where VAT has already been added by the relevant third party. Certain disbursements such as official fees are not subject to VAT.
You will be notified of such fees or anticipated fees at the start of your matter. Typical disbursements and other costs related to your matter may include:
IHS Surcharge – additional fee levied by the Home Office to pay for the NHS. For current charges (details here)
Home Office Fees, which vary depending on your application. You will pay these to the Home Office directly as part of the application process:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table
Court representation at Case Management Review Hearings, First Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal will be chargeable at counsel’s rate. If Counsel is required to be instructed a quotation for their services will be obtained from them and discussed with your before they are instructed to ensure you are fully aware of the fees that will be charged. However, we have given examples of costs below:
The fees of a barrister vary depending on the experience of the advocate and their expertise. In our experience, the initial fee for a barrister and the first day of the hearing (known as the brief fee) will be in the region of £1,000 - £2,000 plus VAT (£1200 – £Inc. VAT). Each subsequent day would be an additional £500.00 - £1,000 plus VAT (£600.00 - £1,200.00 Inc. VAT).
If you want a very experienced barrister, then the cost is likely to be more. You may also incur additional charges such as travel costs for us to attend meetings and hearings.
Interpreters Costs
Interpreters’ fees are not included in any of our costs. These are difficult to estimate, can rack up and are a significant proportion of the overall costs to clients. This means even “fixed fees” may not always be particularly fixed.Where an interpreter is required, you will be responsible for the costs at the interpreter’s hourly rate.
We cannot provide a clear range of interpreters’ costs until a client’s language is known. Sometimes a client may only need a couple of hours with an interpreter, other applications may need 10 or 15 hours, for example where there are a high number of documents needing translation. However, based on our experience, the average cost of an interpreter is provided below.
Fees of interpreters can vary depending on, for instance, the experience and qualifications of the interpreter. A typical hourly fee range for interpreting into and/or from English can be c.£30.00 - £75.00 plus VAT per hour (£36.00 - £90.00 Inc. VAT) and plus any disbursements (such as any costs they need to pay to third parties, such as travel-related costs) the interpreter may incur in providing their service. This means that the potential cost of an interpreter for 3 – 15 Hours work could range from £90.00 - £1,125.00 plus VAT (£108.00 - £1,350.00 inc. VAT) plus disbursements.
The number of hours needed will vary on the complexities of the case.
A quotation for their services will be obtained and discussed with you before they are instructed to ensure you are fully aware of the fees that will be charged.
Clients are also free to find their own interpreters or a friend or community figure to assist them, as appropriate.
The costs quoted for our fees do not include:
Home Office immigration health surcharge. For current charges (details here)
Any Home Office fees for making the application. You will pay this to the Home Office directly as part of the application process.
Costs for English language tests, Tuberculosis tests, criminal record certificates, biometrics.
Immigration Skills Charge
Independent Expert Reports
Independent Medical Reports
Attendance at and travel to/from a Home Office interview: Interviews are rare in most categories, if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, we can give you clear advice (and discuss the possibility of us attending with you) at the appropriate time. We can give you an additional quote for this, if required.
The following factors will increase the complexity of the matter:
Our needing to gather a large amount of supporting information.
Where your application is linked to the applications of others (e.g. your dependants).
Where your application has been refused previously or if you are challenging a refusal of your application.
Adverse criminal or immigration history
Long periods of absence from the UK
Failure to comply with existing or previous visa conditions, including overstaying
How long will my matter take?
Provided all the relevant documents in a timely manner, we should be able to submit your application in 2-4 weeks. We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. As a general indication, standard decisions can take several weeks to a few months, while priority/super-priority options (where available) may result in faster decisions.This is just an estimate, and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses. Details of current processing times can be found here: https://visa-processingtimes.homeoffice.gov.uk/
There are vastly different processing times depending on the application you are making and we can advise you in detail once instructed.
We ask clients to instruct us at least 2-6 months before their intended visa start date, or expiry date of their current visa to ensure they have enough time to qualify under time sensitive requirements in relation to financial evidence and prepare complex documents adequately.
Who Will Handle Your Case
Depending on the type of transaction, complexity and experience required we will allocate the most appropriate member of our immigration team to your transaction once you instruct us. Regardless of who works on your case, they will be supervised by the head of our immigration department, Mohammed Sarwar, a Solicitor and Director of the firm. Mr Sarwar has been working in this area since he qualified in 2014 and has helped thousands of families and individuals. Mr Sarwar’s hourly rate is £312.00 plus VAT (minimum). Apart from Mr Sarwar, your case may be dealt by the following:
Mr Mohammad Hossain, a solicitor (minimum hourly rate of £204.00 plus VAT)
Mr Duilio D’Aleo, a solicitor, (minimum hourly rate of £204.00 plus VAT)
Mr Hamidul Faysal, a legal consultant (minimum hourly rate £143.00 plus VAT)
Mr Aminur Rashid, a legal consultant (minimum hourly rate £143.00 plus VAT)
Mr Rumel Ahmed, a legal consultant (minimum hourly rate £143.00 plus VAT)
Questions
If you have any questions relating to our services and our fees, please call us on 020 8534 1176 or email us at:info@cityheightssolicitors.co.uk
Other Legal Services
We also work on family, commercial leasehold conveyancing, landlord and tenant, employment and civil litigation including debt recovery. Fees for Employment Tribunal Claims and Debt Recovery can be seen here:
Employment Tribunal Claims [link when page created]
Debt Recovery [link when page created]
Civil Litigation
For civil litigation matter, we charge on hourly rates as mentioned above. We may require you to deposit money on account (ranging from £2,000.00 up to £10,000.00) at the start of the litigation. The amount will be decided by the relevant fee earner based on the complexity and financial value of the case.
Commercial Conveyancing
For Commercial Property Leasehold conveyancing, our fees start from £1,500.00 up to £3,000.00 plus VAT @20% (£1,800.00 - £3,600.00 inc. VAT). The client is responsible for disbursements such as AML search fee, Local Authority search fee and other searches, expert fees, Land registry, SDLT fee etc. Our team will be able to provide you with a quote once we receive your instructions.
Family Law
For family divorce matter (non-contentious), our fee is £700.00 plus VAT @20% (£840.00 inc. VAT). Contentious, financial and matters involving children are done with hourly rate basis as mentioned above.
Landlord and tenant:
For Landlord and eviction matter (non-contentious), we charge fixed fee of £2000.00 plus VAT @20 (£2400.00 inc. VAT). For contentious matter are done with hourly rate basis as mentioned above.
Family Life:
Where the firm is required to undertake an Anti-Money Laundering search as part of our Client Due Diligence Process the firm will charge:
Please note that, we do not have legal aid. All the matters must be privately funded.
£7.00 plus VAT (£8.40 inc. VAT) for an individual based in the UK
£14.00 plus VAT (£16.80 inc. VAT) for an individual based overseas or a Corporate Entity.
