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.
We offer a high quality, cost effective legal services. We will give you a clear indication at the beginning of your case how much your costs will be. In straightforward cases we can offer fixed fees. Our fees only cover the costs of preparing and making the application. Should an appeal or challenge be necessary we will agree separate fees with you. We will require payment on account upon instruction and accept payment by cash, cheque or bank transfer.
We provide competitive fees for immigration services and our fees are as follows, with VAT only applicable where indicated.
VAT: Please note all fees quoted are excluding VAT and Home Office fees. VAT is payable at 20% unless exempt.
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
For other services, please contact us.
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.
The fees supplied below include the following services:
- Consideration of documents
- Client attendance
- Taking instructions and providing advice
- Preparing and submitting the application
- Advising on the outcome of the application
Service | Typical Legal Fees Excluding VAT | Including VAT @ 20% |
Ankara Agreement visa: | ||
ECAA Application in the UK (Ankara Agreement) (Further Leave to Remain in the UK) | £1,500 plus VAT for main applicant | £1,800.00 |
£600 plus VAT for each dependant if any | £720.00 | |
Family and Private Life | ||
Entry Clearance Application | £1100 – £1500 and each application | £1,100.00 – £1,500.00 |
Children application £950 | £950.00 | |
Leave to Remain Application | £1200 – £1500 plus VAT | £1,440.00 – £1,800.00 |
£600 plus VAT for each dependant if any | £720.00 | |
Adult Dependent Relative | 2200 plus VAT | £2,640.00 |
British Citizenship and Settlement | ||
Ankara Agreement Indefinite Leave Application | £1,500 plus VAT main application, | £1,800.00 |
£600 plus VAT for each dependant if any | £720.00 | |
Indefinite Leave to Remain | £1000 – £1500 plus VAT | £1,200.00 – £1,800.00 |
British Citizenship – Naturalisation Adult | £1000 – £1500 plus VAT | £1,200.00 – £1,800.00 |
British Citizenship – Naturalisation Child | £900 plus VAT | £1,080.00 |
EU Settled Status | ||
Simple Application | £500 plus VAT | £600.00 |
Complex Cases | £800 plus VAT | £960.00 |
EEA Family Permit (Settlement) | £600 – £1,500 plus VAT | £720.00 – £1,800.00 |
Residence Card Applications | £600– £1,500 plus VAT | £720.00 – £1,800.00 |
Point Based Applications | ||
Tier 1 | £1,400 – £4,500 plus VAT | £1,680.00 – £5,400.00 |
Tier 2 | £4,500 – £5,500 plus VAT | £5,400.00 – £6,600.00 |
Tier 3 | £1,500 – £2,500 plus VAT | £1,800.00 – £3,000.00 |
Tier 4 | £1,500 – £2,500 plus VAT | £1,800.00 – £3,000.00 |
UK Businesses | ||
Sole Representative of an Overseas Business | £3,500 plus VAT | £4,200.00 |
Sponsorship Licence | £3500 plus VAT (non subsidiary companies)* | £4,200.00 |
* Additional fees may apply for travel costs | ||
Long Residence | ||
Indefinite stay after Ten Year in the UK | £1,500 plus VAT | £1,800.00 |
Indefinite stay after 20 years unlawful and/or lawful stay in the UK | £1,750 plus VAT | £2,100.00 |
Appeals, Asylum, Detention and Deportation: | ||
Appeals against Home Office Refusal | £2800 – £3200 plus VAT | £3,360.00 – £3,840.00 |
Asylum Pre-Decision | £1500 plus VAT (plus additional fees for representation at Home Office interview) | £1,800.00 |
Fresh Claim | £1,500 – £2,000 plus VAT | £1,800.00 – £2,400.00 |
Asylum Appeal | £2800 – £3200* plus VAT | £3,100 – £3,380.00 |
Settlement applications for adult dependent relatives | 1500 plus VAT | £1,800.00 |
Refugee Family Reunion Entry Clearance |
£900.00 -£1,100.00 £450 for each additional dependent |
£900.00 £1,100. £450.00 |
Refugee Family Reunion Extension |
£900.00 – £1,100.00 plus VAT £450 for each additional dependent plus VAT |
£1,080.00-£1,320.00 £540.00 |
Deportation Advice / Application | from £1,500.00 | £1,500.00 |
Deportation Appeal | £2,800 – £3,200 | £2,800 – £3,200 |
Bail Application | £1500 | £1,500. |
Judicial Review |
£2,500.00 – £6,000 ( Plus VAT if payable )
|
£2,500.00 – £6,000 If VAT Payable (£3,000.00 – £7,200.)
|
* additional fees may apply if hearing is listed outside London | ||
Application for Regularisation of Stay – overstayers | ||
Application for Regularisation of stay- Overstayers | ||
Human Rights Applications (Private Life) | £1,500 plus VAT if payable | £1,800.00 |
Family life as parent/Partner | £1,500 plus VAT if payable | £1,800.00 |
Compassionate circumstances | £1,750 -2,5000 plus VAT if payable | £2,100.00 |
Reconsideration applications to Home Office | £750 plus VAT if payable | £900.00 |
All other Services | ||
Visit Visas | £800.00 | £800.00 |
British Passport Applications | £150 plus VAT | £180.00 |
Travel Document Applications- | £450 plus VAT | £540.00 |
Schengen Visa | £450 plus VAT | £540.00 |
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.
All fees are average:
Our fees in respect of immigration matters will vary based on the amount of work involved.
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.
We will charge the sum of £35.00 plus VAT (a total of £42.00 Inc. VAT) for electronic money transfers.
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.
Disbursements and Other Costs
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as visa fees. You will pay these directly to the Home Office. 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 disbursement costs 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
- Scanning Fee £75.00 per person
- Archiving/storage fee £60.00 plus VAT (£72.00 Inc. VAT)
- Administration fees for appointment, telephone calls etc. £70.00 Plus VAT (£84.00 Inc. VAT)
- 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 – £3,000 plus VAT (£1200 – £3600 Inc. VAT). Each subsequent day would be an additional £500 – £1,500 plus VAT (£600 – £1800 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
- Where an interpreter is required, you will be responsible for the costs at the interpreter’s hourly rate. 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, based on our previous research, may be c.£30 – £70 + VAT per hour (£36.00 – £84.00 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.
- It is up to you who you choose to interpret, and you can, if you wish, bring a friend, family member or community figure etc to come and help interpret.
The costs quoted for our fees do not include:
- Home Office immigration health surcharge
- Any Home Office feesfor 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.
How long will my matter take?
The time scale from inception of the file to completion for each immigration application will mainly depend on the processing times by the UK Border Agency or Home Office. We aim to process your file and application and prepare it for submission within 1-4 weeks depending on the complexity of your case. Although the UK Border Agency and Home Office provide guidelines on the waiting times or processing times, there are many cases where an application take much longer for them to process or make decision. Therefore, it is difficult to give a precise timescale. However, we recommend you refer to the UK Border Agency and Home Office websites for their estimated turnaround times for further information. An estimated time scale for each service we offer is as follows but please bear in mind these can vary on a case by case basis:
Nationality | 2-3 months | |
Registration as British Citizen as a child under 18 | Outside the UK: 5-6 months | Inside the UK: 2-3 months |
EEA law settlement scheme and pre-settlement scheme | 4-6 weeks | |
ECAA Application in the UK (Ankara Agreement) | usually 6 months | |
Extend your leave or settle in the UK as a partner or parent of a dependent child | 2-3 Months | |
Apply for a travel document | 4-6 weeks | |
Entry clearance for spouse or fiancée visa | 2 months (expedite service available) | |
All visitor visa | 2-4 weeks | |
Application remains in the UK under your family life or private life | 2-3 months | |
Human Right Appeals (Hourly Rate of £200.00 plus VAT per hour) | Variable | |
Administrative Review | 1-2 months | |
General Immigration Appeals Tribunal Review | Variable |
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 h ere: https://visa-processingtimes.homeoffice.gov.uk/
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.
Fee Earners
The following fee earners handle Immigration matters:
We have Aysel Guler and Yasmin Armagan members of the team who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Aysel Guler, Head of Immigration.
Questions
If you have any questions relating to our services and our fees, please contact us on 0203 489 7010 or email us at info@novasolicitors.com