Our professional fees

On all the above immigration matters, we offer a fixed-fee costs agreement so that you are aware of the full costs of your legal fees at the outset of our retainer. We will always confirm, at the outset of our retainer, the exact amount of your fixed fee which will be confirmed in writing in our letter of engagement (ie. client care letter)

Vat

All the fixed-fee prices above include VAT (currently charged at a rate of 20%) where applicable, unless otherwise stated. You should note, however, that whether your proposed immigration application attracts VAT may depend on where you live (ie. in the UK or abroad) and the immigration permission you currently have. We will confirm whether VAT (currently charged at a rate of 20%) is payable when we initially receive instructions from you, at which point we will be able to confirm whether VAT is properly chargeable.

Costs Not Included in Fixed-Fee

The fixed fee costs quoted above are for lawyer fees only and do not include:

• Any applicable Home Office application fees for making the application. You will pay this to the Home Office directly as part of the application process.
• Any IHS fees, if applicable. IHS fees are a contribution by migrants, with temporary status, towards the healthcare costs of the NHS
• Any disbursements such as for an interpreter and/or translation fees (see below)
• Where the Home Office refuse your application, any advice and assistance in relation to challenging the refusal decision, for example by appealing the refusal decision.

disbursements

Disbursements are costs associated to your proposed application which are payable to third-parties. In most cases, they will be paid directly by you to the third-party. The most common disbursements for an immigration application are the Home Office application fees, and the Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (IHS). You should note that the IHS is not payable on all applications, such as applications for settlement. We will, of course, advise you at the outset if IHS is payable on your proposed application. The application fees and IHS are determined and reviewed by the Home Office and are therefore subject to change. We will advise you at the time of your proposed application, of the exact amount of your application costs and IHS costs (if applicable).

For appeals, you may incur costs for instructing counsel to represent you at a hearing. Counsel fees are dependent on numerous factors such as the location of the hearing, the type of hearing and the seniority and experience of the counsel we are proposing to instruct. We will advise you of any counsel fees once these have been negotiated with counsel.

Application Fees

Please click button below for a list of the current Home Office application fees:

home office application fees

Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (IHS)

Please click button below for details on current IHS fees:

ihs costs

Home Office application fees and the IHS are determined and reviewed by the Home Office and are therefore subject to change. We will advise you at the time of your proposed visa application, of the exact amount of your application costs and IHS costs (if applicable).

additional fees

The above-quoted fixed-fees will increase in the following circumstances:

1). You include dependants in your application (ie. your partner and/or children). Typically, there will be an additional charge of £100 per dependent. We will confirm the exact increase in costs when we initially receive instructions from you so that you are able to make an informed choice on whether to proceed with the application. 

2) Your application is of a time-sensitive nature ie. it must be submitted within 5 working days. Typically, there will be an additional charge of 20% of the above quoted fixed-fee. For example, if the quoted fixed fee for your proposed visa application is £500, your fixed fee will be increased to £600 (ie. an increase of 20%). We will confirm the exact increase in costs when we initially receive instructions from you so that you are able to make an informed choice on whether to proceed with the application.

3). There are unusual (ie. non-conventional) complexities in your case which is likely to incur considerably more time. Typically, there will be an additional charge of up to 40% of the above quoted fixed-fee. We will confirm the exact increase in costs when we initially receive instructions from you so that you are able to make an informed choice on whether to proceed with the application. 

4). There is subsequently an unforeseen complexity in your case which is likely to incur considerably more time. Typically, there will be an additional charge of up to 40% of the above quoted fixed-fee. We will confirm the exact increase in costs in writing as soon as any such complexity comes to our attention so that you are able to make an informed choice on whether to proceed with the application. You should note that this only likely to happen in very rare cases.

5). If you are not responding to our correspondence in a timely manner or otherwise not following our advice. Typically, there will be an additional charge of 20% of the above quoted fixed-fee. You will be notified of the increase in costs with an explanation as to why we have increased your costs. 

6). If you change your instructions from that given at the outset of our retainer and, consequently, we are required to undertake additional work. The additional charge will inevitably be dependant of the amount of additional work – we will confirm the exact increase in costs at the time you change your instructions so that you are able to make an informed choice on whether to proceed with the application

7). You request for us to attend with you at a location outside our office address, for example, an attendance at court, a Home Office interview etc. The additional charge will be dependant on distance and travel time to and from the venue as well as attendance time at the specified location. Typically, there will be an additional charge of £80 per hour travel time and £220 per hour attendance time. We will confirm the exact increase in costs when we receive instructions from you so that you are able to make an informed choice on whether you wish for us to attend.

8). If you require interpretation services. The additional charge will be dependent on the time for which you require interpretation assistance. Typically, there will be an additional charge of £80 per hour. We will obtain an accurate quote for you from a third-party interpretation company prior to you instructing them so that you are able to make an informed choice on whether you wish to proceed.

9). If you require certified translation service. The additional charge will be dependent on the number of documents that you require translating and also, possibly, the language of the original document. Typically, there will be an additional charge of £60 per document. We will obtain an accurate quote for you from a third-party certified translation company prior to you instructing them so that you are able to make an informed choice on whether you wish to proceed.

services included for fixed fee

The fixed fee payable for our professional services covers, but is not limited to, the following:

• Initial consultation and legal advice based on your instructions
• Confirming your instructions and our advice in writing, as well as detailing our full terms of engagement
• Advice on the documentation you require to support your proposed application
• Review of supporting documents – further advice if necessary
• Advice on format of certain supporting documents
• Drafting certain supporting documents (ie. witness statements)
• Drafting representations to support your application
• Submitting your application by Royal Mail recorded delivery or special delivery service
• Responding to any correspondence received from the Home Office or other third-parties
• Keeping you updated on the progress of your application
• Notifying you and discussing the outcome of the application
• If successful, closing and storing your file for a minimum period of 6 years
• If unsuccessful, discussing the options that may be available to you

Key Stages to your application

Stage 1 – Fact Find

At this stage, we will get to know you and what you are looking to achieve from instructing us. We will take detailed instructions from you and advise you of the options that are available to you in light of your instructions. We will advise you of the requirements for any proposed application and the documentary evidence that you will need to support such an application. How long this stage takes is, to a large extent, determined by the time it takes for you to provide the documentary evidence that we have requested to support your proposed application. Typically, this stage will take 2 weeks.

Stage 2 – Preparation

Once we have taken detailed instructions from you and are in receipt of the documentary evidence that we have requested to support your proposed application, we will begin drafting representations to support your application. In our representations we will refer to the supporting documents you have provided and clarify, with supporting legal arguments, how you meet the requirements of your proposed application. Typically, this stage can take anywhere between 1-3 weeks, depending on the facts of your particular case.

Stage 3 – Submission & Result

Once we have fully prepared your representations and are satisfied that your case is ready for submission, we will submit your application and notify you of the same. We will fully assess our representations and the supporting evidence before your application is submitted to ensure that you are given the best possible chances of receiving a positive outcome to your application. The extent to which we can do this, however, is dependent on your instructions, your case circumstances and the evidence that you are able to provide to support your application. Once we have submitted your application, we will await receipt of the application result. The time it takes for the Home Office to process your visa application varies – please click here for current processing times

Stage 4 – Post-Result

We will notify you of the application result in a timely manner. If successful, we will notify you of the positive outcome to your application and thereafter make arrangements to close and store your file (for a period of 6 years). If unsuccessful, we will invite you to discuss the refusal letter, particularly the reasons given for refusing the application, and the options that may be available to you.

How long is your application likely to take to process?

Once we have prepared and submitted your application, we are at the mercy of the Home Office as to how long it will take for them to process your application – this can vary substantially depending on your application and the complexity of your case. Please click the following button for the current Home Office application processing times:
processing times

What others say about us?

We have a proven track record in achieving successful outcomes for our clients. We invite you to look at our Google reviews by clicking here.

complaints

We want to give you the best possible service. However, if at any point you become unhappy or concerned about the service we have provided then you should inform us immediately, so that we can do our best to resolve the problem.
In the first instance it may be helpful to contact the person who is working on your case to discuss your concerns and we will do our best to resolve any issues at this stage. If you would like to make a formal complaint, then you can read our full complaints procedure by emailing us to request a copy at complaints@bakerchase.com. Making a complaint will not affect how we handle your case.

You can raise your concerns with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. sra

What to do if we cannot resolve your complaint

The Legal Ombudsman can help you if we are unable to resolve your complaint ourselves. They will look at your complaint independently and it will not affect how we handle your case.

Before accepting a complaint for investigation, the Legal Ombudsman will check that you have tried to resolve your complaint with us first. If you have, then you must take your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

• Within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint; and
• No more than one year from the date of act/omission; or
• No more than one year from when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint.
  If you would like more information about the Legal Ombudsman, please contact them.