Residential Conveyancing
TEAMS
We have four offices in Old Street London EC1, Baker Street London W1, Manchester Piccadilly, and Exeter which all have teams carrying out conveyancing.
The team at Old Street is supervised by partners Paul Cain, and Deniz Oguzkanli and comprises solicitors and other conveyancers.
The team at Baker Street is supervised by partners John O’Callaghan and Mustafa Abbas and comprises solicitors and other conveyancers.
The team at Manchester is supervised by partner Afsheen Nasr and comprises solicitors and other conveyancers.
The team at Exeter is supervised by John O’Callaghan and comprises solicitors and other conveyancers.
You will have a dedicated person who will be responsible for your case and who will be supported by team colleagues.
OUR FEES
Our fees for conveyancing services will depend on the value of the property and the degree of complexity. We do not aim to be the cheapest in the market but to offer good value for quality work and service.
Residential Property sales and purchases.
Our fees will range from £1,100 plus vat at the lower end of the scale to, for example, £3,000 plus vat for a purchase of £2,000,000.00. Some examples are given below but please do contact us without obligation for a specific quotation tailored to the particular work involved. The more information we have about the transaction the more accurate we can be.
Our fees will include
Purchase
-Dealing with identity requirements and other compliance
-Reviewing title and information supplied by the seller
-Carrying out searches and enquires
-Reporting to you on the transaction
-Acting for your mortgage lender
-Dealing with exchange of contracts
-Preparing for and dealing with completion
-Dealing with your Stamp Duty Land Tax Return and payment
-Registration at land Registry
Sale
-Dealing with identity requirements and other compliance
-Preparing sale contract and documentation
-Dealing with purchaser enquires
-Dealing with exchange of contracts
-Preparing for and dealing with completion
-Paying off existing mortgage and accounting to you for sale monies ( if there are multiple charges or restrictions to be redeemed we may charge additional fees depending on the work involved)
Remortgage
-Dealing with identity requirements and other compliance
-Reviewing mortgage offer and conditions and dealing with requirements of the lender
-Preparing mortgage documentation
-Preparing for and dealing with completion
-Paying off existing mortgage and accounting to you for sale monies
-Completing the remortgage and registering at Land Registry
Non standard transactions
We may charge different fees for cases which have particular features or complications. For example:
-Auction purchase. Typical additional charge will be 25% of our usual fee
-Unregistered title Registration of tile. Typical additional charge will be 25% of our usual fee.
-New build properties. Typical additional charge will be 40% of our usual fee.
-Islamic mortgage. Typical additional charge will be 25% of our usual fee.
-Help to buy. Supplement £150 plus vat
-Help to Buy ISA £50.00 plus vat
-Shared ownership. Supplement £250 plus vat
-Purchase of repossessed property. Typical additional charge will be 25% of our usual fee.
-Lease extensions and variations. Fees dependent on terms and complexity.
-Buy to let mortgages by specialist lenders
-Purchases by companies
-Overseas identity requirements ( £250 to £500 plus vat )
-Documentation for Gifts of deposits (typically £250 plus vat)
-Dealing with defective titles
Some example simple cases are provided below
Example for a leasehold purchase of a flat for £350,000 by a first time buyer
Disbursements Amount VAT
| Our fees | Amount | VAT |
| Our fee for acting in leasehold purchase of £350,000 | £1,350.00 | £240 |
| Other Costs | ||
| Bank transfer fee (to complete) | £35.00 | £7 |
| Completing Land Transaction Return | £50.00 | £10 |
| £1,435.00 | £257 | |
| VAT | £287. 00 | |
| Searches (indicative cost; amount varies per Local Authority) | £350.00 | £40 |
| Land Registry Priority Searches inc vat | £3.60 | n/a |
| Bankruptcy Search per person inc vat | £2.40 | n/a |
| Stamp Duty Land Tax (assuming you have never previously owned a property) | £2,500 | n/a |
| Land Registry Fee inc vat | £150.00 | n/a |
| Check on the seller’s solicitor’s bank account | £18.00 | n/a |
| Electronic ID checks | £12 | n/a |
| Fee payable to landlord to record change of ownership (this is very variable depending on the lease) | £100 | £20 |
| Chancel policy (to protect against any potential liability under ancient laws to contribute to church repair) | £17.50 | n/a |
| £3,135.50 | £60 | |
| Total | Amount | VAT |
| £4,875.50 | £317 |
Freehold remortgage of freehold house with redemption of existing mortgage
DisbursementsAmountVAT
| Our fees | Amount | VAT |
| Our fee for acting in freehold remortgage of £350,000 | £750 | £150 |
| Other Costs | ||
| Bank transfer fee (to complete) | £35 | £7 |
| Bank transfer fee (to redeem mortgage) | £35 | £7 |
| £820.00 | £164 | |
| Searches indemnity policy (if lender allows, this will be less than the cost of searches) estimate | £51 | n/a |
| Land Registry Priority Search inc vat | £3.60 | £0.60 |
| Bankruptcy Search ( per person) inc vat | £2.40 | £0.40 |
| Land Registry Fee | £45 | n/a |
| Electronic ID checks | £12 | n/a |
| £66.00 | ||
| Total | Amount | VAT |
| £886.00 | £165.00 |
How long will my conveyance take?
How long it will take from your offer being accepted until you can move into your house will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes approximately 7-12 weeks.
It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the chain. For example, if you are a first-time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle, it could take 4 weeks (if the property is ready to complete); if you are in a purchase/sale chain then the timescale will depend on the progress of the other parties in the chain and when they are ready to progress; as a general guide, this could take 10-12 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 3 and 6 months. In such, a situation additional charges would apply.
Other information
This information is provided for illustration purposes and to help clients understand how we charge for our services. Please do discuss your circumstances. If you instruct us you will be provided with a quotation tailored to your transaction in our client care letter/terms of business which will set out our relationship.
Employment Tribunal cases – claims for unfair and wrongful dismissal
TEAM
The team at Old Street is supervised by partner Michael Michaeloudis and comprises solicitors and other fee earners.
You will have a dedicated person who will be responsible for your case and who will be supported by team colleagues.
OUR FEES
There are three main elements to the legal fees that you will incur in relation to employment tribunal cases:
-Our fees;
-Expenses we must pay out on your behalf; and
-Costs that you may have to pay another party.
The amount we charge depends on a number of different factors such as complexity and value. We charge clients based on the amount of time that we spend on a matter. The hourly rate will depend on the seniority of the lawyer acting on your matter and also how complex the work is. Our typical hourly rates range from £250.00 per hour + VAT for a solicitor (£300.00 inclusive of VAT) to £300 per hour + VAT (£360.00 inclusive of VAT) for a Partner.
However, every case is different and we encourage you to contact us to discuss your circumstances as we may be able to consider an alternative method of funding such as legal expenses insurance or a damages-based agreement. We sometimes agree on fixed fees for different stages of a matter if appropriate for your case.
VAT on our fees: All our fees are subject to VAT charged at 20% of the fee amount, unless specifically stated otherwise – we explain the amount of our fee, the VAT chargeable and the total amount, inclusive of VAT on this page.
Expenses (disbursements)
Even where our charges are fixed, you may also have to pay some expenses in addition. For example, a barrister’s fees, or fees for an expert witness.
Barrister’s fees for attending an Employment Tribunal usually range from £750 to £2,500 per day plus VAT (£900 to £3,000 inclusive of VAT).
Photocopying Fees – in some cases, you will need to pay photocopying costs for the preparation of bundles such as hearing bundles for the Tribunal, which will depend on the number of pages to be photocopied at a rate of approximately 25p plus VAT (30p inclusive of VAT) per page.
Fees for an expert witness (medical) if required in your case can range between £1,000 – £5,000 plus VAT (£1,200 – £6,000 inclusive of VAT).
These are indicative fees only; we will notify you of the amount of these expenses (or if that is not possible, the basis of calculation) before they are incurred. We usually handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
VAT on disbursements: VAT at the prevailing rate of 20% is generally charged on all disbursements.
Costs you may have to pay another party
Costs do not usually follow the event in the Employment Tribunal which means that even if you win, you will usually have to pay your own legal fees. There are a few circumstances when the Employment Tribunal will award costs and it is possible that either you or the other party can apply for a costs order from the Employment Tribunal.
Overall Costs
We estimate that the total cost to bring or defend a case in the Employment Tribunal will be approximately:
– £20,000 – £25,000 + VAT (£24,000 – £30,000 including VAT) for an ordinary unfair dismissal case where expert evidence is not required.
– £25,000 – £50,000 + VAT (£30,000 – £60,000 including VAT) for a more complex case such as automatic unfair dismissal involving discrimination where expert evidence is not required.
These estimated total legal costs include our fees and disbursements (such as a barrister’s costs and photocopying costs). These are indicative fees only – factors that could increase the complexity of your case and are not included in the above estimates will include:
We also point out that in the majority of cases, a settlement is reached before trial, which would reduce the overall cost. If you instruct us you will be provided with a tailored quotation for your case in our client care letter/terms of business.
-If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim, or if jurisdictional issues need to be dealt with.
-Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person.
-Making or defending a costs application.
-Complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties).
-If the number of witnesses or documents required in your case is more than is normally expected in a case of your type.
-Defending other applications made by your opponent or arguments that you, for example, are self-employed.
-If expert evidence is required.
If any complicating factors apply, this will usually increase costs and we would notify you about this before incurring additional fees.
What are the key stages of an Employment Tribunal?
The key stages are as follows and are included in the estimated overall legal costs:
-Taking your initial instructions and reviewing the initial documentation that you send to us.
-Doing a ‘case assessment’ where we will send you a letter of advice on the strengths and weaknesses of your case.
-Negotiate with your employer through ACAS after you have submitted the ACAS early conciliation notification.
-Drafting the claim form (ET1) or response (ET3).
-Preparing a schedule of loss or responding to the claimant’s schedule of loss with a counter schedule of loss.
-Liaising with the barrister, agreeing on a list of issues, reviewing the documentation, preparing a bundle for the preliminary hearing, and preparing for the preliminary hearing.
-Attending the preliminary hearing and discussing the outcome with you.
-Advise you on your disclosure obligations, review the documents that you will disclose, and submit the disclosure documents to the other side.
-Preparing the bundle of documents to give to the other parties and the employment tribunal.
-Preparing witness statements and advising on the witness statements provided by the other side.
-Agreeing and preparing a bundle for the final hearing.
-Liaising with the barrister in relation to the final hearing, reviewing the documentation in relation to the final hearing, and attending the final hearing.
Likely timescale
A simple Employment Tribunal case is likely to take 12-24 months from start to finish if the matter goes to trial (this is largely dependent on how busy the Tribunal is). However, as stated above Employment Tribunal cases are often settled and can be resolved before the full hearing.
Uncontested Probate Work – our service information and estimate fees
When someone passes away it is often necessary to obtain a Grant of Representation to obtain the authority to deal with the deceased’s assets and liabilities whether or not a Will had been made.
Instructing a solicitor with specialist knowledge of the process required to wind up an estate can help you at this difficult time. We can obtain the Grant on your behalf and will also be able to collect in and distribute the assets to beneficiaries and assist with any other matters that arise in relation to the estate and any ongoing trust.
Our team of experts:
The team comprises Devorah Ormonde, Chris O’Callaghan, Zyginta Urbonaite, Katharine Whittingham and Emily Barker who are all qualified solicitors based at our Old Street office who have extensive experience of administering estates as well as dealing with all other areas of Private Client practice. Devorah Ormonde who is a partner at the firm supervises the work of the rest of the members of the team. She is a full member of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners which is the global professional network for private client specialists and assures the highest professional standards. She is also a full accredited member of Association of Lifetime Lawyers and has completed the association education course of the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists and she and the team can advise on any disputes arising as a result of a death. You can therefore be sure that your matter will be in safe and capable hands.
What are the legal costs?
We aim to offer competitive fees for high quality advice and work. The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of the matter, as outlined below. The fee estimates shown below apply to uncontested estates only. An uncontested estate is defined as an estate where there is no dispute as to the validity of the Will, between the beneficiaries on the division of assets and that there are no claims being made against the estate.
Work carried out by partners will be charged at the rate of £300 plus VAT to £350 plus VAT per hour and work carried out by other solicitors will be charged at the rate of £230 plus VAT to £250 plus VAT per hour. We do not charge a percentage of the estate.
It may be possible to agree a fixed fee for administering a simple estate and this could typically range between £2,000 plus VAT and £4,000 plus VAT depending on the circumstances of the estate and the seniority and experience of the person responsible for the work.
An example of a simple uncontested estate is one where:
- There is a valid will or there is no will but it is not necessary to trace beneficiaries under intestacy;
- All assets and liabilities are held in the UK;
- The deceased was UK domiciled;
- There is no more than one property;
- There are bank accounts held with no more than 5 banks;
- If there are shares these are held with one registrar;
- There are no more than 6 beneficiaries and they are all identifiable and traceable, and no trust is required (such as for a minor or vulnerable person);
- There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full inheritance tax account to HMRC.
What does this fee include?
You will be provided with a dedicated and experienced private client solicitor who will see the process through from start to finish. Their professional service will include the following:
- Identifying the executors or administrators and the type of Grant required;
- Notifying the institutions holding assets and obtaining the required documents and asset valuations;
- Completing the return of estate information form;
- Preparing the application for the grant;
- Making the application to the Probate Registry on your behalf;
- Obtaining the Grant and sending this to the institutions;
- Collecting the assets, attending to the institutions’ requirements, and paying any liabilities;
- Preparing the estate administration accounts for your approval; and
- Distributing all assets in the estate to the entitled beneficiaries.
Are there any additional costs?
Disbursements will be payable to third parties in addition to our fees.
We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process. The potential third party costs are as follows:
| Probate application fee: | £300 |
| Additional sealed copy of grant: | £1.50 per sealed copy |
| Land Registry title documents: | £3 plus VAT per title document |
| London Gazette and local paperNotices (protect trustees against unknown creditor claims): | £62.15 – 366.15 plus VAT |
| Property valuations by a RICSqualified surveyor (estimate): | £450 – £550 plus VAT |
| Asset search for any missing assets: | £195 plus VAT |
| National Will Register search: | £49– 105 plus VAT |
How long does the process take?
On average, estates that fall within this range are dealt with within 4-6 months from taking instructions to closing our file. The time it takes to obtain the information required to prepare the probate application often takes 2-6 weeks. This depends both on the assets held in the estate, the efficiency of third parties in responding to us, and on how promptly the executors are able to liaise with us and sign documents. Typically, obtaining the Grant (once the application has been sent to the Registry) takes 4-8 weeks. Collecting in the assets then follows, which can take up to 8 weeks depending on the assets involved.
Finalising and approving the estate accounts and distributing the assets to the beneficiaries can then take up to 4 weeks.
If there is a property to sell, then the process will take longer to finalise and be dependent on the property market. There will also be a separate charge for acting on your behalf in connection with the sale of any property and this will be confirmed with you by a solicitor in our conveyancing team prior to any work being undertaken.
What if my matter is more complicated?
If a full inheritance tax account is required or there are other reasons why the estate is more complicated, our hourly charging rates will apply and the costs will depend on the complexity and the work which needs to be completed. It is important to provide us with as much information about the estate as you can at the outset so that we can try to provide as accurate an estimate of our costs as possible prior to commencing work.
Possible complications include:
- Multiple beneficiaries, including those that are charitable, resident overseas, under 18 and/or vulnerable;
- One or more of the beneficiaries cannot be located, whether under a will or an Intestacy;
- There is more than one property, a life interest in a property, and/or investment properties;
- Inheritance tax is payable;
- An application for the Residence Nil Rate Band inheritance tax relief is required;
- A trust is created in the Will, or arises in respect of a minor beneficiary;
- There are shareholdings with more than one share registrar;
- A deed of variation is being entered into to vary the beneficial entitlements;
- The estate has an international element, for example: the deceased was non-UK domiciled or there is a query over their domicile status or owned assets in another jurisdiction.
What if I want to do some of the work myself?
If you would like to obtain valuations of all the assets and liabilities in the estate and to deal with the administration of the estate yourself but would like us to prepare and submit an application for the grant of representation on your behalf, then provided that the death occurred after 1 January 2022, an inheritance tax account is not required and we do not have to communicate with any third parties other than the Probate Registry, the work would be carried out at a fixed fee of £1,250 plus VAT. There would also be a fee payable to the Probate Registry of £300.
As part of this fixed fee we would:
-Identify the type of grant required and the documentation required to enable us to complete the paperwork to apply for the grant;
-Review the documentation;
-Calculate the net value and gross value of the estate for inheritance tax purposes and the net qualifying value of the estate;
-Prepare the application for the grant on your behalf;
-Make the application to the Probate Registry on your behalf;
-Send you the grant of representation.
If any additional work is required, there would be additional costs.
Immigration
TEAM
The team at Old Street is led by Mohammed Abukar who is a Senior Associate Solicitor who has extensive experience in advising on Complex Immigration and Human Rights Cases, Corporate Immigration and Private Immigration cases, and comprises solicitors and/or other fee earners.
You will have a dedicated person who will be responsible for your case and who will be supported by team colleagues.
How much will the application cost?
On this page we set out the typical fees for the preparation and submission of immigration applications. The fees are for your general guidance only – please do contact us without obligation for a specific quotation tailored to your particular circumstances.
The overall cost to you is made up of two main elements:
1.Our fees; described in Section 3
2.Disbursements – costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Home Office Application fees; described in Section 4
What are our typical fees for individual immigration applications?
Our typical fees are set out in the below table and provided as a range. The exact fee depends on the circumstances of your case, such as:
-The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider
-Which language(s) you speak
-Whether it is an initial application or an extension
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 this range.
| Application type | Lower Range | Upper Range | ||||
| Fee (excl. VAT) | VAT | Fee (incl. VAT) | Fee (excl. VAT) | VAT | Fee (incl. VAT) | |
| Start-up or Innovator visa | £5000 | £1000 | £6000 | £13000 | £2600 | £15600 |
| Global Talent visa | £2000 | £400 | £2400 | £5000 | £1000 | £6000 |
| Skilled worker visa | £1000 | £200 | £1200 | £2500 | £500 | £3000 |
| Senior or Specialist worker visa | £1000 | £200 | £1200 | £2500 | £500 | £3000 |
| Tier 4 (General) Student visa | £1750 | £350 | £2100 | £2500 | £500 | £3000 |
| Tier 4 (Child) Student visa | £1750 | £350 | £2100 | £2500 | £500 | £3000 |
| Temporary Work Routes [Previously known as Tier 5] | £1000 | £200 | £1200 | £1500 | £300 | £1800 |
| Ancestry visa | £1500 | £300 | £1800 | £2000 | £400 | £2400 |
| Fiancé(e) or Proposed Civil Partner of British national or settled person visa | £2000 | £400 | £2400 | £3000 | £600 | £3600 |
| Spouse, Civil Partner, Unmarried Partner, or Child of British national or settled person (five-year route to settlement) | £2000 | £400 | £2400 | £3000 | £600 | £3600 |
| Dependant Adult Relative | £3500 | £700 | £4200 | £5000 | £100 | £6000 |
| Standard Visitor | £1000 | £200 | £1200 | £2000 | £400 | £2400 |
| Overseas Domestic Worker Visa | £2000 | £400 | £2400 | £4000 | £800 | £4800 |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain following five-years in the UK | £1500 | £300 | £1800 | £2500 | £500 | £3000 |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain following 10 years in the UK | £2000 | £400 | £2400 | £4000 | £800 | £4800 |
| Naturalisation as a British Citizen | £1500 | £300 | £1800 | £2500 | £500 | £3000 |
| Registration as a British Citizen | £1500 | £300 | £1800 | £2500 | £500 | £3000 |
In some cases we are able to offer fixed fees for the above applications and in other cases we offer fees based on time spent by the relevant team member. Our standard hourly charging rates are as follows:
| Partner | £350 plus 20% VAT per hour = £420 per hour |
| Senior Solicitor | £300 plus 20% VAT per hour = £360 per hour |
| Solicitor | £250 plus 20% VAT per hour = £300 per hour |
| Trainee Solicitor / Paralegal / Case Worker | £220 plus 20% VAT per hour = £264 per hour |
These rates may increase each year.
Our typical fees are an example of the fees that we would charge for a typical immigration application that does not include any complicating factors such as:
-Applications for more than one applicant or which include multiple dependent children;
-Prior criminal convictions or court judgments against the applicant;
-Document-heavy applications, with bundles of over 80 pages;
-Adverse immigration history;
-Urgent applications, or ones where you wish to use the Home Office priority processing routes.
Our typical fees include:
-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;
-considering the supporting evidence you have provided, which we anticipate will take up to 3 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);
-where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses;
-preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf, which we anticipate will take up to 3 hours;
-your 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;
-giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.
Our typical fees exclude:
-Any work not set out in the list above
-Disbursements – see section 4 below
-advice and assistance in relation to any appeal if the Home Office refuse your application
-*our costs to attend a Home Office interview with you or any other appointment outside our London offices
-if you do not fulfil certain criteria, advice in relation to whether this can be overcome and how
-Any additional work that we need to do if;
-Documents that we have asked you to provide are not provided promptly and in good order, or are provided piecemeal
-Your instructions change during the course of the matter and we need to make changes to documents or applications
-We need to correspond with third parties (such as banks) to obtain documents for your application and they do not respond promptly, respond piecemeal, or fail to provide the correct documents
-The amount of communication and correspondence from you or others in relation to your application is excessive or unreasonable
If we need to do additional work we will notify you as soon as possible of additional fees that you are likely to incur.
VAT on our fees: All our fees are subject to VAT charged at 20% of the fee amount, unless specifically stated otherwise – we explain the amount of our fee, the VAT chargeable and the total amount, inclusive of VAT on this page. Charging VAT in relation to immigration matters 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 you instruct us and we can work out if VAT is properly chargeable.
Disbursements
In addition to our fees you will also need to pay for disbursements on your matter.
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Home Office Application fees. In some circumstances we will make payment of disbursements on your behalf, and in other circumstances you may be asked to pay disbursements directly.
You will usually need to pay for:
-Home Office immigration and nationality fees (the current fees are set out in https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table/home-office-immigration-and-nationality-fees-13-april-2023);
-Translators fees for any documents that need to be translated; these vary based on the language and the length and complexity of documents being translated.
Depending on which application you are making, you may also need to pay for:
-Interpreter’s fees – If an interpreter is required their charges will depend on the language to be interpreted, and the number of hours that the interpreter’s presence is required. Their charge rates usually range from £27 to £45 per hour inclusive of VAT.
-The number of hours needed will vary depending on the complexities of the case from a couple of hours in a straightforward case, to 15-20 hours in a more complex case or one where an interpreter is required for every meeting with you. You do not have to use a professional interpreter or one appointed by this firm; if there is a friend, relative or community figure who is able to translate for you, that can help to reduce costs.
-Immigration Health Surcharge Fees (the current fees are set out in https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/print and can be calculated at https://www.immigration-health-surcharge.service.gov.uk/checker/type )
-Biometric appointment fees(the current fees are set out in Biometric residence permits (BRPs): Give your fingerprints and photo – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) )
-Counsel’s fees. In the event of us seeking the advice of a Barrister (Counsel) you will be liable for their fees which vary depending on seniority. We will discuss with you options and costs in relation to Counsel before instructing them on your behalf and we shall keep you informed as to the hourly rate of any barristers that are instructed in your matter;
-The cost of obtaining a Tuberculosis test;
-The cost of obtaining any relevant certificates, or copies of them, such as criminal record or degree certificates;
-The cost of any English language examination or proficiency test which varies depending on the type of test, provider, and location;
-The cost of independent expert reports, eg 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 we attend an interview with you, or other appointment outside our London offices, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.
VAT on disbursements: VAT at the prevailing rate of 20% is generally charged on all disbursements other than Home Office visa application fees. Charging VAT in relation to immigration matters 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 you instruct us and we can work out if VAT is properly chargeable.
How long will my application take?
There are 3 main steps in a typical immigration application.
Step 1 (2-4 weeks, but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this)
-Taking your instructions 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;
-Considering your supporting evidence;
-Where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses;
-Preparing your application and submitting it to the Home Office on your behalf.
Step 2 (We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. Read the current processing times)
-Your application is processed by the Home Office.
Step 3 (up to 1 week)
-Receive and review the outcome of your application
Next Steps
Please contact us to obtain a bespoke quotation for your immigration application. We can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.