At Iris Law Firm, our team consists of some of the most highly qualified advisors in the country, providing you with the assurance that you are in the safest of hands. With a combined experience of 125 years, our immigration lawyers bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to every case.
From individuals to businesses and Local Authorities, we are able to assist with all aspects of Immigration Law, providing comprehensive advice and representation up to and including cases in the Supreme Court.
With our team of Solicitor-Advocates, we offer advocacy services at Court or the Tribunal, ensuring that you receive seamless representation throughout the legal process.
IMMIGRATION TEAM - WHO ARE WE AND WHAT TO DO WE DO?
Our team is comprised of qualified, experienced solicitors and Law society accredited caseworkers. Your case may be handled by ay one of our team, comprised of:
- 3 Solicitor – Advocates who can represent you throughout your case up to and including proceedings in the higher Courts, 1 of whom is accredited to Level 3 and 2 of whom are accredited to Level 2 under the Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme; 2 are senior partners and 1 is a partner in the firm.
- 2 Solicitors who are accredited to Level 2 under the IAAS;
- 3 Level 2 Senior Immigration Caseworkers
The team is supported currently by an accredited Casework Assistant.
All of our Solicitors obtained their degrees from North East Universities; 1 of our Senior Partners was Called to the Bar as a Barrister in July 2000 and cross qualified as a Solicitor in 2004.
All of our Solicitors and 2 of our Level 2 Caseworkers and have specialised in the field of Immigration law for at least 20 years, and have combined experience of over 120 years, and have dealt with thousands of applications and appeals.
We will confirm specific details of who will be dealing with your matter upon formal instruction. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by one of our Partners, or an accredited Supervisor under the IAAS.
At Iris Law Firm, we provide a wide range of services and expertise, including but not limited to:
- Applications for Entry Clearance in various categories, catering to both individuals and businesses. This includes applications for visitors (such as family visitors, marriage visitors, medical visitors, and tourists), settlement (including spouses, retired persons, and dependent relatives), employment-based applications (such as business people, Work Permit, and Highly Skilled Migrants under the points-based scheme), and students.
- Applications to extend existing visas or vary leave from inside the UK, encompassing all categories.
- Applications outside of the Immigration Rules, including discretionary applications.
- EU Settlement Scheme applications
- Asylum Applications, including Fresh Claims.
- ‘Legacy Cases,’ which involve resolving immigration cases that were initiated before certain legislative changes.
- Handling all forms of appeals, from the First-tier Tribunal to the Upper Tribunal, High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights.
However, this list is not exhaustive. If your specific query is not mentioned, please do not hesitate to contact us for further information and guidance.
Funding Options and Costs
We understand that funding legal representation can be a concern. We strive to offer accessible options to ensure that our services are available to as many individuals as possible.
We are able to offer Legal Aid, depending on the circumstances of your case and your income, which may entitle you to free legal advice. In cases where Legal Aid is not available, we offer various funding options, including competitive hourly rates and the option to agree on a fixed fee for most matters. We are also open to discussing suitable payment plans in certain cases.
Our fixed fees cover all the necessary legal work related to your specific application up until the point you receive a decision from the Home Office/Embassy. If an appeal is necessary, the fixed fee covers all the legal work required for your appeal, including representation at the Court/Tribunal, up to the promulgation of the court or tribunal’s judgment. At that point, we will advise you on onward appeal rights, if applicable, and any associated costs.
OUR FEES:
Level 1 – £350 plus VAT
Travel Document Applications
NTL/TOC Applications
Level 2 – £450 to £650 plus VAT
Submission of an appeal to the Tribunal (submission only)
Level 3 – £600-£850 plus VAT
Visit Visa Applications
Family Reunion Applications
SET-P Applications
EUSS Applications
Level 4 – £950 – £1,400 plus VAT
Entry Clearance Applications as a spouse, parent, or other dependent relative
Applications for Leave to Remain as a spouse, parent, or other dependent relative
Long Residence Applications
Human Rights Applications
Complex EEA Applications
Settlement Applications
Level 5 – £1200 to £2500 plus VAT
Appeals including full representation before the First Tier Tribunal or Upper Tribunal
Applications under the Points Based System
British Citizenship Applications – £700-£950 plus VAT
Consultations Only – £100 – £200 plus VAT
Our Fixed Fees are calculated based on the estimated time involved in preparing your case on an hourly rate basis (see below), the complexity of your case and the level of experience & qualifications of your advisor. VAT @ 20% will apply to your fees if applicable and you will be advised of this.
Our hourly rates, upon which our Fixed Fees are calculated, are:
- £220 plus VAT for Solicitors and Senior Law Society Accredited Advisors with minimum 10 Years experience in Immigration Law
- £300 plus VAT for Partners
What is included in the Fees?
Our fees, where necessary, include:
(i) Assessing your circumstances in detail and determining the most appropriate application for you and the options available;
(ii) Advice about Immigration Rules and requirements;
(iii) Advice as to whether or not you meet the applicable Immigration Rules/criteria and how to best to fulfil them;
(iv) Consideration and assessment of your evidence. Where possible and necessary, advice on obtaining further evidence e.g. medical reports, financial documents, language tests, proof of address;
(v) Preparing and submitting the application on your behalf, assisting in arranging your biometric appointment and uploading evidence to the Home Office portal where necessary;
(vi) Liaising where necessary with 3rd parties including the Home Office, Tribunal,
(vii) If your cases involves appeal proceedings, we will assist with taking your witness statement, preparing the Court bundle, and will represent you at your appeal hearing.
What is not included in the Fees?
(i) VAT
(ii) Home Office application fee or its 3rd party provider fees
(iii) Court Fees
(iv) Immigration Healthcare Surcharge. You can check how much you are liable to pay here: https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/how-much-pay
(v) Translation or interpreting costs
(vi) Fees for certifying original documents
(vii) External Barrister’s fee where applicable
(viii) Export reports (e.g. country report or medical report)
(ix) Further work where necessary following submission of your application which falls outside the scope of our retainer
(x) Courier fees
Disbursements
Per the above, Disbursements (3rd party fees) are not included in our costs. Therefore, in addition to our fees there will be added disbursements, where necessary. These could be a Home Office application fee, an appeal fee or an IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge) fee. There will be no VAT on these fees. Often, these fees are not paid to us, but are paid to 3rd parties such as the Home Office. The fees vary depending on the type of your application and your case.
Useful information regarding Immigration application fees and IHS fees can be found on the following Government websites – we will of course advise you of the precise fee applicable to your case:
Immigration Application Fees:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table
IHS Fees:
https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/how-much-pay
Another potential disbursement is where an interpreter is required. On average interpreters charge £20-£35 per hour and these would be charged as disbursements and paid to the interpreter. We will advise you beforehand of any such interpreter fees, if applicable, and whether or not there would be added VAT.
Other potential disbursements are:
- Medical Reports
- Expert Reports
Such disbursements are case-specific and would only arise in specific cases. Again you will be advised beforehand if they become necessary.
Rest assured that we will advise you, in full details, of any likely disbursements in your case at the outset, where possible, and as and when they arise.
Case Duration
The duration of each case can vary depending on its complexity and various factors that impact the timeline. Urgent cases where an applicant’s existing visa is due to expire will be prioritized, and we strive to work within those deadlines to protect your legal status. However, we can only begin preparing an application once we have received all the necessary information & documents from you. Therefore, it is crucial to provide us with any requested documents as soon as possible. Once we have complied all of the evidence and the information as well as any payments necessary to make your application we then aim to submit the application in a matter of days.
Once your application has been submitted, then the time-frame for receiving a decision would be subject to the operations of UK Visas & Immigration and the Visa Application Centres in each respective country. We will of course provide you with a general estimate on each case depending on the type of your application and the country in which the application is made.
The following Government website offers helpful information on time estimates of various different applications:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/visa-processing-times
Please do not hesitate to contact us for personalized advice and to discuss the specific details of your case. Our team is here to guide you through the immigration process and provide the support you need to achieve a successful outcome.