Our English Fees

Fee Quotes

There are a number of factors that we consider when quoting fees including (but not limited to):

• Factual and legal complexity;
• Adverse immigration history;
• Criminality;
• Overstaying;
• Temporary and indefinite immigration bans;
• Exclusion orders;
• Deportation orders;
• Number of supporting witnesses;
• Volume of documents, their size and their complexity;
• Urgency (including overnight or weekend engagement);
• Attendance at the Home Office, one of its Service Points in the UK or abroad, or Courts and Tribunals;
• Any novel issues or unanticipated matters that arise in the course of instructions.

It must be borne in mind that Immigration Rules, policy guidance and caselaw change from time to time, as do the fees chargeable by the Home Office (UK Visas and Immigration) including the Immigration Health Surcharge. The ultimate decision in respect of any application rests with the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Home Secretary) and officers acting on his behalf. We do not and cannot influence the outcome.

Our professional fees are charged on a fixed fee or hourly basis. These are revised regularly to accommodate for changes in law making some matters more complex than they had been before. Our fee charging structure is set out in the table below varying between initial, extension and settlement applications in the UK or abroad, and is subject to the above factors. The fees in the table below are quoted on the premise that your matter is straightforward. All applications are likely to vary and of course, we can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case (most likely following an initial consultation). Any time spent discussing fees and/or budgets will count towards work done by the firm and is chargeable in the usual way.

We provide detailed estimated budgets in matters charged on an hourly basis considering individual circumstances of each matter.

Our professional fees include:

• taking instructions;
• meeting in conference (or telephone conference, if appropriate);
• giving advice on the documents, their format and content, and other types of evidence required in support of proposed applications;
• considering documents;
• advising you in respect of any outstanding or missing documents;
• advising on timelines and the outcome of applications;
• drafting statements;
• collating bundles (in contentious and non-contentious matters);
• drafting and preparation of application forms (including immigration, endorsement, nationality and other matters);
• liaising with third parties, with your consent and in line with confidentiality provisions, up to and including the completion of the matter;
• keeping you informed as to progress in preparing, submitting and considering applications.

We may charge additional fees for the following services:

• attending Home Office appointments or interviews including travel to and from the Service Point (this will depend on the country, distance and time spent and chargeable on an hourly basis);
• drafting the narrative part of a business plan in support of applications made in Representative of an Overseas Business and Innovator Founder immigration categories (fixed fee of £5,000 unless varied due to the above factors).

Please note that we are not a legal aid service provider.

Once your application has been submitted the time that it will take until a decision is made depends upon the relevant British diplomatic post abroad or the Home Office in the UK. The Home Office publishes visa processing information (for applications made inside the UK) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visa-processing-times-applications-inside-the-uk) and (for application made abroad) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/visa-processing-times-applications-outside-the-uk). The service that you use to submit your application will impact on the length of time it will take for the Home Secretary to make a decision.

You will be required to enrol your biometric data as part of your application. You will also be required to provide identity documents, photographs, specified documents in addition to submitting paper or digital application forms, and paying application fees, surcharges and added value fees for additional services provided by the Home Office and its commercial partners in the UK and abroad.

Depending on the type of application as well as your country of residence and/or citizenship, you may be subject to additional requirements such as undergoing a medical screening or providing an overseas criminal record certificate. If successful, your immigration status will be reflected in an eVisa (an electronic document available through your UKVI account online).

All fees below exclude VAT

VAT is chargeable at 20% (where applicable)

Hourly fees

David Winnie                                                                              £575

The above fees do not include disbursements, such as

• photocopying @ p per page;
• special and recorded delivery postal charges at the Royal Mail rates;
• courier fees;
• translation fees;
• any other miscellaneous costs (to be agreed).

The above fees do not include professional disbursements such as Counsel’s fees, expert fees, fees of chartered accountants and medical experts (or production of reports on instructions). These are to be sourced and agreed with you on a case-by-case basis as required by each individual case. We work with highly reputable specialist experts and barristers including King’s Counsel at the top chambers in London and elsewhere.

As stated above, those making immigration and nationality applications will be required to pay Home Office fees, Immigration Health Surcharge (https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application) and fees chargeable for standard, priority and super priority services (even when your category qualifies for a particular type of service, it is not always available). Applications for asylum and pre-settled/settled status made under Appendix EU do not attract Home Office fees. Home Office fees and surcharges vary depending on the type of application and immigration category. Those eligible can apply for a fee waiver.

The Home Office engages the services of third-party commercial partners such as Teleperformance (https://uk.tlscontact.com/) and VFS Global (https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/en) in handling and processing applications in the UK and abroad. These official partners charge additional fees for their services. These are clearly set out on their respective websites and are payable as part of the application process (usually when booking a biometric appointment).

We engage the services of interpreters and translators from reputable third-party providers. Interpreters’ fees are chargeable on an hourly basis. Translators’ fees are chargeable on a per word or fixed fee basis, depending on the provider. We will source quotes from reputable agencies in the UK and abroad to be agreed with you, as and when your matter requires it. The Home Office, Courts and Tribunals require that documents which are not in the English language be translated and certified.

If you do not comply with conditions of leave granted to you or have overstayed your permission to stay, you may be subject to the general grounds for refusal. This may have an impact on any future application to enter or stay in the UK, temporarily or indefinitely, or even nationality applications.

Gilson Gray (England) Limited is regulated and authorised by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (“SRA”). Its SRA number is 620418.