Business Immigration Law
Service overview: Business immigration solicitors
- Our business immigration solicitors can advise businesses, entrepreneurs, investors and educational establishments on all aspects of UK immigration law, from recruiting overseas staff to ensuring ongoing compliance obligations are being met with the UKVI.
- Our corporate immigration lawyers specialise in Points-Based System (PBS) visa applications, but as an integrated full service commercial firm, we also work holistically to provide you with the best commercial advice across multi-practice areas.
- We can help with Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 4 and Tier 5 visa applications, as well as the obtaining and maintenance of sponsor licences with the UKVI.
Fees |
Fees
A note on value added tax (VAT) – All the figures given below include VAT charged at 20% unless specifically stated. However, 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.
| Service provided | Hourly rates (ex VAT) | Average hours to complete | Average costs (ex VAT) | ||||
| City plan | Enterprise plan | On-Demand plan | City plan | Enterprise plan | On-Demand plan | ||
| Employer Sponsorship Licence | £250 | £125 | £150 – £195* | 15-20 hours | £3750 – £5000 | £1875 – £2500 | £2925 – £3900* |
| Certificate of sponsorship and Skilled Worker application assistance | £250 | £125 | £150 – £195* | 6-8 hours | £1500 – £2000 | £750 – £1000 | £1170 – £1560* |
| £250 | £125 | £150 – £195* | Each additional dependent 3-4 hours | £750 – £1000 | £375 – £500 | £585 – £780* | |
| Global Talent visa | £250 | £125 | £150 – £195* | 8-10 hours for endorsement stage | £2000 – £2500 | £1000 – £1250 | £1560 – £1950* |
| £250 | £125 | £150 – £195* | 6-8 hours application | £1500 – £2000 | £750 – £1000 | £1170 – £1560* | |
| Innovator visa/startup visa | £250 | £125 | £150 – £195* | 15-20 hours for endorsement stage | £3750 – £5000 | £1875 – £2500 | £2925 – £3900* |
| £250 | £125 | £150 – £195* | 8-10 hours for application | £2000 – £2500 | £1000 – £1250 | £1560 – £1950* | |
| Indefinite leave to remain | £250 | £125 | £150 – £195* | 12-15 hours | £3000 – £3750 | £1500 – £1875 | £2340 – £2925* |
| Visit/tourist visas | £250 | £125 | £150 – £195* | 10-12 hours | £2500 – £3000 | £1250 – £1500 | £1950 – £2340* |
| Entrepreneur visa | £250 | £125 | £150 – £195* | 15-20 hours | £3750 – £5000 | £1875 – £2500 | £2925 – £3900* |
*On-Demand rates vary depending on the annual hours package purchased. Average costs shown use the highest hourly rate of £195.
The exact number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances in your case. Such as:
- The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider
- If the Home Office want to investigate or make a site visit
- Whether you have previously been refused a licence or visa application
- Whether you are applying with other dependants (such as a spouse or children)
- If you have poor immigration history
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.
What services are included
The work will involve:
- 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.
- if you do not fulfil certain criteria, whether this can be overcome and how, which on average takes 1-2 hours;
- considering the supporting evidence you have provided, which we anticipate will take 2 to 6 hours*;
- where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as a business plan);
- preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf, which we anticipate will take 6-12 hours;
- Attendance at a Home Office interview or site visit: if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, or they wish to attend the employer’s business site we will give you clear advice (and discuss the possibility of us attending with you) at the appropriate time. This could be between 2 and 8 hours of work.
- giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.
*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 Disbursements (not included in costs set out above):
Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as visa fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.
- Independent expert reports e.g. 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 there is an interview and we do attend with you, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.
The costs quoted here do not include:
- Any Home Office fees for making the application. You will pay this to the Home Office directly as part of the application process.
- Where the Home Office refuse your application, advice and assistance in relation to any appeal
All Business Immigration work is carried out by Rashid Uzzaman, who qualified in November 2015, and is supervised by Toby Harper.
How long will my application take?
We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. Read the current processing times.
We will normally be able to submit this type of application within one week of you instructing us, but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this.
Please note the anticipated number of hours and fees are an estimate based on the facts above. 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.
Why choose our corporate immigration lawyers?
Over many years, our solicitors have helped and advised clients across a number of different business immigration matters.
Our solicitors speak multiple languages, with some being fluent in Bengali, Hindi, Sylheti and Urdu.
We have contacts within the appropriate immigration channels which allow us to ensure visa applications are processed expediently, whether made at a visa centre in the UK or a VFS centre abroad.
What our clients say
We pride ourselves on delivering an excellent service for clients, but don’t just take our word for it.
As a University spin-out getting the right team of lawyers to support our emerging business was fundamental and the team are always available to provide us with the invaluable guidance and support we require.
We use Harper James because they understand the venture capital sector we operate in, know our business inside out and are always on hand to assist us in any way we need.
My colleagues and I have found them to be adept at dealing with the variety of challenges facing early stage companies. They are a trusted source for sound, sensible advice and practical deal management.
Over the years Harper James have helped us navigate complex legal issues and red tape, providing distilled options and legal consultancy that far exceeds the service levels we’ve previously experienced from more traditional law firms. The team act like our own in-house counsel so, regardless of which lawyer we work with, we feel supported and that they truly have our best interests at heart.
Always great to have HJ on hand
Harper James are our trusted legal adviser and having them by our side at key moments in our business growth, knowing we are protected, is immensely reassuring.
