Organisations are increasingly more international, requiring a diverse mobile workforce. In order to attract and retain global talent, it is important to seek expert advice to ensure you get things right. From start-up entrepreneurs to large global companies, our experienced Immigration Team, who are ranked in the Legal 500, can provide personalised solutions to all your immigration needs. We lobby on behalf of our clients and our excellent contacts at the Home Office enable us to resolve issues quickly and effectively.
Our Immigration Team take the time to understand your business. In turn we can help your business to grow domestically and internationally, by assisting with the recruitment and retention of the brightest and best global talent. Our straightforward advice and streamlined processes enable us to guide individuals through the complexities of the visa process, with minimal disruption to their daily working life.
We understand the decision to relocate to the UK is not just about getting the law correct - it is a huge personal step for many international families. One of the main reasons for international assignments failing is family objectives not being considered. We focus on providing practical advice to partners and children accompanying new employees, to ensure personal needs, schooling, holidays and accommodation are factored into the visa process.
We provide day to day legal advice to employers on a variety of issues, and keep you up to date with our regular client alerts. We help you to navigate the complex UK immigration rules and the changing Brexit landscape. Global mobility is multi-disciplinary and will most of the time involve working together with our Employment Team. We’ll work closely with you to give the best advice along with practical solutions. To find out more, please get in touch.
Our immigration expertise includes:
- Assisting clients obtain Sponsor Licences - A UK company requires a Licence from the Home Office to sponsor a non-EEA national in the UK.
- Compliance support - The Home Office places the compliance responsibility on employers and we can advise and prepare you for any Home Office compliance visits. We regularly undertake mock audit “health checks” involving our experienced team attending your offices to undertake a review of your files, HR processes and current immigration policies to ensure you pass any future Home Office visits. If required our Employment Team can draft office manuals, employment contracts and offer letters to assist with the HR documentation.
- Tier 2 Work Visas - Advise on the most appropriate category of visa (General, ICT etc.) based on business needs and requirements.
- Short Term Business Visas – It is not always necessary to obtain work visas, often short term business trips and international commuting arrangements suit the business best. We provide compliance assessments and practical advice for your short-term business visitors to the UK. We can draft and advise on a robust Business Visitor Policy document.
- Brexit strategy – Advisory support on the impact of upcoming changes to immigration laws and policies.
- Spouse and children applications – Provide a full assessment of the options available to family members.
- Settlement and Citizenship – Advise on obtaining settlement, naturalisation and British passports applications.
- Sports visas – Tier 2, Tier 5 and sports visitor applications, also assist with Governing Body Endorsements.
- Tier 5 (Creative) visas – For TV/film and advise on short term one off performances under the Permitted Paid Engagement (PPE) route.
- European applications – Assist EU nationals with applying for Permanent Residence and EEA family permits.
- Tier 5 Internship visas – Advise on the most appropriate visa options for individuals coming to undertake paid and unpaid internships/work placements in the UK.
Our immigration team's experience includes:
- Successfully represented a global IT company in resolving a Tier 2 Sponsor Licence revocation, ensuring the licence was reinstated at the early stages of the Judicial Review process.
- Undertook a full audit of HR systems and processes for a large US law firm, providing a detailed report and recommendations for best practice immigration compliance.
- Advised a world-renowned Architects practice on their Brexit strategy, providing presentations and workshops for around 80 EU employees. Successfully obtained Permanent Residence and British Citizenship for several key employees.
- Advised a multinational media company on the UK visa requirements for a mixed martial arts sporting event at Wembley Arena. Assisted both the fighters and on-air talent entering the UK.
- Assisted a well-known Hollywood actor obtain a visitor visa to attend a film shoot in the UK.
- Assisted a Brazilian international footballer obtain visas for his wife and child while he was playing for a Premier League team.
- Advised a German based pharmaceutical company on their immigration obligations following an acquisition of an Oxford based laboratory and its workforce.
- Advised a Russian film company bringing 10 post production film editors to work in the UK on Tier 5 creative visas.
- Worked closely with accountants to assist a US tech company set up a UK presence under a Sole Representative Visa.
- Advised a US private equity fund on visas for summer internships taking place in the UK. Coordinating training plans and advising on National Minimum Wage compliant salary packages.
Immigration services for businesses
For corporate matters please contact Stephen Hall to discuss how we can assist your business with Sponsor Licences, Tier 2 visas, short term business visas, Brexit strategy and general ongoing compliance. We provide fixed fee schedules for all our corporate clients.
Individual private clients
We advise on the full range of immigration applications. The most common are listed below:
- Applying for a visa to join family in the UK (Appendix FM, PBS dependents, Ancestry).
- Settlement applications (ILR).
- British Citizenship applications (Naturalisation and Registration).
- European applications (Permanent Residence and New Settlement Scheme).
Our fees are based on our hourly rates, however we will endeavour to agree a fixed fee were appropriate, taking into consideration the complexity and personal circumstances of each case. Our hourly rates depended on the seniority of the advisor and can range from £100 - £350 per hour.
On average, the type of work above takes between 10-15 hours to complete. This means that on average costs are between £2,500 - £4,000 (all figures exclude VAT).
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.
- The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider.
- Your employment status – often evidencing self-employment can be time consuming.
- Any adverse immigration history.
- Any criminal convictions.
- Which language(s) you speak.
- Whether you are applying with other dependants.
- 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.
We provide a full end to end service for each application to include:
- Discussing your circumstances in detail and confirming the most appropriate visa application for you to make and what other options may be available to you.
- Legal assessment to ensure you meet all the qualifying requirements for the visa.
- Full advice note setting out timeline for the visa process.
- Checklist of all documentation required.
- Drafting and submitting the relevant application forms.
- Reviewing documentation prior to submission to the UK immigration authorities.
- Liaising with the UK immigration authorities on your behalf while the visa application is processed.
- Providing advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take in order to stay compliant.
The costs quoted here do not include:
- Any Home Office visa 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.
- Translation costs.
- English language tests.
- University degree recognition process.
- Interpreters fees.
How long will my application take?
We will normally be able to commence the visa process within 1-2 weeks of you instructing us, however we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this.
We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. Read the current processing times.
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.
