Immigration consists of a key area of the work of this firm.
Our Immigration work is headed by our partner Lawrence Rodkin, who has been undertaking this area of work for over 20 years, supported by other fee earners of this firm.
We can meet with you at any of our three offices; namely
a) Central London – located at 32 Bloomsbury Street, WC1 (close to Tottenham Court Road underground station)
b) North London – located at 212 Regents Park Road, Finchley, N3 (close to the North Circular Road and Finchley Central underground station)
c) Hatfield, Hertfordshire Office (close to the A1, and located opposite to the mainline station in Hatfield)
We can offer an initial telephone discussion at no charge or a 30-minute fixed fee meeting at £250 plus vat.
For complex/difficult cases – which we are regularly faced with, we will (if you wish) organise (at reasonable cost) a fixed fee initial telephone conference with specialist immigration counsel, to discuss the various options, and the best route forward. These are typically cases where a visa application or appeal has been rejected, (typically where other solicitors/immigration advisers have been representing the client.)
Our time-based fees are reasonable, and we will also consider fixed fees. (We will normally quote after a fixed fee meeting when we can understand the issues). We may also enlist the assistance of specialist immigration counsel to assist in complex/difficult cases.
If your matter is urgent, we can see you on the same day.
We can also if necessary, work within tight deadlines to submit appeals or visa applications
The Home Office is taking a very harsh line at the moment. They are very keen on rejecting applications for technical reasons, and in some cases, visas are only likely to be granted following an appeal to the Immigration Judge
Our success rate with applications is very good. The reason for this is the detailed approach which we take in putting together the application, and the supporting material which we provide, which normally includes witness statements and (in difficult cases) legal representations prepared by counsel.
Immigration appeals also consist of a key area of our work.
Again we also have a very good success rate with appeals. We are a litigation firm and accordingly, approach appeals in the same way as we deal with our civil litigation work which includes preparation of witness statements and other evidence to be placed before the judge at the appeal hearing and the preparation of a supplemental bundle of documents for use at the appeal hearing.
The main areas of work which we undertake in the immigration field are set out below.
A) Applications for visas for spouses and other family members
The rules have become more and more complicated concerning this type of application. We also prepare applications for renewal of visas and/or to apply for indefinite leave to remain.
B) EEA (European Economic Area) nationals
This consists of applications for residence cards, EEA family permits and indefinite leave to remain. This is even more important than previously due to Brexit.
C) British nationality
This includes applications for naturalisation and also providing advice in regards to our clients possessing British citizenship.
D) Indefinite leave to remain
As stated, we can assist with these applications and also assist clients who have secured indefinite leave to remain quite some time ago. It is not uncommon for the Home Office to require evidence of continuous residency in the UK since the grant of the indefinite leave to remain. Compiling this evidence can be particularly difficult especially if indefinite leave to remain was granted many years ago.
E) Human rights applications
A significant part of our application/appeals relies upon human rights – including by way of an alternative ground.
F) Immigration appeals
We are particularly strong in undertaking immigration appeals, and we undertake such appeals in close liaison with immigration counsel.
There is normally a very tight deadline to submit an appeal, and there will usually be no time to consider the merits in depth before the appeal being submitted.
On occasions, an appeal lies even though the Home Office in their rejection letter state that there is no appeal available. It is always best to check in such situations if it is possible to raise an appeal – or a further appeal or to make an application for judicial review.
We normally undertake the filing of an appeal at a fixed fee – to include counsel settling the grounds of appeal and a short telephone conference with counsel.
Please contact us for an initial telephone discussion – at no charge or to set up an initial 30-minute fixed fee meeting for £100 plus VAT.
Immigration Appeals
Appeals against Home Office decisions to the First and Upper Tier Tribunals, including representation at hearings. Click here for more information about Immigration Appeals.
Settlements / Citizenships
Applications for leave to enter or remain/settlement in the UK either in country to the Home Office or to a diplomatic post in your home country and indefinite leave to remain and citizenship. Click here for more information about Nationality Applications.
European Nationals
European Union Applications for Residence Cards, Family Members and Settlement.
Points based system – Work and student visas
Points based applications including work visas (Tier 1 and Tier 2) and student visas (Tier 4).
We cannot assist you with sponsorship licences for employers directly, but we work closely with an immigration practitioner who has a wealth of experience in this area, which allows us to provide a full business immigration service. You will undoubtedly find immigration lawyers or consultants who will charge less than us, but they are not likely to devote the time and attention to your matter which it deserves. Legal Aid is currently still available in some cases. We do not possess a legal aid franchise so cannot accept instructions under the Legal Aid scheme.