Pricing
We offer immigration support and application to businesses. Please note that we do not undertake immigration work for individuals directly.
There will be multiple stages to ascertaining a visa entitling the migrant who businesses hope to employ to work in the UK. We detail our suggested approach below:
Stage One: Fact finding
The first stage of this process would be completing a fact-finding exercise.
Once we have more details of the personnel, and your plans we can advise on the best course of action to take and crucially the prospect of being able to achieve your aims. If we find that there is a high prospect of achieving your aim, we will also advise on the administrative requirements and the compliance duties necessary to fulfil your obligations under your sponsorship licence.
Stage Two: Advising and progressing your sponsorship licence application
Many of our clients require a Skilled Worker visa. The reminder of this pricing document is based on this assumption. If this assumption changes and for example a business visitor or ancestry route is required a new set of costings will be provided to you.
If you do not yet have a sponsorship licence required to employ individuals from outside the UK. In stage two we will advise you on the steps and costs you need to take in order to apply for a sponsorship licence.
We will assist you to gather the information required for the online application to become a sponsor. Although this process can take up to 8 weeks you may prefer to use the fast-track service which reduces the waiting time for a licence to 10 working days.
In some instances, the UK Visa authorities decide to conduct an audit and they can choose to visit your premises and conduct a pre-licence audit to ensure you have the right practices, processes and Human Resources policies in place to employ legal migrants and maintain future sponsorship and compliance duties. This usually takes place before the UKVI decide on the application.
If the UKVI finds inadequacies in your systems, they could refuse the application and further delay the whole on-boarding process of the individuals you wish to employ. If you are audited by UKVI we can advise on the process. Such work falls outside the scope of this document as an audit may not occur, but, if it does, a further costing document will be provided to you.
Once your application has been submitted and any audit applicable passed, we envisage no issues with you being granted a sponsorship licence with the knowledge of your business we currently have.
Stage three: Advice on sponsoring a migrant
Once the above stage is complete we would then provide you with comprehensive assistance and support on sponsoring the migrants who you wish to employ and their family members (if applicable).
Following stage one of this plan we will then have enough information to advise on the requirements each migrant will need to fulfil and the prospects of them being able to work in the UK. It is at this stage we will put those requirements into practice and we will advise you on the following:
- Certificates of sponsorship;
- Assigning certificates of sponsorship;
- Advice on associated requirements such as visa fees, immigration health surcharges, certificate of sponsorship costs, immigration skills charges and TB certificates;
WHAT DOES THIS FEE ASSUME/EXCLUDE:
Assumptions
It is important for you to appreciate that the information provided above is based on a number of assumptions, including: –
(1) That you are able to provide adequate instructions and information in order for us to be adequately prepared to progress any immigration applications or compliance requirements;
(2) That you will engage fully in the provision of instructions and information;
(4) That you are able to pay both our fees and any disbursements on time and as required by both us and the UK immigration authorities.
Exclusions
Despite our efforts to ensure that our role is clear, clients sometimes make incorrect assumptions about what we are and are not going to do for them. To help avoid any such misunderstanding, we bring to your attention the fact that we are not providing you with any advice on any of the following:
- Visits to the Home Office
- Attending any immigration Tribunals or appeals
- Attending any compliance visits by the Home Office or advice on their visits and audits or advising on these.
If applicable, we will price these and any other requirements separately for you.
When necessary, we will, in consultation with you obtain such additional advice as is required from appropriately qualified third parties.
Disbursements
IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT OUR FEES DO NOT INCLUDE THE DISBURSEMENTS THAT ARE PAYABLE TO THE UK IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES. ONCE WE HAVE CONDUCTED STAGE ONE OF THE PROCESS ABOVE THESE FIGURES WILL BE PROVIDED TO YOU.
Disbursements (amounts we have to pay on your behalf to third parties), will be invoiced to you at cost, in addition to our fees. You have the right to request details of the fee which we may share at any time. This process in our experience can be quicker if payments are made directly by you via the online immigration portal. The below sums are subject to change and are payable to UKVI:
- UK Sponsorship Licence Application: £1476 or £536 dependant on if you are classed as a small or large employer by UKVI;
- Licence fast track fee: £500;
- Visa Fee per migrant: £625 (3 year visa or £1235 (5 year visa);
- Immigration Health Surcharge (£624 per year per person): £1872 (3 year visa) or £3120 (5 year visa) (This is a fee you may wish to leave the migrant(s) to pay for themselves);
- Immigration Skills Charge (dependant on whether classed as a small or large employer)-£364 or £1000 per person for the first 12 months and £182 or £500 for each six months thereafter;
- Biometric resident permit-£19.20 (if applying in the UK);
- Certificate of sponsorship application-£199 per certificate application;
- Priority service (5 working days processing of applicant visa, subject to availability): £250 per applicant;
- Super priority service (1 working day processing of applicant visa, subject to availability): £956 per applicant.
OUR FEES :
Hourly rates
It is estimated on a blended hourly rate of £300 plus VAT our fees would amount to £4,500 to £7,500 plus VAT. With this pricing methodology, we have no way of knowing what the total cost will be. We will manage your costs as best we can. We will keep detailed and accurate time records and we will keep you regularly informed on costs, but that is all we can do. You will be billed each month for our services. Under these ‘time billing’ arrangements clients still like us to provide a rough total cost indication and we have done that in this proposal. The range we have provided is based on our experience of similar transactions but necessarily includes a lot of assumptions about the transaction proceeding very smoothly as anticipated by you and us.
Therefore:
- We cannot rule out the possibility of our fees being more than the top end of the range. On a worst-case scenario basis, we have had some similar matters go well beyond the top of our estimated range.
- These figures are for your general guidance only. They are not a guaranteed fee range, cap or quote to which we are committed.
Fixed Fees
A fixed fee for each stage of the above stages of this process as follows:
Stage One – £750 plus VAT
Stage Two – £1750 plus VAT
Stage Three -£3,500 plus VAT
Please note that this is based on the below assumptions of the case being correct and the exclusions also stated below are NOT included.
You have budgetary predictability and certainty within the assumptions and exclusions. If there is a departure from the assumptions and exclusions for any reason, it is highly likely that our fee will need to be adjusted upwards.
You have a measure of budgetary predictability and certainty within the assumptions and exclusions. Most of the cost risk sits with us. If there is a cost overrun, but it is one that is still within the assumptions and exclusions, then we must absorb the additional cost and we will not pass it on to you.
This option does not completely remove all the cost risk for you. If there is a departure from the assumptions and exclusions for any reason, it is highly likely that our fee will need to be adjusted upwards to cover extra time necessarily incurred. However, we agree to discuss it with you as soon as we become aware of the possibility.
Our Team
Nils O’Donoghue – Partner & Solicitor
Based: Halifax Office.
Nils joined Chadwick Lawrence in May 2011, becoming an Associate with the firm in October 2015, and a Partner in October 2017. Nils has 12 years’ PQE experience.
Nils has acted for a wide variety of businesses in respect of their immigration requirements including a large retail business and a large number of sports organisations.
Nils’ hourly rate for motoring matters is £300 plus VAT @ 20%.
Jessica Brennan – (Trainee) Paralegal
Based: Halifax Office.
Jessica joined Chadwick Lawrence in July 2023 and assists in all aspects of criminal and regulatory work. Jessica’s standard hourly rate is £90 plus VAT @ 20%.
Jessica studied her law degree at the University of Exeter, studied the Bar Practice Course at the University of Law and was called to the Bar in March 2024.
Hannah Evans – (Trainee) Paralegal
Based: Halifax Office.
Hannah joined Chadwick Lawrence in September 2023 and assists in all aspects of criminal and regulatory work. Hannah’s standard hourly rate is £90 plus VAT @ 20%.
Hannah is a (trainee) paralegal in the Regulatory and Crime Department and is based in Halifax. She assists the team in all aspects of criminal and regulatory work.
Hannah studied her law degree at Leeds Beckett University and is currently studying her LPC as a part-time Masters course at Leeds Beckett University.
