We aim to provide a clear and transparent service to our clients and so will always provide an indication of costs in all immigration matters. Our fee is usually charged on the basis of time spent (hourly basis).

Our fee includes advising you on the requirements of the rules (in person or via email), advising you on the documents required, preparing and submitting an application on your behalf, advising on timelines and likely outcome of the application, liaising with the Home Office on your behalf and providing post-decision advice.

Please note that all prices listed on this page are for standard services and may be subject to increase where an individual case requires non-standard services. If you would like a quotation for your individual case, please let us know.

Immigration Law

All immigration work at Connaught Law is under the overall supervision of Zehra Tamkan. The immigration team is led by our Head of Immigration, Sheryar Khan. If you need help with an immigration matter, you are invited to attend a free initial consultation to assess and merit-test your personal immigration status and Human Rights provisions. We will advise you on the best way forward.

Price Transparency

Most immigration matters are charged on a fixed fee basis. The exact fee we charge will vary depending on the complexity of your matter, however, we will always agree with you before accepting instructions from you how much the fixed fee will be. Below, we have provided an indication of the range of charges that are likely to apply for a range of different immigration matters:

Immigration Work Type	Average Fee Scale (excluding VAT)
	From	To
(Tier 1 Entrepreneur) (Tier 1 Investor) (initial application/ extension/indefinite leave)	£7,500	£10,000
Global Business Mobility	£5,000	£6,500
Innovator Founder Visa	£7,500	£10,000
Sponsor license	£3,000	£5,000
Skilled Worker Visa (initial application/extension/indefinite leave to remain)	£1,500	£2,500
Student Visa (Child Student Visa)	£750	£1,500
Parent of a Child Student	£2,500	£3,500
PBS Dependant’s visa	£750	£1,000
Family based application under Appendix FM (initial application /extension/indefinite leave to remain)	£1,500	£3,000
Application for indefinite leave to remain under the 10-year rule	£1,500	£2,500
Applications for an EEA residence card for a partner or child of an EEA national	£1,000	£1,500
Applications for permanent right of residence document	£1,000	£1,500
EEA application based on a retained right of residence	£1,500	£2,000
Visit visa applications	£1,500	£3,000
Application for British citizenship	£750	£1,500

Please note, the cost for Tier 2 licensing enquiries, appeals, judicial reviews, human rights and asylum applications vary significantly, and quotes will be provided on an hourly or fixed fee basis once we have established the facts.

Hourly Charges

Where our fees are calculated on an hourly basis, the following hourly charge rates will apply:

Fee Earner Level	Hourly Rate (excluding VAT)
Grade A – Solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years’ experience	£317
Grade B – Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years’ experience	£242
Grade C – Other solicitors or legal executives and fee earners of equivalent experience	£196
Grade D – Trainee solicitors, paralegals and other fee earners	£126

When charging on an hourly basis, we will always provide you with an estimate of our likely charges once we have a better understanding of what is involved and always before we start working on your matter.

What Services are Included?

The indicative fixed fee ranges set out above include all the following work:

Discussing your circumstances with you in detail and confirming what is the most appropriate course of action for you 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;
Considering the supporting evidence you have provided;
Where necessary, helping you obtain any further evidence in support of your matter, including taking statements of any witnesses if needed;
Preparing any documents, including Home Office applications, and submitting the same on your behalf;
Where relevant, attendance at a Home Office interview: if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, we will give you clear advice and, if required, attend with you.
Giving you advice about the outcome of your matter and any further steps you need to take.

What Services are not Included?

The indicative fixed fee ranges quoted above do not include any advice and assistance in relation to any further appeal where the Home Office refuses your application.

Disbursements

The indicative fixed fee ranges quoted above relate solely to the fees of Connaughts and do not include any disbursements.

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees, counsel fee, home office fees, immigration health surcharge, any experts’ fees, interpreter’s fees or translation charges. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

The application fee payable to the Home Office could be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table/2020

Counsel’s fees are estimated to be between £1,000 to £2,500 per day (depending on the experience of the advocate) for attending a Tribunal or Court Hearing (including preparation).

Interpreters’ costs can vary significantly with some clients only needing a couple of hours with an interpreter whilst others may need 10 or 15 hours. Where the help of an interpreter is needed, you might be able to bring a friend or another community figure to help, if not we can help you find a suitable interpreter.

Disbursements, other than the Court fees and Home Office fees, will usually attract VAT which is charged at 20%.

How long will my application take?

It is difficult to estimate the time to get a final decision from the Home Office/Court or Tribunal which depends on various factors involved in the application and the time it would take for the Home Office/Court/Tribunal to consider the applications/appeal. It is likely that in most straight forward cases it would take 3-6 months for the Home Office to provide a decision.

We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. Read the current processing times here.

We will normally be able to submit your application within 2 weeks of you instructing us provided you give us all relevant information and documentation without delay, but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this.

Please note the indicative fixed fee ranges shown above are an estimate. 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.

Real Estate

Connaughts has a dedicated residential property conveyancing team, which is led by Nasma Saheecha. The person with the ultimate responsibility for supervising the work undertaken in the residential property conveyancing team is Nauman Javid, Connaughts’ Principal Solicitor.

The firm has built a solid reputation in advising clients in the UK and overseas in all aspects of residential property transactions, including the sale and purchase of residential property, borrowing, lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement.

Pricing Transparency

The majority of conveyancing costs will fall within the fee scale indicated below. However, there are numerous variables that will influence the cost of conveyancing such as the location of the property, for instance, the proximity of old coal workings or other topographical features; whether or not the building is listed and/or within a conservation area; its valuation; or if it is a new lease in a development. Therefore, it is our standard practice to give you an individual quote depending on the circumstances of your sale or purchase.

If you are purchasing your property through the Help to Buy Scheme, please contact us for a separate estimate. Funding of Help to Buy properties is complex and requires additional work.

Typical Fee Scales

Our average fees, based on the sale and purchase of a freehold or leasehold property for a price of £500,000, with exchange within 4 weeks and completion 4 weeks from exchange based on the following assumptions:

It is a standard transaction and the transaction is concluded within the estimated timescale and no unforeseen complications arise
If it is leasehold property, it is an assignment of an existing lease and not the grant of a new lease. The lease premium is below £40,000.
No Indemnity Insurance Policies are required. If Indemnity Policies are required, then additional disbursements may apply
There is no unreasonable delay from third parties providing documents
The seller or the purchaser is a private individual

Transaction Type	Average Fee Scale (excluding VAT)		Typical timescale
	From	To	(from offer)
Freehold sale	£1,300	£1,950	6 weeks
Freehold purchase	£1,500	£2,250	8 weeks
Leasehold sale	£1,450	£2,100	8 weeks
Leasehold purchase	£1,650	£2,750	8 weeks
Mortgage/remortgage	£1,100	£1,250	2 – 4 weeks

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Land Registry fees, Stamp Duty Land Tax, property related search fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

The prices above do not take into account any disbursements or other charges, such as our fee for processing a telegraphic bank transfer of £35 + VAT.

Typical disbursements might include:

Description	Typical Amount	Applies to:
Property search fee	£350 + VAT	Any purchase, mortgage & remortgage
Completion search fee	£3	Any purchase, mortgage & remortgage
Bankruptcy search fee	£2 + VAT per person	Any purchase, mortgage & remortgage
Landlord’s Notice fee	£100 + VAT	Leasehold purchase
Land Registry Title fee	£6	Any sale
Managing agent’s information pack	£350 + VAT	Leasehold sale
Landlord’s licence to assign/deed of covenant (if required)	£400 + VAT	Leasehold sale, mortgage & remortgage

Click here for information about Land Registry Fees.

For purchases in England, visit the HMRC website to view the stamp duty calculator .

Expected typical charges (based on assumptions noted above):

Transaction Type	Our Costs	VAT	Disbursements (inc. VAT)	Total Cost
Freehold purchase	£1,535.00	£307.00	£15,560.40	£17,402.40
Leasehold purchase	£1,685.00	£337.00	£680.40	£2,702.40
Freehold sale	£1,335.00	£267.00	£6.00	£1,608.00
Leasehold sale	£1,485.00	£297.00	£1,026.00	£2,808.00
Remortgage/mortgage – Freehold	£1,135.00	£227.00	£566.40	£1,928.40
Remortgage/mortgage – Leasehold	£1,285.00	£257.00	£1,040.40	£2,582.40

If you are purchasing without the aid of a mortgage, searches are not mandatory. We do however strongly recommend that Searches are carried out at a maximum cost of £350 + VAT to protect your interest. A combined Search pack consisting of Local, Drainage, Environmental and Mining (if applicable) are contained within the pack. These Search results could reveal matters which could be detrimental to the value of the property which you are purchasing. Please be advised that it may be necessary to carry out additional searches depending on the geographical location of the land.

Key Stages and What is Included in our Fee – Property Purchase

The precise stages involved in the purchase of a residential property vary according to the circumstances of each transaction. However, the indicative average fee ranges set out above include all the following work for both freehold and leasehold purchases unless otherwise noted:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice.
Check finances are in place to fund purchase and contact lender’s solicitors if needed.
Receive your completed client questionnaire and obtain proof of identification from you and evidence of the source of your purchase funds, including mortgage funding
Request a draft contract from the seller’s solicitor
Receive and advise on contract documents.
Carry out all necessary property related searches.
Examine the title documentation and, for leasehold purchases, consider the lease, leasehold information forms and replies to standard leasehold enquiries.
Obtain further planning documentation if required.
Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor.
Give you advice on all documents and information received.
Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you.
Send final contract to you for signature.
Draft transfer document.
Advise you on joint ownership (if applicable).
Obtain pre-completion searches.
Agree completion date.
Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened.
Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you.
Complete purchase.
Completing the Stamp Duty Land Tax form and arranging payment on your behalf.
Dealing with application for registration at Land Registry Services and paying appropriate Land Registry registration fee.
Provide you with your new title documents
Archive your file and confirm the length of time we will hold your file, copies of your identity documents and your contact

Key Stages and What is Included in our Fee – Property Sale

The precise stages involved in the sale of a residential property vary according to the circumstances of each transaction. However, the indicative average fee ranges set out above include all the following work for both freehold and leasehold sales unless otherwise noted:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice.
Send our letter of confirmation of instructions to you along with our client questionnaire and Law Society Property Information Forms including, where applicable, a including a leasehold information form.
Receive your completed client questionnaire and Law Society Property Information Forms and obtain proof of identification from you and evidence of the bank account(s) to which the proceeds of sale will be sent following completion.
For leasehold sales, obtain funds from you in order to pay for replies to standard freeholder enquiries.
For leasehold sales, contact landlord/management company to obtain replies to standard freeholder enquiries.
Obtain title documents and deal with any discrepancies.
If applicable, obtain a redemption statement from your mortgage lender.
Prepare a draft contract and send it to the buyer’s solicitor.
Agree the terms of the contract.
Respond to enquiries from the buyer’s solicitor, obtaining your instructions where necessary.
Obtain a signed contract from you and agree dates for exchange of contracts and completion on your behalf.
Provide you with a financial completion statement summarising the transaction.
Exchange contracts – creating a binding legal agreement to complete.
Obtain a signed transfer deed from you and make final pre-completion checks.
Complete your sale and, if applicable, redeem any mortgages and secured loans before sending the proceeds of sale to you and paying estate agent fees.
Deal with post completion matters including sending deeds to the buyer’s solicitor.
Archive your file and confirm the length of time we will hold your file, copies of your ID documents and your contact details.

Key Stages and What is Included in our Fee – Remortgage

The precise stages involved in a remortgage vary according to the circumstances of each transaction. However, the indicative average fee ranges set out above include all the following work for both freehold and leasehold sales unless otherwise noted:

Take your instructions and give you initial advice.
Send our letter of confirmation of instructions to you along with our client questionnaire.
Receive your completed client questionnaire and obtain proof of identification from you.
Obtain title deeds and examine the title to your property.
Obtain a redemption figure for your existing mortgage and any other charges.
Obtain instructions from your new lender and a copy of your mortgage offer.
Ensure that all conditions in the mortgage offer are complied with.
Obtain buildings insurance documentation from you.
Report to you on the terms and conditions of your mortgage and obtain a signed mortgage deed from you.
Obtain the mortgage advance from your new lender and repay your existing mortgage.
Register the new mortgage at HM Land Registry.
On completion of the registration notify your new lender that their charge has been registered.
Archive your file and confirm the length of time we will hold your file, copies of your identity documents and your contact details.

Family Law

Agreed divorce	£1,000 + VAT
Contested Divorce	£1,500 + VAT + dibs
Child care proceedings	Initial fee of £1,500 + VAT then hourly basis
Financial settlement matters	Initial fee of £1,500 + VAT then hourly basis
Pre-nuptial Agreements	£1,000 + VAT
Mediation	£800 + VAT + dibs
Consent Order Applications	£1,000 + VAT + dibs
Special Guardianship applications	Initial costs of £1,500 + VAT, then hourly basis
Parental Agreements	£500 + VAT

Litigation

Landlord and Tenant matters
– Section 21 applications	£1,500 + VAT + dibs
– Section 8 applications	Starting from £1,500 + VAT + dibs
Letter before claims	£750 + VAT
Money claims
– If Claimant	Initial cost of £1,000 + VAT + dibs. The remaining costs to be calculated per attendance at the hearing and directions which are provided by the Court
– If Defendant	Initial cost of £1,000 + VAT + dibs. The remaining costs to be calculated per attendance at the hearing and directions which are provided by the Court
Boundary dispute matters
– If Claimant	Initial costs of £1,500 + VAT + dibs then hourly basis
– If Defendant	Initial costs of £1,500 + VAT + dibs then hourly basis
Bankruptcy proceedings
– Statutory demand	£750 + VAT
– If Claimant – commencing proceedings	Initial costs of £1,000 + VAT + dibs, then hourly basis
– Defendant	Initial costs of £1,200 + VAT + dibs, then hourly basis
Contractual disputes
– If Claimant	Initial costs of £1,000 + VAT + dibs, then hourly basis
– If Defendant	Initial costs of £1,000 + VAT + dibs, then hourly basis
Shareholders Agreement	Starting from £1,200 + VAT
Personal Injury claims	No win no fee basis

Criminal Law

Fixed-Rate

Interviews Under Criminal Caution at a Police Station (by Police, HMRC, UKBF)

£350 + VAT

Magistrates Court

½ Day £350 +VAT

Full-Day £500 +VAT

Fixed rates for representation can be agreed for Magistrates Court trials and cost will depend on whether it is a Guilty or Not Guilty hearing.

A typical guilty plea case will cost £1200 +VAT + dibs for initial advice and hourly basis thereafter.

A Not Guilty trial will cost £1500 +VAT + dibs for initial advice. Hourly basis thereafter.

Crown Court

½ Day £450 + VAT + dibs per day

Full-Day £600 +VAT + dibs per day

Fixed rates can be agreed with clients at the outset of cases for preparation and trial. The fees will be dependent on the seriousness and complexity of the case.

Conditional Fee Agreement

There are cases within the Civil Law jurisdiction in which conditional fee agreements will be made with clients at the outset of a case; charged at 10 – 15% depending on the volume, seriousness, complexity of the work required.

These will be undertaken in accordance with the Legal Ombudsman’s Guidance. See: https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/downloads/documents/publications/Complaints-in-focus-cfa-report-final-140103.pdf

Employment Law

Areas covered include:

Unfair dismissal;
Constructive dismissal;
Summary dismissal;
Wrongful dismissal;
Redundancy;
TUPE transfers;
Discrimination; and
No provision of other statutory rights such as annual leave and work.

All employment matters will be charged on an hourly rate with an initial deposit payment.

For any type of employment law-related matter charges will be based on an hourly rate based on the gradation of the fee earner.Please refer to our hourly rate section for details.

If the Applicant

Initial costs of £2,000 + VAT +dibs then hourly basis depending on the grade of caseworker

If Respondent

Initial costs of £2,000 + VAT +dibs then hourly basis depending on the grade of caseworker

Wills, Inheritance and Probate

Drafting wills	£500 + VAT – £2500 + VAT (depending on nature of the will)
Inheritance and Probate matters	Initial costs of £1,200 + VAT + dibs thereafter hourly basis