Immigration solicitors

Not legally, but the rules are detailed and refusal rates are significant. A solicitor chooses the correct route, checks that your evidence actually meets the requirements and presents any complications properly. That is usually cheaper than fixing a refused application through an appeal or fresh submission.

Standard applications are typically decided within around six months, with priority services available on some routes. The bigger variable is whether you genuinely qualify when you apply: residence gaps, travel history and salary evidence are the usual causes of delay or refusal, and they are best resolved before filing.

Depending on the decision you may have a right of appeal, a right to an administrative review, or the option of a fresh application. Deadlines can be as short as fourteen days, so read the refusal letter immediately and take advice before the window closes. The right response depends on why it was refused.

Legal fees are separate from Home Office application fees. Straightforward applications are commonly quoted as fixed fees, often a few hundred to a couple of thousand pounds depending on complexity, while appeals and complex cases are billed by stage. Always ask for the scope in writing before instructing a firm.