UK Immigration Law is complex, the requirements and processes continually change and the Home Office application fees will also continue to increase.  Mistakes can prove costly so It is always recommended that applicants seek professional Legal advice.  However, it is understandable that some simply can't afford to instruct a solicitor or lawyer to fully handle their case with costs anything between £500 - £5000 (depending on the type of case you have).  So what legal help can you get if you are on a tight budget?

Free Immigration Advice

Legal Aid

Depending on the type of case you have and your financial circumstances, you may be able to have all or most of your legal costs covered via legal aid. With regards to UK Immigration Legal matters, provision of legal aid will only be considered in serious cases such as asylum claims or victims of domestic violence.

Google is your Friend

As with any topic, you will find lots of free information about immigration law on the internet, whether it be blog posts, forums or even articles on immigration law firms' websites such as the one you are reading right now.  While such information can be helpful, if you solely decide to follow the advice on there, you always run the risk of it being obsolete, incomplete or irrelevant to your situation.  Any mistake can result in your application being refused, or at the very least... delayed.

Free Consultation with a Legal Professional

Go on any immigration law firm's website, and you will find most (if not all) offer some form of 'free initial advice'.  Some even offer a free consultation for up to 30 minutes.  But as the saying goes "if something is too good to be true, it usually is", and this also holds true when it comes to free advice that legal professionals will initially provide.  This free consultation is the opportunity for the legal professional will to assess your case i.e. to see if you are eligible to make an application or determine what options you have.

Just because it is free, does not meant the advice will be bad, but while they may answer basic questions you have, it is unlikely they will cover every aspect you need to know about your case e.g. the exact supporting documents you need to meet the requirements for your visa or settlement application .  What is also important to note, is that any advice provided in these free sessions does not constitute as full legal advice.  Without formally instructing them, the advice you get may not be completely applicable to your specific circumstances, and in some cases can even be out of date!  A typical example of the latter, is when the process for submitting supporting documents for spouse/partner visas changed - a lot of professionals were still advising applicants to send everything to the UKVI office in Sheffield... 

Professional Immigration Advice Consultation

Earlier we covered what you can expect from a free consultation with a legal professional, and the limitations of this free service.  If you need detailed legal advice for your immigration case, you will have to pay for it.  The cost of this will vary between immigration law firms, but you should expect to pay anything between £75 - £150.  The advantage of a paid consultation is that you can ask the lawyer/adviser anything about your legal matter.  Nowadays technology enables flexible options for you to speak with your professional, which can save you precious time and money on travel costs.

A good legal professional will ask you what your case or concerns is/are about before your appointment, so they can prepare their advice accordingly before your session to give you the best value.  Even if one of your questions cannot be fully answered during the session, they should be able to obtain and provide you the relativant information after your consultation via email.

Tailored Document Checklist

Supporting documents are the most important items when making any immigration application. They ultimately prove that you meet all the requirements and confirm what you are stating about your situation. Most applicants may have a rough idea of the type of documents they need to submit, but everyone's situation is different and therefore the documents need to be tailored accordingly. Most immigration law firms will provide client's with a detailed document checklist if they are fully handling your application for you i.e. full legal representation. This will list the exact documents you need to obtain/gather for your respective application and current situation. There are now some organisations, (including myself) that offer this as a one off service (the current cost ranges between £99 - £150), and you can find out more about this kind of service here .

Document Checking Service

If you have managed to gather all of the supporting documents and completed the form/s for your application yourself, but are still concerned you have forgotten to include something or answered some questions incorrectly, some immigration law firms provide an Application & Document Checking Service .  The legal professional will review all of your documents and application form to ensure you have not made any mistakes or that you have not left out any critical items for your visa or settlement application.  The cost of this service is usually £250 - £350.

In Conclusion

While it is not essential to hire an immigration professional to assist you with your case, there are some affordable options available that are worth considering to give you complete peace of mind.  In some instances, it might be a good idea to combine some of them together to cover exactly what you need.  

As with any professional service, it is always a good idea to check the reliability and reputation of the immigration law firm you plan to use by looking at their client reviews or profile on the Law Society or OISC regsiter