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Frequently asked questions

Why choose ICS Legal?

We specialise in Immigration Law, Human Rights Law, British Nationality Law & European Law. Our lawyers provide honest, exceptional service to our clients. We believe that our service starts when we submit your application and we want our client to know we will keep them informed, answer there questions and your case worker will be just a phone call away.

What is the benefit of using our legal services when you want to come to the UK or extend or switch?

Our speciality lies in the field of Immigration, Nationality and EU Law, so it means we always are dealing with this side of the law. We are able to support you in making a correct decision, avoid delays on your case, save money and time, not forgetting the stress of any doubts with your application.

 

There are many routes available to come to the UK, extend or switch, some of them do not allow extension or even switching. Knowing what is right can be a difficult task and this is why we are here. Simple task of not using the prescribed forms can mean your application is invalid, which means if you have no valid stay, you would have to return back and there is no appeal rights.

 

Our initial consultations are a chargeable service. We initially discuss the requirements of the application to ensure you meet the requirements and have the documentation required at hand for the submission. It gives you an opportunity to meet us and ask questions.

 

Each case will be checked thoroughly, everything will be cross referenced so guidelines are met and we will also add our legal document which would outline the Immigration Rules and how the client has satisfied the rules. We use documents that are used by Home Office case workers, so we know exactly what they would look for in your case.

 

The most important fact is that law constantly changes, policy guidelines and requirements are always changing, so it is best that you always use specialised services to support you. We never compromise our services, our fees remain very competitive but our expertise is at the very highest standard.

How can I trust your service?

We are regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). OISC is the government regulated body and it is a criminal offence if someone is providing Immigration advice without being regulated by the OISC. We are also members of Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI). JCWI is an independent national voluntary organisation, campaigning for justice and combating racism in immigration and asylum law and policy.

What happens in the initial consultation?

Your case worker would take some background information regarding yourself. Relevant questions would be asked to ascertain whether your case can be handled by our team. You will also be able to ask questions, understand what is required to meet the Immigration Rules, Nationality Law and EU Law where relevant. Should we be able to provide assistance, your case worker will give you a customer care letter whereby it would outline the service agreement and the cost associated.

What happens after the consultation?

After each consultation we aim to provide a consultation report which would outline what was discussed, the action plan and what to do next.

When I meet the caseworker and I disclose personal information, would this be disclosed to anyone else?

We have a procedure in place for ensuring client confidentiality. We keep the affairs of our clients and all information relating to our clients confidential, except where we are compelled to disclose information by reason of a legal or regulatory obligation.

What is a customer care letter?

A customer care letter from us will ensure that we outline the service we would be providing, it would also provide a break down of the costs associated so you can rest assure that there are no hidden charges and that fees do not go up unless changes are made (i.e. Home Office fees etc).

Once I sign the customer care letter and my case would possibly fail, do I still have to pay your fees?

We place our clients first, so when you sign the customer care letter and we go through your case file, and we believe that the case would not be successful, we will terminate the agreement and return your documents. We will also provide alternative solutions with no added costs. We also have a cancellation period should you feel you want to withdraw your file.

 

Please note that all cases cannot be guaranteed as circumstances depends and whether you met guidelines, however the Home Office caseworker can still refuse cases on the balance of probabilities and other factors. Our job would be to prepare your case in the best possible way.

Do you provide one day Premium Services?

Yes, we have a special provision with the Home Office and majority case decisions are made on the same day.

Do you do “No Win No Fee”?

As a private legal firm, we want to ensure we can provide the service you want. Our fees are very competitive and that is why we do not provide a No Win No Fee service as we do not feel the need to over charge our clients with such schemes.

How is the fees paid and are there any surprises?

With us, you will know exactly what we would be charging. The fees are to be paid through cheque, cash or bank transfer. Home Office fees can be paid to us and we can make the payment on behalf of you. If there is any changes in Home Office fees, we will let you know immediately.

How often would I get updated once my case have been submitted?

Our commitment to our clients is that we will update you every time we get an update from the Home Office. The waiting period can be a very daunting time as decisions can be life changing however the Home Office do set some guidelines on waiting times, but we intend to keep you updated throughout the process.

Can you guarantee an application?

No, and this is the same even if you use a no win no fee service, it would be impossible for anyone to guarantee a successful application. The likelihood of an application being successful can be given based on previous cases or success rates, however we do not operate such a policy of selling our services based on previous applications.

What is your aftercare service?

We aim to ensure that this service is not used by any of our clients, but there are times where even with the best possible applications are unsuccessful. As we take our clients cases personally, we would like to provide a helping hand. We have designed an aftercare service whereby if your case fails, then your case worker would be able to help you look at other formalities of staying in the UK should you have valid leave still remaining or help you make an out country application. Please note should you require appealing on your matter, we can only deal with the initial appeal and your application will be straight away referred to an advisor who deals with representations.

Can I give you feedback on your service?

It is vital that all our clients can provide honest feedback, we would encourage this and this helps us to become better on our service delivery.

Can you help me find a UK Employer to sponsor a work permit or find me work?

No, we are a law firm which provides support in UK Immigration, Nationality and EU Free Movement Rights. However we have a subsidiary company which is jobslibrary.co.uk whereby you can look for work, apply and discuss with potential employers. We cannot influence any decisions and finding work is not something our team deals with.

How we deliver service

1) You contact us through e-mail or phone.

2) We take some basic information, we ask some relevant questions to understand the type of query and what type of support is required.

3) Your case then gets passed to a case worker.

4) Case Worker would contact you to set up an initial meeting.

5) You attend a consultation, an action plan is drawn up and we find out whether ICS Legal can support your case. A report would be sent where there is a requirement to outline what was discussed and what to do next.

6) You authorise us to be your legal representative by signing our customer care letter.

7) We will then start to request documents and information about your case this will build up your case pack.

8) We will then write our legal report and use Home Office caseworker’s documents to ensure everything has been checked and all requirement have been met.

9) Where possible we will go through every aspect of your case before case submission.

10) We will continue to update you throughout the case life cycle .

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Advisory Service | Corporate, Business & Educational Providers

ICS Legal provides an advisory service to all our business and educational clients. The aim is to provide a consistent, strategic advice in respect of migration and sponsor management system. 

The Home Office uses the Immigration Management System to ensure that your business or educational institutions remain compliant on the sponsoring system.  

Whenever, we are tasked to take over your sponsor management system, we will ask you the following information:

  1. The length of time you have held the sponsor licence. 

  2. The size of your organisation. 

  3. Compliance activity, which would include visits by the Home Office, suspension of your licence and any other relevant details.

  4. Number of migrants you are sponsoring. 

Setting up an immigration program to support your business operation requires meticulous planning. At ICS Legal, our Immigration Lawyers naturally play the role of providing direction and guidance on how to set up an immigration program to all our corporate clients.

Whether a client needs assistance in starting a program from the ground up or wants help in restructuring in the face of organisational or staffing changes, ICS Legal Immigration Lawyers is eager to partner with clients to develop the best solutions.

Our aim is simple, to advise and recommend the immigration best practices to clients, addressing components such as staffing and resources, technology utilisation, service delivery models, compliance strategies and procedures, training and education, and performance measurement.

We also help clients integrate their immigration program with related corporate initiatives, particularly in Human Resources areas such as recruiting, career development and relocation.

Our Audit Reporting team who will include our Immigration Lawyers will conduct an inspection to understand the client’s current business operation, as it allows us the opportunity to advice and plan to meet the required needs.

We perform due diligence investigations which require a close analysis of the current immigration status of the employees, a determination of the impact of the corporate change on status, and the filing of applications necessary to maintain each employee's status.

After a thorough evaluation, the team advises and assists the client in implementing any immigration strategies that may be necessary. Whatever the circumstances, ICS Legal Immigration Lawyers provides a complete range of services to ensure that the employer and all of its employees are adequately protected from the potential legal effects that the immigration laws may have in a changing corporate structure.

Advice on renewing your sponsor licence

As a sponsor licence holder, you will need to renew your sponsor licence every 4 years and can apply for the licence, 3 months prior to its expiry. In most of the renewal applications, it can be straight forward however if your business or educational institutions have gone through changes, then you will need to take legal advice prior embarking on re-applying for the sponsor licence. If you fail to renew your sponsor licence, this will impact all the migrants you sponsor. 

Advice on compliance visit

The Home Office as part of the management of the sponsor licence, will conduct compliance visits. These are undertaken both announced and unannounced visits, the check that as a sponsor licence holder, you are adhering to the rules and maintain the integrity of the system. ICS Legal will be able to advice and support on how to prepare the compliance visit. 

Accreditation and registration advice 

ICS Legal can provide full legal advice on appropriate accreditation and registration required for your business or your educational institution. This will be required as part of your sponsor management system. 

Advice on genuine vacancy test and genuine student test

Both employers and educational institutions prior sponsoring migrants, must ensure that the compliance requirements have been completed. Further to this, we advise on how to meet the policy and keeping evidences, to ensure once the sponsorship are assigned to the respective migrants, the qualified requirements have been met. 

Our advisory service in full

At ICS Legal, our Immigration Lawyers specialise in a wide range of UK Visas, nationality and immigration applications to the UK Home Office, responsible for controlling immigration. Our qualified Immigration Lawyers can provide advice, practical assistance and professional representation to guide you through the application and decision-making process from start to finish.

You may be a foreign national planning to work, study or settle in the UK, or you may already be settled here, or you may be a British citizen hoping for a non-European partner or family members to join you. Regardless, taking advantage of the expertise offered by ICS Legal will eliminate stress, whilst maximising your chances of a successful outcome, with any UK visa application or appeal.

Our experienced Immigration Lawyers have an exemplary track record in applying for family and partner/spouse visas, as well as visitors, workers and student visas, including Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 4 and Tier 5 visa applications under the UK’s five tier points-based system. Migrants can be sponsored under the point based system and more details can be found by clicking here. 

With direct access to our Immigration Lawyers, we can offer advice and assistance in applications to extend your stay in the UK. This includes Indefinite Leave to Remain, EEA family permit applications for relatives of European nationals, obtaining and renouncing British citizenship and entry clearance. Our Immigration Lawyers are also experts in dealing with visa expiry issues leading to the detention or removal of an individual from the UK, appeals and bail applications before the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal, and all human rights-related matters.

As one of the leaders in UK immigration, ICS Legal offers an extensive range of corporate immigration services for entrepreneurs, overseas investors, businesses, employers, highly skilled and highly valued workers, and education providers.

We offer specialist immigration advice and assistance for those wanting to work or set up a business in the UK and can advise employers on sponsor licensing if they are seeking to recruit migrant workers on a UK visa or work permit.

Partnering with ICS Legal on UK migration services

Our Business Lawyers are here to help. Our commitment to you is:

  1. Provide clear, straightforward legal advice in a language you understand.

  2. A highly professional personal service.

  3. A friendly, caring and approachable team of UK Immigration Lawyers. 

  4. Transparent costs with no hidden surprises.

It’s not that we think differently. It’s that we are different given our time in this industry. Reassuringly so. You can speak to one of our UK Immigration Lawyers on 0207 237 3388 or you can email us at info@icslegal.com

 

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