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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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immigration bail application - ICS Legal

Immigration Bail & Detention

If you have been detained by the Immigration Authorities or know someone who has been detained then you need to seek specialist immigration legal advice. 

Require expert legal advice on bail and detention applications

You can e-mail us the decision letters served by the Home Office on info@icslegal.com, or you can fax us the decision letter on 0207 112 8479. If you have been detained, then you will be given access to both e-mails and faxes. 

What is Immigration Detention?

Freedom from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment is a fundamental human right, legally enforceable throughout the UK by virtue of the Human Rights Act 1998. An Immigration Bail is a request or an application either to the Chief Immigration Officer (CIO) or to the Immigration Judge for the release of a person from immigration detention.

Temporary Admission/Bail Application to the CIO

If an immigrant is detained Home Office will give consideration as to how the person detained can be released. In the first place, verbal communications with the immigration service may yield some results. Then representations are made to the Chief Immigration Officer (CIO) that the person detained be released on Temporary Admission (TA).

The Immigration Service reviews the detention on a regular basis so it is important that all relevant information is put before them: e.g. any change in the detainee's health, distress to family, or more favourable conditions should release be considered (e.g. a new address becoming available).

Detainee's conditions

  1. Residence at a specified address.

  2. Reporting to Police Station or /Immigration Service.

  3. Sureties. These conditions can be varied by an application to an Immigration Officer or Immigration Judge.

Bail Application to the First-Tier Immigration Judge

In cases of the new arrival, once seven days have passed from arrival in the United Kingdom, there is a possibility of applying for bail in all kinds of immigration case. Such an application may be made to a Chief Immigration Officer, or to an Immigration Judge at Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. Therefore if the Immigration Service refuses to grant the detainee temporary admission or bail, they have a right to apply for bail to an Immigration Judge at Asylum and Immigration Tribunal.

The Immigration Judge may release the detainee on bail subject to conditions similar to those an Immigration Officer may impose. This will include reappearing before the Immigration Judge at a later hearing usually the full appeal hearing.

Remember at the bail hearing that the burden of proof in justifying detention lies, given the presumption in favour of bail, on the Secretary of State to the balance of probabilities. The adjudicator should give a reasoned decision, albeit that it is not in writing.

Sureties and how that works

Sureties are put forward as potential guarantors that a person will answer their bail. The standard Bail Form has spaces for two sureties, though there is no requirement that there is a pair: you could offer more, or none. It will be necessary to supply the Immigration Judge and Immigration Service/Home Office with their details so that the individuals in question, and their addresses, can be the subject of investigation via the national police computer. Two days notice should be given to the Secretary of State for this purpose.

Those with criminal convictions or insecure immigration status, or whose addresses have in the past been associated with absconding, are unlikely to be accepted as sureties. 

The sureties should always attend court – it will rarely be the case that non-attendance will be accepted. The surety should have proof of ID, address, occupation, financial status, immigration status (ideally British Citizenship/Indefinite leave to remain) and evidence of the address that is available to the detainee.Immigration Judges prefer a surety who is living with or near bail applicant to ensure that the sureties are able to exercise a measure of control over them. The surety should explain their relationship to the detainee, and what level of contact they have had with them in the past, and intend to maintain in the future.

If the bail applicant absconds or does not comply with conditions of bail, the sureties risk forfeiting all or part of their recognisance. Large sums are often required by Immigration Judges (or CIOs) £5000 is not uncommon. The Immigration Judge will need to be satisfied that the sureties are suitable and will ensure that the bail applicant will answer the bail by complying conditions of the bail.

When is a Bail Application most likely to succeed

This is a difficult question to answer, but some general guidance is possible:

  • Where a person’s removal from the UK is not imminent, it is difficult to justify ongoing immigration detention and a bail application may well succeed.

  • Where removals to a certain country are not possible for practical or other reasons, detention would normally be unlawful and a bail application should succeed.

  • Where a person is a survivor of torture, they should not be detained.

  • Unaccompanied minors should never be detained other than for a very short period in their own best interests.

  • Families should not generally be detained other than for short periods before removal.

Call ICS Legal on 0207 237 3388 to get some initial legal advice or simply complete our contact form, by clicking here and one of our UK Immigration Lawyers will be in contact with you. 

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