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Paul John & Co Immigration Lawyers London

Paul John & Co Solicitors is a highly respected law firm in East London specialising in UK immigration advice and services. Our team of knowledgeable and skilled lawyers is led by Mr Paul John, a leading UK immigration solicitor and well-known immigration consultant. We assist individual and business clients with a wide range of immigration law issues, as well as with property and family law matters.

Committed to client care

Paul John & Co was established over 12 years ago and throughout this time we have maintained a success rate of over 90%. Our clients value our hands-on, personal approach that allows us to deliver the results they need. It is this approach that has helped us create long, positive relationships with the majority of our clients, who see us as their partners in all immigration law and related matters.  

Experts in UK immigration law

Whether you intend to migrate to the UK, work or study here, or you are currently in the UK with a visa problem, our immigration solicitors can provide quick, clear and reliable advice. Our immigration law services include:

At this time of uncertainty and upheaval within the UK immigration landscape, we understand that our clients need clear advice and reassurance. Applying our extensive and up-to-date knowledge in this area, we can help you pursue your immigration goals with confidence.  

Family law

In addition to our immigration expertise, our team also specialises in UK family law and property law. So, if you are dealing with a divorce and its associated issues (including child maintenance, property division and protection of your assets) we can provide you with expert and tailored legal advice and services.

Quality services; affordable rates

We are dedicated to delivering a quality service at a reasonable rate. We believe providing our clients with excellent value for money is one of the main reasons why we have a high rate of repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals. To find out more about our competitive rates, please get in touch.

Our Team

Mr Poul John

Mr Poul John is the Managing Director of the firm and is an expert in UK Immigration Law. Mr John is a solicitor and has more than 16 years of experience in the field of immigration law. He is accredited as an expert in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Law Society and is well known for his honest advice and expertise in all branches of Immigration and Nationality law.

Poul holds a Masters degree in law from the University of Cambridge. He established Paul John and Co solicitors in 2006 and the firm has developed into an acclaimed niche practice in the field of immigration and nationality Law.

Mr John is very approachable and is acclaimed for his expertise in finding quick solutions in very complex immigration matters involving human rights, asylum, business immigration and deportation matters. He regularly appears on ZEE TV in their immigration expert shows and also regularly writes Immigration columns in newspapers and blogs.

He has been instrumental in developing the firm into a bunch of lawyers who you will fall in love with as regards to their work and tenacity.

Mrs Chandrika Ratnakumar

Mrs Chandrika Ratnakumar is a Director of Paul John and co solicitors and is the head of the Family Department. A practicing solicitor since 1988.

Mrs Chandrika is acclaimed for her thorough knowledge in the area of undisputed divorce matters and can speak Tamil and Sinhalese languages.

Mr Merlin Prasad Alfred

Merlin is head of the points-based system applications team at the firm and is an expert in PBS Applications and Tier 2 Sponsor Licencing applications. He joined the firm in December 2006 and has more than 12 years of experience in dealing with Immigration matters.

Merlin’s expertise and hands-on approach is widely demonstrated in the reviews and testimonials received about the firm. He is also conversant in English and Malayalam languages.

Our Fees

Fees for Immigration Services

To ensure our clients have a clear understanding of the hourly rates and fixed fees we quote per case, we have set out in this page costs of our services with a range of fees to accommodate work that spans both straightforward and complex or highly complex cases.

Certainty of their legal fees from their trusted legal advisor.

On fixed fee cases to live without worry of fee-creep and the peace of mind that this fee is guaranteed throughout the life-cycle of their case with us.

Certainty regarding the merits and prospects of success of their case.

A guarantee of excellence and the quality of our services.

To ensure our staff as well as clients have a clear understanding of the costs per case, we have set out in the proceeding pages costs of our services with a range of fees to accommodate work that spans from straight forward to complex cases.

Fixed Fees

We normally process application on a fixed fee basis. Please note all non-qualified staff, paralegal and trainee solicitors are always supervised by experienced solicitors from within each department.

Our consultation fees for an initial advice is £50 (+ VAT if applicable) for a 30 minute consultation or £100 (+ VAT if applicable) for a 60 minute consultation. This meeting will take place in confidence between yourself and one of our qualified lawyers or caseworkers . We will establish the full details of your specific circumstances, all the applicable legislation, policy and any case law that will need to be taken into account in to your case. We then proceed to advise on your options and merits of success in your case. A costs-benefit analysis and a full explanation of our duties towards you will be provided, with plenty of time for you to ask any further questions for clarification before the end of the consultation.

We cannot offer legal advice over the phone or by email prior to being formally engaged as your legal representative, but our solicitors are happy to understand your matter over the phone/by email and offer a consultation if it is required. 

Our current fees for Immigration applications are as follows:

All stated fees may be subject to VAT (Value Added Tax) where applicable and is usually charged at a rate of 20%. However, this may not apply for applicants applying from abroad depending on their individual visa/residency status. We will confirm whether VAT is payable when you instruct us and we can work out if VAT is properly chargeable.

Application for:

Naturalisation or registration under the British nationality Act 1981

On average, this type of work takes between 8-10 hours to complete per applicant. Our fixed fees for this application is 700 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees is 840.

Applications on behalf of European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and their family members under the applicable EEA Regulations or Immigration Rules, including applications for Settled status and pre settled status.

Our fixed fees for this application are 700 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees is 840

Applications under the Immigration Rules, including:

  • Student and student visitor visas
  • Visit visas (for tourism, or visiting friends / family)

On average, this type of work takes between 6-8 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application are 700 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees are 840.

Spouse and partners applications, including fiancé(e)s or proposed civil partners

On average, this type of work takes between 10-12 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application is 1000 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees are 1200.

Applications for skilled worker, health and social care, any other applications under the Points-Based System (this does not include Sponsorship license applications);

On average, this type of work takes between 8-15 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application are 700 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees are 840.

Dependent relative and family reunion applications 

On average, this type of work takes between 8-12 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application is 1000 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees are 1200.

Ancestry visas

On average, this type of work takes between 8-10 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application is 1000 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees are 1200.

Other categories, such as applications on the basis of long residence and private life

On average, this type of work takes between 8-12 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application is 1000 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees are 1200.

Settlement or indefinite leave to remain applications

On average, this type of work takes between 8-12 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application is 1000 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees are 1200.

Sponsor License applications

On average, this type of work takes between 20-30 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application is 2000 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees is 2400

Administrative Review

On average, this type of work takes between 4-8 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application are 700 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees are 840.

Advice and representation at the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in relation to appeals against Home Office visa or immigration decisions

On average, this type of work takes between 20-30 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application is 2000 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees are 2400. We shall prepare the appeal bundle; arrange the barristers to represent at the hearing. If the appeal is refused and we need to appeal further to Upper Tribunal it will incur additional fees of 1000 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fees are 1200.

In all cases, the exact number of hours it will take depends on the circumstances in your case. Such as:

  • The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider
  • The complexities of the case
  • Which language(s) you speak
  • Whether you are applying with other dependants

The work will involve (but is not limited to):

discussing your circumstances in detail and confirming whether this is the most appropriate application for you to make and what other options may be available to you;

giving you advice about the requirements of the Immigration Rules, timescales and whether you meet the criteria.

if you do not fulfil certain criteria, whether this can be overcome and how, which on average takes 1-3 hours;

considering the supporting evidence you have provided, which we anticipate will take 3-6 hours*;

where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses;
preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf, which we anticipate will take 3-5 hours;

Attendance at a Home Office interview or carrying out mock interviews: if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, we will give you clear advice (and discuss the possibility of us attending with you) at the appropriate time. This could be between 5-8 hours of work.

giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.

Bundle Preparation

*the amount of hours depends on the number of documents, whether they need to be translated, whether anything is missing and how long it will take to obtain the missing documents

Disbursements (not included in costs set out above):

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as visa fees. We normally expect you to pay the home office fees directly to the home office and the payments are normally made online while processing the application and you will be able to pay by your credit or debit card. The home office fees and Immigration health surcharges changes every year or within 6 months and we will advice you in the outset how much is the current visa fees and IHS surcharges.

Some other disbursements are paid through our accounts and these are (but not limited to) the following:

Interpreters fees if required. This kind of application will normally require between 5-8 hours with an interpreter, depending on the complexity of your case. We shall obtain a fixed fee quote from the provider at the time we need to use their services and you will have to pay this to our account before commencing their service. 

Independent expert reports e.g. medical experts. These are not required in many cases: we will let you know as soon as possible if we consider an expert report is necessary.

If there is an interview and we do attend with you, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.

Where the Home Office refuses your application, advice and assistance in relation to any appeal/review or further work on the matter

How long will my application take?

We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application. Read the current processing times from the home office website. We can provide you an estimate of the time at the time when we accept a case but cannot guarantee that the application will be processed in that exact period of time.

We will normally be able to submit most applications within 4-8 weeks of you instructing us, but this depends on whether all documentation is ready and/or if the application has sufficient merits. We will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this.

Please note the anticipated number of hours and fees are an estimate based on the facts above. 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.

Divorce

We only current process clean break divorces and this means that the divorce does not involve any financial settlement between the parties. On average, this type of work takes between 10-15 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application is 1000 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fee is 1200. You will also need to pay the courts fees which we shall inform you at the time we take your matter.

Child contact matters:

We process applications for contact with children. Our charges include the submission of applications and preparing the court bundles for the hearing. We don’t attend the court hearing and we normally instruct barristers for the same and you will have to pay their charges separately. The barrister’s charge differs according to their standing but we shall inform you the same before the hearing. On average, this type of work takes between 10-15 hours to complete. Our fixed fees for this application is 2500 + VAT. The current VAT rate is 20% and therefore the total fee is 3000. 

Contact our Immigration, Family Law Lawyers East London, UK

Contact our friendly and proficient team today. Call us on 020 8215 1205 or use our online contact form and we will be in touch very soon.

Immigration: Experts

We have extensive experience in successfully helping businesses and individuals apply for a wide range of UK visas. When you work with us, you will receive clear, practical and reliable advice to help you achieve your immigration goals.

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