How to choose the best immigration lawyer?

At Danielle Cohen Solicitors, we believe that it is important that you are able to find the right advice to help solve your immigration matter. Accordingly, if you wish to seek legal assistance when preparing an application or appeal, you should consider and identity your objectives in order to make sure you choose a service that can match your own personal expectations and circumstances.

Identify your needs

Firstly, it is useful to identify your needs. For example, if you wish to prepare an immigration application, you should consider whether you will be applying from inside the UK (an application for leave to remain) or outside the UK (an entry clearance application).

At Danielle Cohen Solicitors, we deal with both types of applications. For entry clearance applications, we can take instructions over the phone and liaise with the relevant person(s) in the UK, whom the applicant wishes to join, in order to effectively prepare the application.

Other considerations for starting an immigration application include identifying the purpose of the application, not least in order to see whether the respective solicitors firm has the expertise to act.

Danielle Cohen Solicitors is able to advise on a range of immigration matters and so we can be instructed for issues such as asylum, family reunion and commercial immigration. This said, if you are unsure whether Danielle is able to act for you, please do not hesitate to give her a call on 020 7267 4133.

As well as submitting immigration applications, Danielle and her team of solicitors can help with an immigration appeal.

Danielle can both submit and prepare an appeal. This involves filling in the relevant appeal form, preparing and submitting the evidence in line with tribunal procedure and instructing an expert barrister, who will represent you during the appeal hearing.

Researching your options

There are various ways in which you can research the options available to you. Looking at solicitor firm reviews is a good way to measure client satisfaction rate. Many of the clients of Danielle Cohen Solicitors have been referred through recommendations and the positive experience of her clients is demonstrated by the client feedback.

We also suggest you check that the firm is properly regulated and possesses the required certifications. Danielle Cohen Solicitors is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and conducts its work in line with the SRA guidelines. If you are not satisfied with the firm’s services, we encourage an open dialogue so that any concerns you raise can be dealt with adequately.

Tips

Final tips that will help you choose the best immigration lawyer for you include:

Being able to recall your immigration history

This will help the immigration solicitor to identify the best immigration route for you and give effective advice. If you have had an immigration application refused, the refusal letter should detail your immigration history. Other ways of ascertaining your immigration history are through any biometric cards that you have been issued, or through the stamps in your passport. If you are unable to recall your immigration history, we can make a data protection request to the Home Office and then analyse your immigration records.

Thinking about any particular issues that may affect your case

For example, you are often required to disclose your criminal history and so any past conduct that may affect your immigration suitability should be disclosed to your solicitor.

Organising your personal documentation will help you to gather the evidence required for your case

Documents such as employment contracts, pay slips, bank statements and utility bills are often requested in order to prove, for example, residence. It is thus recommended that you keep the hard copy versions of such documents.

Facts and Questions

What can an immigration lawyer do for you?

What an immigration lawyer can do for you depends on the solicitor firm with whom you are interacting and your type of case. Danielle Cohen Solicitors can prepare both immigration applications, appeals and judicial reviews. Furthermore, she has acted for both individuals and businesses.

In addition, before you become a client of the firm, you will have had a preliminary consultation with Danielle in order to discuss your case. You, therefore, have the chance to ask any initial questions and seek initial guidance before you commit to paying for the services of Danielle Cohen Solicitors. In this way, you have flexibility in terms of the extent of advice and assistance that you require from a legal professional.

Do immigration lawyers go to court?

It is not a requirement for an immigration lawyer to go to court and indeed many appellants represent themselves in appeal hearings. However, should Danielle Cohen Solicitors act for your appeal case, one of the team will always go to the hearing with you, in order to provide support. This attendance is in addition to the barrister, who will have been instructed by Danielle Cohen Solicitors to represent you in the hearing itself.

Can you appeal an immigration decision?

Under the current law, there are rights of appeal in the following types of applications:

• Refusal of Human Rights.
• Protection claims and revocation of protection status.
• Refusal of a visa and refusal to vary leave to remain in some situations where the application was made before the Immigration Act 2014 was in force.
• Refusal to issue European Economic Area Family Permits as well as certain other EA decisions where appeal rights are contained in Regulation 36 of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016.
• Deprivation of British citizenship where section 40A of the British Nationality Act 1981 applies.

Whether you have a right of appeal should be stated on the refusal letter. If there is no such right of appeal it may be possible to apply for Administrative Review.

You should get in touch with an immigration lawyer as soon as possible if you intend to appeal a decision because there is a deadline of 14 days from the date of the refusal letter to submit the appeal form.