How a case runs
6 commitments, all of them ours.
Everything below that has a rule against it is something this firm controls and can be held to. Everything without one belongs to a government agency, and the honest thing to write in that space is nothing at all.
You and us
The agency
- 01Us
Consultation
An hour, paid, on what your options actually are. Some people leave with the answer that no filing is available to them yet, which is worth knowing before spending anything else.
Booked within two weeks
- 02Us
Fee agreement
A fixed figure for the matter, in writing, with what is and is not included spelled out. Nothing starts before you have signed it.
Sent within two working days
- 03Us
Document checklist
The list of everything the government will want, sent on day one rather than month three. This is the single biggest reason cases here move at the pace they do.
Same day as the agreement
- 04You
Gathering documents
Birth and marriage records, tax transcripts, evidence of the relationship or the job. Some of these come from abroad and take months, which is why the list comes first.
- 05Us
Drafting and review
We prepare the forms and the supporting letter, then send you the whole package to read before anything is signed. You will be asked to check the facts, because you know them and we do not.
Two to three weeks after the file is complete
- 06Us
Filing
Submitted with proof of filing sent to you the same day. From this point the file is with the government and the pace is theirs.
Within three working days of your approval
- 07The agency
Receipt notice
The agency confirms it has the filing. Timing is published by the agency and varies by form and service centre. We forward it the day it arrives.
No timeframe from us. Timing is published by the agency.
- 08The agency
Biometrics, if required
An appointment letter with a date and place, issued by the agency. Rescheduling is possible and is done through them.
No timeframe from us. Timing is published by the agency.
- 09The agency
Adjudication
The waiting. Current processing times are published by the agency for each form and office, and they change. We will show you where to check them and we will not put our own number next to theirs.
No timeframe from us. Timing is published by the agency.
- 10The agency
Request for evidence, if one comes
A letter asking for more. It is common and it is not a refusal. The deadline on it is real, so tell us the day it arrives.
No timeframe from us. Timing is published by the agency.
- 11Us
Response to the request
Included in the fixed fee for matters we filed. Drafted, evidenced, and sent well inside the deadline.
Drafted within ten working days of receipt
- 12The agency
Decision
Theirs alone. Nothing on this site predicts it, and any firm that tells you what your decision will be is telling you something they cannot know.
No timeframe from us. Timing is published by the agency.
The checklist, in general terms
Yours will be specific to your matter and longer than this. The point of sending it on day one is that some of these take months to obtain from abroad.
- Identity
- Passport biographic page for everyone in the matter
- Birth certificate with a certified translation if not in English
- Any previous immigration documents, including expired ones
- Status and history
- Every entry and exit record you can find
- Prior applications, approvals, and refusals, including ones you think went badly
- Court or arrest records of any kind, however old and however minor
- The relationship or the job
- Marriage certificate, or the evidence a relationship is genuine
- Job offer, position description, and the employer's registration documents
- Tax transcripts for the sponsor, usually three years