Immigration adviser fees UK: how advisers charge and what is published

This guide explains how immigration advisers charge in the UK and what to check before paying. It quotes no price ranges, because Whito has not yet collected immigration fee data and will not invent it. Where firms publish consultation fees, those are the firm’s own published numbers to check on the firm’s own page. When Whito runs its immigration fee collection, the dated results will be published here.

Two bills, not one

Every immigration application carries Home Office fees, set by government and published on gov.uk, which are payable whoever helps you. The adviser’s fee is on top. A quote that blurs the two is the first thing to challenge: ask for the split in writing.

How advisers charge

Most regulated advisers charge one of three ways. Fixed fees per application type are the commonest for straightforward routes such as visit, spouse and skilled worker applications. Hourly rates appear where the work is unpredictable, appeals and complex history cases. Staged fees split long matters into paid phases. All three are legitimate. What matters is that the structure is stated before you commit, in writing, with what happens if the application is refused.

What the IAA level means for price

Advisers registered with the Immigration Advice Authority, formerly the OISC, hold level 1, 2 or 3, and the level limits the work they may take on. A level 1 adviser cannot take your appeal however keen the price looks. Before comparing fees, confirm the adviser’s level on the IAA register covers your matter; a cheap quote for work the adviser may not do is not a quote at all.

Adviser or solicitor

Solicitors doing immigration work are regulated by the SRA and often publish price and service information for immigration on their sites. IAA advisers are frequently cheaper for straightforward applications; solicitors carry wider regulation and may be necessary for complex or contested matters. Neither is automatically better. Unregulated consultants, who may lawfully not advise at all, are the ones to avoid at any price.

What is actually published

Some firms publish fixed consultation fees, commonly for an initial advice session, and some publish full fixed fees per route. Many publish nothing. Whito’s fee collection for this trade, published prices only, with collection dates, has not yet run; until it has, treat any “typical cost” figure you read anywhere as unsourced.

The questions that protect you

Ask these before paying: Are you on the IAA register, at what level, under what name, or which legal regulator covers you? Is the fee fixed or hourly, and what does it include? What is the Home Office fee for my route, separately? What happens to your fee if the application is refused? A regulated adviser answers all four without flinching.

Corrections and right of reply

If your business is named in this research and you think we have a fact wrong, email hello@whito.co.uk. We check it against the register, correct it within five working days if we are wrong, and publish your statement alongside if you want us to. Full route: corrections, right of reply and removals.

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