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We are nationally recognised for our expertise in immigration law, both business and personal, and have been the leading law firm for immigration advice in the North East for over 40 years.
Our team are specialists in their field both in personal and business immigration matters.
Our personal immigration specialists can advise on all aspects of personal immigration law including family, EU and citizenship applications, student visas and deportation.
Our business immigration lawyers can advise on all types of work and business immigration cases, including sponsor licence applications and compliance issues, skilled work visas, investor and business visas and civil penalties.
Legal Aid – please note that legal aid is not available for personal or business immigration cases. We do not hold a Legal Aid contract for asylum and do not undertake asylum work.
We strive to provide clear and accessible advice at every stage of a case to enable you to make the right decision, from initial advice on options, assistance with applications and support with challenging Home Office decisions, including appeals, Administrative Review and Judicial Review. We can also arrange legal representation for you before tribunals and courts.
We are able to provide you with advice on UK immigration law in a manner that suits you best – whether in person, via videocall (Teams ), by email or telephone – wherever you are in the world.
Our immigration accreditations
Bryony Rest, our Head of department, is ranked in band 2 nationally for personal immigration in Chambers and Partners and supervises our immigration team so you can be assured your immigration case is in safe, experienced hands.
We are active Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) members. Bryony Rest is a co-convenor of ILPA’s Family and Personal Immigration Working Group and also the Yorkshire & North East Working group. She is also a guest speaker on ILPA courses and conferences.
Contact Us
You can talk to us by telephone on 0191 232 9547 (ext. 2306) or contact us by email at immigration.enquiries@davidgray.co.uk. Alternatively, you can book an appointment and visit us at one of our North East offices:
Newcastle:
56 Westgate Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 5XU
South Shields:
142 Fowler Street, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE33 1PZ
Additional language support
The David Gray Solicitors team has the following language capabilities:
- English
- Bengali
- Sylheti
- Urdu
- French
- Lingala
- Tigryna
- German
Our Fees
In accordance with rules published by the SRA, as of December 2018 all firms offering this type of work must publish details of prices and personnel undertaking the work. Please see our dedicated fees page for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Home Office fees for Immigration?
Generally, a fee must be paid to the Home Office in order to make an application. The fees are variable depending on the application. There is a fee for each applicant, including children. The fees are updated annually. If an application is refused the fee is not refunded. The current fees can be found here.
Are there any additional fees to pay?
There can be additional fees to pay depending on the type of application being made, for example for a Priority Service, Biometric enrolment, visa appointment, document scanning and Immigration Health Surcharge.
What Is the Immigration Health Surcharge?
Many applications require the payment of the Immigration Health Surcharge. This is a payment to use NHS services. The surcharge is variable depending on the application. If an application is refused the fee is refunded, find out more here.
How long do applications made to the Home Office take?
The process is variable and depends on the type of application. The Home Office has service standards. However these may not be met where an application is more complex and are not guaranteed.
Can I get a decision on my application decision more quickly?
Yes, using one of the Home Office’s Priority services you can get a quicker decision (dependent on type of application).
How can I contact the Home Office for an update?
How you contact the Home Office depends on whether you are in or out of the UK, what type of application you have made and when your application was made. There may be additional charges for this. Contact the Home Office.
What documents will I need to make an application?
The documents you will need will depend on the type of application you are making. Each category has different requirements. Some documents such as passports must be originals, other documents can be copies.
How do I get my application documents back?
Many applicants can now retain their documents while their application is being decided. Where the Home Office hold your documents it is possible to request their return. However there is a risk that an application can be withdrawn if documents are requested and used to travel out of the UK while the immigration application is pending. You can request your documents are returned here.
Can I work while my application is being decided?
Provided your existing visa allows you to work, you should be able to work as long as your application is submitted before your current visa expires.
Can I travel while my application is being decided?
If you are applying from within the UK, under a category in the Immigration Rules, you generally cannot travel while your application is pending.
For more FAQs on EU nationals – please see our EU page.
