Is it Better for my Immigration Solicitor to be Local to me?

Many people still hold the belief that they need access to a local solicitor or lawyer. However, with modern technology changing the rules of working, the traditional set-up of working in an office is rapidly changing, and for the better.

In recent years, for instance, particularly with Conveyancing Solicitors, the clients and their lawyers do not necessarily have to be local to each other, in order to work together on a purchase of a property, for instance. Many people, myself included, have bought their property with the advice and assistance of a solicitor who is based miles away from where the clients live.

With modern technology at our fingertips, convenience is the name of the game. I embrace modern technology for my work. Should I be required to do so, I can work from anywhere in the world where there is internet connection. I can, and do, communicate and liaise with my clients through various means, from the traditional method of telephone calls, letters and email, to modern methods of texting, using apps such as Whatsapp, Skype. This also means that I can work outside the traditional office hours of Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm, which makes it appealing to my clients who are based outside the UK, or for those who work within the traditional hours.

The Home Office, too, have changed their processes, in particular with the use of online application forms for the majority of their applications, especially for entry clearance application forms to the UK. This means that both the clients and I have access to their application forms, which I complete on the clients’ behalf, as part of my service. The payment of fees, such as the visa fees, Immigration Health Surcharge (I.H.S) and other added-on-fees such as the Priority Visa Service, can also be paid online, making the process go smoothly and quickly for my clients.

In most cases, especially with settlement-type visa applications, such as a spouse visa for instance, the supporting documents must be submitted to the UKVI in Sheffield. My clients can either send me their documents through the post (by Special or Recorded Delivery, or DHL and UPS, if they are outside the UK), which I will then review, scan, copy and send to the Home Office, on their behalf. If they are applying for a visitor visa to the UK, for instance, then clients can send me their documents either via Whatsapp and/or email.

As you can see, modern technology is making it far easier for those to have access to solicitors, like me, who may be based miles away from them. For instance, I have advised and assisted clients who were based outside of London, and even those who were based outside the UK, such as those living in the UAE, Iran, Morocco, the Philippines, Malaysia, to name a few.