Business Terms & Conditions

We are open between 9.00 am and 5.30 pm each day from Monday to Friday. Although, we may be able to arrange appointments outside of these hours, in emergency cases. We are closed on all national holidays and operate reduced hours over the Christmas period.

Our range of services for any matter is detailed in the Retainer Agreement. Services otherwise agreed between us at the outset of the matter may be varied by agreement during the matter. We do not hold the responsibility for any failure to provide service or comment on any matter which falls outside the scope of your instructions. Our paralegal services to you are provided as per your instructions, under the supervision of authorised law practitioner and for the benefit of your law firm. The services should not be used or relied on for any other purpose or by any other person without our prior agreement.

We assure you:

• a fair and respectful treatment
• simple and transparent communication
• top-quality immigration paralegal services

You will:

• authorise us to work for under law practitioner’s supervision
• provide us instructions that are clear, timely, and accurate
• provide us requested documents and information on time
• safeguard any documents that may be required for the matter, including documents that you may have to disclose to another party
• disclose all material facts relevant to immigration matters.

The staff members from Immigration Paralegal Services have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Kindly be aware that we will not tolerate any kind of verbal or physical abuse towards our staff. We reserve the right to stop our services on reasonable grounds.

We will update you regarding the progress of your project regularly over your preferred mode of communication. The paralegal’s work will be communicated to you over calls or emails as your project progresses. We will update you on the likely timelines on each stage of the project and any modifications to those estimates. We will also update you on the cost of your project at intervals whenever required. You can contact your service manager if you have any questions or concerns about service level or communication.

The initial Retainer Agreement that is sent to you mentions the manager who will be involved from the onset of your project. As the project advances, the involvement of others may be required. We prefer to establish a method of reporting that specifically suits your needs. For instance, monthly or quarterly reports and/or meetings.

The cost of paralegal services can vary based on several factors including time of hired resources, changes in the scope of the work, unforeseen issues, and how other parties are involved to complete the work. However, we have a fair and reasonable fee structure keeping considerations for the circumstances. VAT is charged if it is applicable.

Wherever possible we provide an estimate of the likely overall costs in relation to a matter. If we are unable to give an estimate, there is a possible explanation that we will give. Unless our Retainer Agreement states otherwise, any estimate or quotation of costs is not an agreement to render our services within a fixed time or a fixed fee. Any revision in terms of time and/or fee will be notified well in advance. For instance, the changes in your requirements for a particular project might require an additional task to be done.

Usually, our fee is based on the time we spend dealing with a project. The time that we will spend while providing paralegal services include conferences with you and others; considering, preparing, and working on applications/documents; written and electronic communication; making and receiving telephone calls, and any time spent travelling. Hourly rates vary according to the level of seniority of each paralegal and expertise required; your instructions will be carried out at a level appropriate to provide an efficient and cost-effective service. Our Retainer Agreement outlines the current relevant hourly rates for the personnel involved in any matter unless you have already been notified of those rates. We review our hourly rates from time to time and will notify you of any increased rate. Apart from the time spent, our charges may take into account several other aspects. These include the complexity of the issues, the level of urgency, the expertise or specialist knowledge required and, if appropriate, the value of the subject matter involved.

We also work on a fixed fee basis which is agreed with you in writing before we start working for you. Whether or not the project proceeds to completion, you will be charged for work done, and expenses incurred unless otherwise agreed. For instance, if you withdraw your instructions or fail to provide essential documents, you’ll be charged the project.

We owe our duties only to the client mentioned in the Retainer Agreement, and we disclaim any liability to any other person. If any other person specifically requests us for our paralegal services, we may consider it. However, we reserve the right to decline any such request. You will agree in writing that in any matter you will not be acting on behalf of someone unless agreed upon writing in advance.

The terms on which we agree to conduct your matters (whether or not contained in these terms of business) can not be enforceable by any third party other than the parties to that Retainer agreement. We hold no liability for the services provided by counsel, experts, foreign lawyers, or other third parties selected by you or instructed by us on your behalf.

This provision applies in the scenario when you make any claim against us and we wish to claim contribution from a third party. If that third party’s liability has been excluded or limited to you, it reduces the contribution we can recover from them. Thus, you will make an equal reduction in your claim against us. In this provision, “reduce” and “contribution” call for a 100% reduction or contribution.

If your case involves court proceedings, we abide by our professional duty to uphold the rule of law and the administration of justice. We will comply with our duties to the court, even if it conflicts with our obligations to you. This means that we will not:

• attempt to deceive or mislead the court
• be an accomplice with anyone deceiving or misleading the court
• keep ourselves in contempt of court
• involve any payments to witnesses who are relevant to the outcome of the case.

We fully comply with the court orders that put obligations on us and ensure that evidence relating to sensitive issues is not misused.

Professional indemnity insurance covers the claims against our firm. We can make available on request the details of this insurance, including contact details of our insurer and the territorial coverage of the policy.

Our maximum aggregate liability to you in this matter will be £250,000 including interest and costs unless agreed otherwise. If you wish to discuss a change in this limit, please contact the management at Immigration Paralegal Services. If a higher limit on our liability is agreed upon, we may seek an increase in our charges for handling your project.

For Commercial Clients:

Any loss of profit or opportunity does not account for any type of consequential, special, indirect, or exemplary damages, costs or losses, or any damages, costs, or losses from our behalf.

For Individual Clients:

We will not be liable for:

• Unenforceable losses at the time of formation of the contract
• Any type of business losses, including losses occurred due to any individual not acting for their trade, business, or profession.
• Any losses not caused by the breach on the part of the firm.

Immigration Paralegal Services is a limited company. It can only limit its liability to the extent the law allows. In particular, the firm cannot limit liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

Kindly ask if you would like us to explain any of the terms above.

Please note that increasingly fraudsters are targeting communications between clients and service providers who try and seek to obtain money. Please note that we will never change our bank account details halfway through a project. We may even need to confirm the changes of our banking information with you before acting upon your instructions in this respect.

In an unlikely event of a deposit-taking institution failure, we will work on the presumption that we have your consent to disclose necessary client details to the FSCS, unless we hear from you to the contrary in writing.

Immigration Paralegal Services does not provide regulated legal services or advertise immigration services. We are not a law firm, nor are we licensed to practice law, authorised to provide any form of legal advice, or accept fees for legal advice. Immigration Paralegal Services works exclusively under authorised law practitioners’ direct instructions and supervision, and we do not provide services to the general public. Law Practitioners’ standing with the appropriate regulatory body will be confirmed before commencing any paralegal assistance.

We use your data in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations. Kindly refer to the below “Privacy Note’ or full details on data Protection.

We are entitled to keep your file, papers, and documents after completion of your project while there is still money owed to us for fees and expenses. Thereafter, we keep your files, papers, and documents for up to 6 years, except for those asked by you to be returned. This storage is free of cost for all our clients.

The files are stored on the mutual understanding that they will be destroyed 6 years after the date of the final bill. If you ask us to preserve the documents instead, we can keep them in safe custody.

In normal conditions, if you ask us to retrieve your files from storage (including electronic storage) concerning continuing or new instructions to act for you, we do not charge for the retrieval.

If the files are retrieved for some other reasons, we may charge you for:

• The time spent on retrieving the file
• For any work that is necessary to be done to comply with your instructions about the retrieved file

Email Communications, WhatsApp, Microsoft Team are the most preferred communications by us unless you tell us not to. We do not prefer other communications over the internet as they might not be completely secure. However, It is your responsibility to guide us as to what files should or should not be sent over the Internet. Viruses or other harmful devices are a threat over the Internet. However, we take reasonable precautions to prevent these problems by installing firewalls and antivirus software. If we are to communicate through the above channels, it is on the assumption that you will do so correspondingly.

Although we make reasonable attempts to send our emails and any attachments in the utmost secure manner, it is your responsibility to put effective measures in place to protect your computer or IT system against any such viruses or defects. We will not be liable for any loss or damage that may arise from the receipt or use of electronic communications from us.

Our terms and conditions shall apply to you and your associates, including all subsidiaries, companies that you control, or, if you are a company forming part of a group, all companies in that group.

Sometimes we ask other trusted companies or people to undertake work at our firm to ensure the work is done promptly and most cost-effectively. We always seek a confidentiality agreement with these outsourced service providers. If you do not want your work to be outsourced, we appreciate you telling us as soon as possible.

During the 14 days, you can cancel the contract for any reason and get your money back. Please send us cancellation request via email mentioning your details such as name, contact details, project details, and reference numbers if any. We will start working on your project as soon as possible if you expressly ask us to, you do not hold a right to cancel the instructions or the contract in such instances.

You may put an end to our services by giving us written instructions for the same, at any time. We will release all your papers and documents when our charges and/or disbursements are cleared as per the Retainer Agreement from your side.

We can also decide to stop acting for you giving you a considerable reason along with the reasonable notice.

If it is a mutual decision that we should stop acting for you, you are liable to pay our charges up until that point. The charges are calculated on the basis mentioned in our letter that confirms your instructions.

For the purpose of detecting and preventing money laundering and terrorist financing, we are required to acquire knowledge about the identity of our clients and sometimes people related to them. This is because the business relationship, transaction or services can be used, directly or indirectly, for money laundering or terrorist financing.

We shall verify the identity of our clients as soon as possible. Immigration Paralegal services are professionally and legally obliged to keep your affairs confidential. However, we may be required by due diligence to make a disclosure to the National Crime Agency if they suspect that a transaction may involve money laundering or terrorist financing.

If we make a disclosure in relation to your matter, we may not be able to tell you about that. Additionally, we will have to stop working on your matter for a stipulated time period and may not be able to give you reasons.

Our clients may from time to time include one or more of your competitors operating in your area or a related area. We retain the right to act for these clients, yet adhere to our obligations of confidentiality, explained in the following paragraph.

Any information provided to us by you is confidential unless:

• stated otherwise in this document or our letter, confirming your instructions. For example, if it is related to the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing.
• We advise you otherwise during the course of providing service to you.

We cannot guarantee the security of data communicated by emails or mobile phones. Unless you specifically ask us to use other modes of communication, we will assume that you consent for us to use these methods of communication.

We do not accept cash payments. When we owe money to you, it will be paid by bank transfer. We will not pay in cash or to a third party.

We are fully committed to providing high-quality paralegal services and client care. However, If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service you receive or about the bill, please contact Mr. Arjun Dubal on 020 3003 4828 or arjun@immigrationparalegalservices.com. Immigration Paralegal services have a set written procedure that guides how we handle complaints. It is available on request.

We consider your complaint within a timeframe of eight weeks.

If your complaint is related to the online or electronic contract that we entered into and we are unable to resolve your complaint, you may also be able to submit your complaint to a certified Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider in the United Kingdom.

When you appoint us on your behalf, you are authorising us to incur any expenses and disbursements related to your project; unless otherwise instructed. You have a liability to reimburse for all such payments. Examples of such payments include reprographic charges, court fees, barristers’ fees, overseas lawyers’ and experts’ fees, application filing fees and special bank transaction costs. We also reserve the right to charge for the expenses of travel, accommodation and meals while working on your behalf away from our office. However, we will always consult you before incurring any significant expenses or disbursements.

We cannot be held liable for any problems arising out of declined payments when we are paying government fees on your behalf. If you prefer to pay the disbursement directly to the immigration authorities, kindly let us know well in advance when you instruct us to act for you.

You are liable to pay for all costs as set out in our Retainer Agreement, whether you have expense insurance or not. We will submit interim bills for our charges and disbursements at specified timelines. The interim bills that we send you are self-contained invoices for the work done during that period. The final bill will be sent to you on the completion of your project and it will cover the work done from the last interim bill.

All bills should be cleared within 7 calendar days unless agreed otherwise and confirmed in writing. We may charge interest at 8% above Barclays Bank Rate on the overdue bills from the date of the invoice. Interest will be charged on a daily basis. We may terminate our services for you if an interim bill remains unpaid after 30 days or if our reasonable requests for a payment on account of costs are not met.

We are fully committed to promoting equality and diversity in all our dealings with clients, third parties and employees. Kindly contact us to get a copy of our equality and diversity policy.

If any disputes or legal issues arise from our Terms of Business, they will be governed by English and Welsh law and will only be considered by English and Welsh courts.

Unless otherwise agreed, the same Terms of Business will apply to all your future instructions on this or any other matter. These terms take the place of any earlier terms of business we may have agreed with you. In the absence of an express agreement to the contrary, we will stick to the services referred to in any Retainer Agreement accompanying these terms and all subsequent services rendered to you.

It may be necessary for both parties to amend the terms of business from time to time or supersede these terms by new terms. We will notify you of the changes in any such circumstances. Unless we hear from you expressing your non-agreement to the same within 14 days after such notification, the amendments or new terms will come into effect from the end of that period.

If you do not wish to be bound by these Terms of Engagement, we request you to express the same in writing as soon as possible.

How we use your information

We keep important information about you and your firm on our computers, in our email, in cloud storage and on paper for a certain period of time. We do this specifically to:

• deliver you the paralegal services that we have agreed upon in the contract. For instance, we may use your information to write letters on your behalf or prepare legal documents to help you with your matter;
• comply with the law. For instance, we have a legal obligation to report suspicious activity to the National Crime Agency (‘NCA’) if we suspect money laundering.

We may send you informational newsletters in the future that most clients find useful and keep you up-to-date about the industry. IPS relies upon the ‘legitimate interest’ in maintaining contact with former clients and those who are working in legal industry to do this in data protection law and your agreement for the purposes of the Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulations (which can be implied under these Regulations). We will make it quick and easy for you to ‘unsubscribe’ of future newsletters in every communication sent. You can opt out now by emailing the information officer or contact@immigrationparalegalservices.com if you don’t want to receive these communications

We may keep your information on computer servers within the European Union. If at any point your information is stored on computer servers outside of the EU we have:

• Chosen the countries that are approved for this purpose
• Are located in a country where we are happy that your information is safeguarded .

Both the above scenarios are covered under Article 45 of the General Data Protection

Regulation or GDPR.

We are not authorised to use your personal information to make ‘automated decisions’ that may affect you.

Anyone who chooses to use our WhatsApp messaging service has consented to our sharing their contact details with WhatsApp that is a part of the Facebook group (now Meta) of companies. Although their contact details are shared with WhatsApp, the content of any messages sent through WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted. Additionally, information sent through servers in the EU are subject to the privacy provisions in the General Data Protection Regulation. To know more about WhatsApp’s privacy policy, please see: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea?eea=1

Will you share my information with anyone else?

In most circumstances we will not share your information with third parties unless it needs to be shared as a part of the work we do and to collect feedback from our clients on our behalf through platforms such as ‘Trustpilot’ or Google Reviews, etc. Some circumstances require us to make reports of suspicious activity to the NCA. We also work with some trusted contractors or consultants who may have access to your information beforehand, such as virtual paralegals, service providers or copiers. All contractors have signed a confidentiality contract with us that requires your information to be accessed appropriately and kept confidential (among other GDPR requirements).

How long will you keep my information?

In general, we destroy all files after keeping them for 6 years. However, we do keep certain original documents or files that may need to be kept longer if discarding them involves a risk of destroying important information.

We will also always keep a handful of information after completion of your work to in order to comply with our professional duties.

Can I see what information you hold about me?

We have a right to payment of any outstanding costs before releasing a client’s whole file.  However, you do have a separate right under the GDPR to access your ‘personal data’ free of charge. This includes the delivery of data in a particular electronic format (‘portable’ format).

Please contact Mr. Arjun Dubal; Managing Director, email: arjun@immigrationparalegalservices.com if you would like to request a copy of your personal data.

What if I have other questions or concerns?

All contact details are detailed on our headed paper, and our information officer is: Mr. Arjun Dubal; Managing Director, email: arjun@immigrationparalegalservices.com. You can contact the information officer if you:

• want to express your concerns about how your personal data is being used;
• wish to correct or delete any records about your personal information;

If we are unable to address your complaint about how your personal information is being used, you may explore option to make a complaint directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Notice

It is essential that you contact the firm immediately in writing if you do not wish to be bound by the terms in the ‘Privacy Notice’.