Professional services
Immigration Lawyer Cost Calculator
Estimates immigration representation cost, where government filing fees are separate from the attorney fee.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
The attorney fee for the case type, usually flat fee in this area, plus government filing fees which are set by the agency and change periodically, plus any translation, medical examination or document retrieval costs. Separating the two is essential, because filing fees are paid to the government regardless of who prepares the application.
What moves the number
- Case type, which determines both fee and complexity.
- Government filing fees, set by the agency and subject to change.
- Number of family members included.
- Translation, medical and document retrieval costs.
Where this one goes wrong
Government filing fees change and are published by the agency, so confirm the current amounts rather than relying on a figure from a year ago. The other thing worth knowing is that only licensed attorneys and accredited representatives may give legal advice in immigration matters, and unauthorised practice in this area is both widespread and damaging: a badly prepared filing can affect eligibility for years. This is a cost estimate, not legal advice, and representation questions belong with a licensed attorney.
Before you quote
- Confirm current government filing fees with the agency.
- Check that any representative is licensed or accredited.
- Ask whether the fee covers responses to further requests.
Questions
About this calculator
Are filing fees included in an attorney's fee?
Usually not, and they should be quoted separately. Filing fees go to the government and are payable regardless of who prepares the application, so a quote that blurs the two makes comparison impossible. Current amounts are published by the agency.
Who can represent someone in an immigration matter?
Licensed attorneys and accredited representatives. Unauthorised practice is common in this area and the damage is lasting, since a badly prepared filing can affect eligibility for years. Verifying credentials before paying anything is worth the few minutes.
What is commonly left out of an immigration quote?
Responses to further requests for evidence, which are routine rather than exceptional, plus translation, medical examinations and retrieving documents from abroad. Asking what happens if the agency asks for more is the question that reveals the real total.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
Put this calculator on your site
Free to embed. Paste this where you want it to appear. It stays up to date automatically because it loads from BDEVY.
Please keep the attribution line. It is the only thing we ask in return.
How to use this calculator
- Hours on the matter (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 8 h.
- Fee earners needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Hourly rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $250.
- Disbursements and filing fees ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $120.
- Initial consultation fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on the matter | 8 h |
| Fee earners needed | 1 |
| Hourly rate charged | $250 |
| Disbursements and filing fees | $120 |
| Initial consultation fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $2,215 |
| Labour | $2,000 |
| Before tax | $2,215 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $2,215: $2,000 of labour, $120 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only hourly rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Hourly rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $125 | $1,215 |
| $188 | $1,719 |
| $250 example above | $2,215 |
| $375 | $3,215 |
| $500 | $4,215 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on the matter (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 8 h.
- Fee earners needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Hourly rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $250.
- Disbursements and filing fees ($)
- A money amount, starting at $120.
- Initial consultation fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.