As reviewed and updated on 8 January 2019
We work under simple easy to understand terms and conditions. You will not find any complicated ‘fine print’ in our agreements. No catches, no nasty surprises. We promise that at all times you will know exactly what we expect from you and how we operate. You will always be kept informed of all progress being made.
HOW WE WORK
The Four Steps:
Step 1: Information gathering: We will ask for basic information to get an initial assessment of your UK immigration needs and expectations so that your Consultant can prepare properly prior to consulting with you – this is done at no costs to you.
Step 2: Consultation: We will set up a consultation date and time with you – this will take place telephonically or by Skype or video-conferencing and will last for up to an hour – our fees for this is fixed at £80 plus VAT (£96). This fee is non-refundable. However, if you decide to instruct us within 3 months of us advising on your immigration matter, this payment will be deducted from our agreed fixed fees (see 3. below).
Step 3: Client care letter: We will forward a client care letter to you clearly setting out the information you gave to us, our advice and fixed fee structures explained to you during the consultation referred to at 2. above, what we will do for you and what evidence we will need in support of your application (see 4. below). You are welcome to request a sample client letter at info@depner-immigration.com or request the same from the message page on this website.
Step 4: Application – prepare and submit: We will prepare your application on a high standard and submit your application on your behalf to the Home Office (UK visas and immigration) when we are entirely satisfied that your application is valid and complies with all immigration laws, regulations and directives.
- If you are resident outside the UK or the EU you will ordinarily not have to pay VAT.
COMMUNICATIONS
- We adhere to a policy of openness and transparency. We will be contactable during office hours from Mondays to Fridays from 8:30 until 18:00 by telephone or email to advise, guide and support you through the entire process described above.
- Whilst we do take telephone calls to answer any questions you may have, we prefer written email communications for our records to keep track of progress at all times and to maintain and monitor a constant high-quality service.
STRICT RESPONSE POLICY
- Your UK immigration enquiry matters to us. We follow a STRICT RESPONSE POLICY to all genuine immigration enquiries within 48 hours maximum. We are usually much faster than that. If you have not heard from us within 2 work days (Monday to Friday), please write directly to our Founder Member, Mr Daniel Dippenaar, Barrister – Consultant at daniel@depner-immigration.com
PRICING POLICY
- Fees for our services are reasonable and very competitive. We have implemented a series of efficiency measures which allows us to offer you a high quality immigration service at rates generally 25% or even more below the fees charged by most if not all of our competitors.
- Applications are submitted to the Home Office only if we are satisfied with your chances of success and when we are in a position to file all of the supporting evidence necessary for a successful outcome.
- If, after conducting an assessment, we hold the view that your application is of a complex nature and the chances of success therefore uncertain and you instruct us to proceed with the application in any event, we will diligently carry out your instructions and take all reasonable steps to ensure a successful outcome but on a fee-paying basis irrespective of the outcome.
REGULATED IMMIGRATION PROFESSIONALS
- All Consultants engaged by us to provide UK immigration advice and services are registered practitioners regulated by their appropriate professional bodies:
Barristers by the BSB (Bar Standards Board – Bar Council)
Solicitors by the SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority)
Advisers by the OISC (Office of the Immigration Service Commissioner)
RIGHT TO WITHDRAW
- In terms of the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 you may have a right to withdraw, without payment, within 7 working days from the date on which you authorised us to represent you or such other person on whose behalf you are entitled to act. This is the so-called “Cooling Off Period”.
- However, if we start to work with your consent within that period, you lose the right to withdraw as referred to in the preceding paragraph. Your acceptance of these terms and conditions, also set out in our client care letter, will amount to such consent.
- If you seek to withdraw instructions, you should give notice by telephone, email or letter to the Consultant named in our client care letter and being responsible for your work.
LEGAL SYSTEM
- Our Terms and Conditions are governed by the Law of England & Wales.
DISCLAIMER
- Information on this website is published to market our business and to inform users of the nature of our services. Content on this website should not be construed as professional advice and should not be acted upon as such.
CLIENT PRIVACY
- We shall take all reasonable precautions to preserve the integrity and prevent any corruption or loss, damage or destruction of your personal data and information.
DATA PROTECTION
Introduction:
- Personal information must be collected and dealt with appropriately whether it is collected on paper, stored in a computer database, or recorded on other material and there should be safeguards employed to ensure compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation or “GDPR” which came into force on 25 May 2018 and which replaced the Data Protection Act 1998.
- When using your personal data, we take all reasonable steps to ensure full compliance with GDPR and all relevant UK legislation as a responsible controller of personal data. We use your personal data in accordance with your instructions and our professional duty of confidentiality.
- We require your personal data when providing UK immigration services to you. You agree when instructing us not to cause any delays in supplying information to us as this may prevent us from fulfilling our contractual obligations to you in a timeous manner or even prevent us from doing so at all.
- We will always take care to protect and secure your personal data and will never sell or consciously share it with other organisations for marketing purposes.
How we collect your personal data:
- You would normally supply information and documents directly to us via secure postal delivery, emails or our website or secure online portals.
We may also collect data:
- From public resources.
- Directly from third parties when we are legally obliged to do so.
- With your consent from e.g. your bank, building society or other financial institution.
- Consultants or other professionals who we may have to engage to fulfil our obligations to you e.g. if you need us to instruct a barrister to act on your behalf.
We use your data for legitimate and proper purposes to:
- Enter into a legally binding agreement with you or any other party who you have identified and requested we should communicate with to enter into a legally binding agreement.
- Comply with statutory and regulatory obligations when dealing with your matter.
- Comply with our contractual obligations to render our services to you or to such party you have instructed us to act for.
- Safeguard our legitimate business interests but always with due regard to your rights and interests.
- Statistical analysis to help us manage our practice, e.g. about our financial performance, client base, work type or other efficiency measures.
- Promote our legitimate UK immigration business interests.
- Ensuring business policies are adhered to, e.g. policies covering security and internet use. External audits and quality checks by regulatory bodies, e.g. by the Bar Standards Board, Solicitors Regulation Authority or Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.
Promotional and ongoing communications:
- We may occasionally use your personal contact details to send you important information by email, text message, telephone or post about UK immigration developments that might be of interest to you.
- We have a legitimate interest to promote our business. Hence, we do not strictly need your consent to send you promotional communications. However, we would normally ask for your consent and refrain from sending you material you do not wish to receive.
- You have the right to decline receiving promotional communications at any time by contacting us by info@depner-immigration.com or by using the unsubscribe link supplied at the bottom of our newsletters.
When do we share your information:
- When we have to share information to regulatory bodies to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
- When we need to share some personal data with other parties e.g. if our business is re-structured and/or our obligations legally assigned to another party. Any such party will be statutorily obliged to accept and comply with the same legal requirements in respect of confidentiality and data protection as we are.
How to complain:
- If you have any concerns about data protection, please contact our Data Protection Officer:
Mrs Sharon Dippenaar
Email: info@depner-immigration.com
Telephone: +44 (0)333 200 5158
Post: Depner Immigration Consultants, 25 Henley Way, Ely CB7 4YH – Cambridgeshire.
- We trust that our Data Protection Officer will be able to resolve any concerns you may have. If not, you are entitled to contact the UK Information Commissioner directly at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/ or telephone +44 (0)333 200 5158
Further guidance on your rights:
- If you would like to exercise any of those rights, please complete a data subject request form, available from our Data Protection Officer.