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How Much Does an Immigration Lawyer Cost?

Average Price
$200 to $400 per hour

How much does an Immigration Lawyer charge on average?

Need the support of an Immigration Lawyer but unsure how much it’ll cost? Read our handy guide to find out how much an immigration lawyer will charge depending on your requirements.

What is an Immigration Lawyer?

Immigration lawyers are highly qualified professionals who help their clients navigate the immigration process to help them become a citizen of a particular country. 

They arrange visas so that people can live, work, study, or invest in the country. As part of this, an immigration lawyer can also fight the case of someone who is being deported. Also, they can help people obtain citizenship through naturalization. 

How much does an Immigration Lawyer cost? 

There’s no fixed fee when it comes to hiring an immigration lawyer, as the price can vary widely depending on what service you need. However, we’ve calculated the average hourly rate based on professionals across the country: 

Average cost (per hour) $200 to $400
Minimum cost (per hour) $100
Maximum cost (per hour)$600+

Price considerations 

If your legal matter relates to the right to live in a particular country, then hiring an immigration lawyer will be incredibly helpful in achieving your residency goal. However, there are some key services that immigration lawyers provide that will affect the overall cost of hiring one. Let’s take a look at them and their average costs:  

  • Work visas

  • Study visas

  • Permanent residency application 

  • Australian citizenship (naturalization) 

  • Asylum appeal

  • An appeal against a visa decision

  • The individual lawyer

Type of serviceHighest average price (in total)Lowest average price (in total)
Work visa$3,000$300
Student visa$2,000$250
Permanent residency application$5,000$300
Australian citizenship (naturalisation)$3,000$1,000
Asylum appeal$5,000$1,500
Appeal against visa decision$10,000$1,000

Student visa applications are on average the cheapest service to access from an immigration lawyer, starting at just $250. Likewise, a work visa also starts at around $300. The most expensive service is an appeal against a visa decision, which can be as much as $10,000

Work & study visas

If you don’t have settlement rights in Australia then you’ll need a visa to work or study. 

If you are looking to live, work, or study in Australia and do not have settlement rights then you will require a visa. There is the General Skilled Migration program or Skillselect for skilled migrants. This grants a permanent visa. There are also temporary work visas available in Australia, allowing you to work in the country for up to four years. Those wishing to study abroad will require a visa too.

If you need assistance with a work or study visa, you can hire an immigration lawyer. For a work visa, the cost can range from $300 to $3000. Student visa help can cost between $250 and $2000.

Permanent residency application

If you want to live in Australia permanently then you’ll need permanent residency, which involves a visa application. You will have to pay for your application, including a Skills Assessment Application Fee, which can range from $300 to $1,050. There are also test and medical examination fees to expect.

Hiring an immigration lawyer can make a permanent residency application easier. Costs are going to vary from $300 up to $5,000.

Australian citizenship - naturalisation

Becoming an Australian citizen by naturalisation is possible for anyone who is above the age of 18, or for anyone who is married or is in a civil partnership with an Australian citizen. Or, if you have lived in Australia for at least 4 years before your application. 

On average, an immigration lawyer will charge between $1,000 to $3,000 to assist in your Australian citizenship case. 

Asylum appeal

Granting asylum in another country is usually related to security concerns in your home country. As this issue is the most serious, an immigration lawyer will normally be needed to help prove your case. The fees can be as low as $1,500 but can range to $5,000. The actual cost will depend on the complexity of the case and how many family members wish to claim asylum. 

Appealing a visa decision

If you have been refused the right to work or live in Australia, you will be told in your decision letter whether you have the right to appeal or not. Consulting an immigration lawyer would be your next step, with fees ranging between $1,000 to $10,000

The individual Lawyer

The experience of the lawyer, whether they work on a freelance basis or as part of a law firm and their location will all impact the cost of hiring their services. If the case is extremely complex and involves several family members, then this will require more hours of work for your immigration lawyer. However, your immigration lawyer should be upfront about any associated fees before you hire them. 

Is it worth hiring an Immigration Lawyer?

When it comes to having the legal right to live, work, study or invest in Australia, it is well worth having a qualified expert on your side. After all, the legal system is complex and most people do not know nearly enough to be able to win a case without help.

An immigration lawyer would have supported clients in similar situations to you many times, which will give you the best possible chance of winning your case. 

From asylum applications to have the right to study in Australia, find Immigration Lawyers to help fight your case with Bark.

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