COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

We are committed to providing a high quality legal service to all our Clients. When something goes wrong we need you to tell us about it. This will help us to meet your dissatisfaction and to improve our service to all Clients.

UK IMMIGRATION SOLICITORS COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

If you have a complaint, please contact the person dealing with your case or our Risk and Compliance Manager, Mr. Safraz Roy who is ultimately responsible for client care.

Safraz Roy
Risk and Compliance Manager
615 – 617 Stretford Road
Manchester
M16 0QA

Alternatively by email to compliance@ukimmigrationsolicitors.co.uk. We would prefer to receive your complaint in writing or by email if you prefer. If this is not possible you may telephone with details of your complaint.

To help to understand your complaint, and in order that we do not miss anything, please tell us:-

● Your full name and contact details
● What you think we have got wrong
● What you hope to achieve as a result of your complaint
● Your file reference number (if you have it)

If you require any help in making your complaint we will try to help you.  Our Risk and Compliance Manager will be responsible for investigating and handling your complaint. They may use discretion to involve other Senior members of staff in the investigation and handling of your complaint.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?

1. We will write acknowledging your complaint and we will send you a copy of this Procedure and we may ask you to confirm or explain the details. We will also confirm the name of the person who will be dealing with your complaint.
2. We will record your complaint in our central register and open a file for your complaint.
3. We will write to acknowledge your reply and explain what will happen next.
4. We will then investigate your complaint. This may involve one or more of the following steps.

● Reviewing your file.
● Asking the member of staff who acted for you for further information
● Asking you for further information.
● Asking someone outside our firm for information.
● Inviting you to discuss and hopefully resolve your complaint, either by a meeting or a phone call.

We will do all of these things as quickly as possible and we aim to complete our investigation and give you a response within 8 weeks. If this is not possible we will explain the reason.

If we have a discussion, we will write to you to confirm what took place and any solutions we have agreed with you.

If we do not think a discussion will be helpful or if you do not want a discussion or it is not possible, we will send you a detailed reply to your complaint. This will include our suggestions for resolving the matter.

Within 14 days of receiving our letter, if you are still not satisfied with our investigation or suggested solutions you can write to us again and we will review our decision. Normally you should explain in your letter why you are still not satisfied. A review may involve one or more of the following steps:-

● Your complaint Handler reviewing their decision.
● Arranging for another Handler to review your complaint.
● A proposal for independent mediation. We will let you know how long this process will take and what will be involved.

We will let you know the result of any review and we will write to you confirming our final position on your complaint and explaining our reasons. If you are still not satisfied, you may contact the Legal Ombudsman for legal complaints.

You can contact the Legal Ombudsman:-
● By post at Edward House, Quay Place, Birmingham B1 2RA
● By telephone 0300 555 0333
● By email enquires@legalombudsman.org.uk

However in the ordinary course of events, you must refer the complaint to The Legal Ombudsman within six months from the time when you receive a written response to the complaint from us. Normally you must refer a complaint to The Legal Ombudsman within 6 years from the act/omission occurring or within 3 years from when you should have reasonably known there was cause for
complaint. The Legal Ombudsman’s website is www.legalombudsman.org.uk. If we take more than 8 weeks to resolve your complaint, then you may refer it to The Legal Ombudsman without awaiting our final response, although you may choose to wait for our final response in any event as this may be helpful.

If we have to make a significant change to any of our timescales mentioned above, we will let you know and explain why. We will not charge you for handling your complaint.The Legal Ombudsman service is also free of charge. However please note that if we have issued a bill for work done on the matter, and all or some of the bill is not paid, we may be entitled to charge interest on the amount outstanding.