What to expect at your first consultation
A short guide to how the first meeting works, what to bring, and what you will have by the end of it.
Written by TrustBridge Immigration Services
The first consultation exists to answer one question: what are your realistic options, and what would each of them involve? Everything else follows from that.
Before the meeting
Send us what you already have. Passports, previous visas, refusal notices and any correspondence from the Home Office are the most useful, because they establish your immigration history rather than relying on recollection.
If you cannot find something, say so. An incomplete picture that we know is incomplete is far more workable than one we believe to be complete.
During the meeting
We will take you through your history, identify the routes that are open to you, and explain what each requires. Where we can see a difficulty, we will say so at the time rather than later.
- Your immigration history and current status
- The routes available and what each requires
- The evidence you would need to gather
- Any weaknesses we can see, and how they might be addressed
- What the process would cost and roughly how long it takes
Afterwards
You will receive a written summary of what we discussed and the options identified. You are under no obligation to instruct us further. If you decide to proceed, that summary becomes the starting point for the work.
What we will not do is tell you an application is certain to succeed. Decisions rest with the Home Office, and any adviser who promises otherwise is not being straight with you.