Immigration Judicial Review Solicitors London
If you need expert legal advice on challenging a Home Office immigration decision through judicial review, our Solicitors, who have over 25 years of experience in immigration law, can help.
Judicial review is the process by which the Upper Tribunal or the courts examine whether a public body such as the Home Office made a decision that was unlawful, irrational, or procedurally unfair. The question is not whether the right outcome was reached. The question is whether the decision-maker acted within the law and followed the correct process.
At Law Lane Solicitors, we advise clients on immigration judicial review from our offices in Stratford E15, Holborn WC1V, and Croydon CR0. We act for clients challenging Home Office decisions where there is no right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal, or where the appeal route has been exhausted and the legal basis for the decision remains questionable. Time limits are strict. There is generally a three-month deadline from the date of the challenged decision. We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Our Immigration Judicial Review Services
We advise and act on the following judicial review matters:
- Challenging Home Office refusals of leave to remain, entry clearance, or settlement where no appeal right exists
- Challenging unlawful delay by the Home Office in making decisions on outstanding applications
- Challenging removal directions and decisions to certify human rights or asylum claims
- Applications to the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber (UTIAC), which hears most immigration judicial reviews
- Pre-action protocol letters requiring the Home Office to respond before proceedings are issued
- Urgent applications to the Upper Tribunal where removal is imminent
- Challenges to decisions of the First-tier Tribunal where a legal error is identified in a written determination
- Advice on the three grounds of challenge: illegality, procedural unfairness, and irrationality
- Advice following permission refusals, including oral renewal hearings and applications to the Court of Appeal
Why Choose Law Lane Solicitors for Immigration Judicial Review?
Judicial review requires a particular kind of legal analysis. Not every unfair-feeling immigration decision has a viable ground of challenge. We give clients an honest assessment of whether there is a realistic legal basis to challenge the decision before advising them to commit to the process.
Where there is a genuine ground, we prepare claims carefully. The pre-action protocol letter, the grounds of challenge, and the supporting evidence all need to be precise. A poorly drafted claim may fail at the permission stage and leave the applicant in a worse position. We do not pursue claims we do not believe are properly arguable.
Our Holborn WC1V office is close to the Royal Courts of Justice and the Upper Tribunal. If urgent action is needed, we can move quickly.
Get in Touch
If you believe a Home Office decision was unlawful, call or email us today. Time limits are strict and delay can close the door on a claim that might otherwise succeed.
Phone: 020 7870 4870
Email: info@lawlanesolicitors.co.uk
Book a consultation with our immigration team and find out whether your case has grounds for a legal challenge.

Law Lane Solicitors is proud to be accredited under The Law Society’s Immigration and Asylum Accreditation.
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Frequently Asked Questions – Judicial Review
What is judicial review in immigration?
Judicial review is a legal challenge to the lawfulness of a decision made by a public body. In immigration, it is used to challenge Home Office decisions that fall outside the immigration appeal system, or where the manner in which the decision was made was unlawful, irrational, or procedurally unfair. Most immigration judicial reviews are heard by the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber rather than the High Court.
What are the three grounds of challenge?
Illegality means the decision-maker acted outside their legal powers. Procedural unfairness means the process was improper, for example by not giving the applicant an opportunity to respond to adverse evidence. Irrationality means the decision is so unreasonable that no reasonable decision-maker could have reached it. Human rights grounds are also available under the Human Rights Act 1998 where a decision was incompatible with Convention rights.
How long do I have to apply?
An immigration judicial review claim must be received by the Upper Tribunal within three months of the date of the challenged decision. For challenges to First-tier Tribunal decisions, the time limit is one month from the date written reasons were sent. These deadlines are strict. Delay can result in the claim being refused even where the legal argument is sound. Take advice as soon as you receive a decision you want to challenge.
What is a pre-action protocol letter?
Before issuing a judicial review claim, you are expected to send a pre-action protocol letter to the Home Office setting out the decision being challenged, the legal grounds, and the remedy sought, and giving a reasonable period to respond. In some cases the Home Office reconsiders after receiving the letter, making proceedings unnecessary. Sending the letter does not pause the three-month time limit.
Does judicial review stop removal?
Notifying the Home Office of an intention to apply for judicial review does not automatically prevent removal. A claim accepted by the Upper Tribunal may suspend removal in some circumstances. Where removal is imminent and a claim is in preparation, an urgent application or a deferral request may be needed. We advise on urgent action where removal is threatened.
What is the permission stage?
Before a judicial review proceeds to a full hearing, the Upper Tribunal must grant permission. The tribunal first considers the application on paper, without a hearing. If permission is refused and the claim has not been certified as totally without merit, you can renew the application at an oral hearing. If permission is granted, the case proceeds to a substantive hearing.
What happens if judicial review succeeds?
If the Upper Tribunal finds that the Home Office acted unlawfully, it will usually quash the original decision and send the matter back for reconsideration. The tribunal does not make the immigration decision itself. The Home Office may reach the same outcome again, provided it does so lawfully and by the correct process.
Can I get legal aid for immigration judicial review?
Legal aid may be available for certain immigration judicial review cases, subject to financial eligibility and merits tests. Asylum-related judicial reviews are among the categories still covered. Non-asylum judicial reviews may be harder to fund through legal aid. We advise on funding options at the outset and explain the likely costs if legal aid is not available.
Is judicial review the same as an appeal?
An appeal to the First-tier Tribunal is a full review of the decision on the facts and the law, and the tribunal can substitute its own decision. Judicial review only examines the lawfulness of the process by which the decision was made. If a legal error is found, the decision is sent back for reconsideration rather than replaced.
How much does an initial consultation cost?
We offer a fixed-fee initial consultation for immigration judicial review matters. At that meeting we will assess whether there is a viable legal ground to challenge the decision and explain what the process involves. Please visit our pricing page or call us directly.
Get in Touch
Whether you are applying for the first time, extending your leave, or dealing with a problem mid-course, our immigration team is ready to help.
Phone: 020 7870 4870
Email: info@lawlanesolicitors.co.uk
Book a consultation with our immigration team and start your studies in the UK with your immigration status in order.
Immigration Team
Tahir Shahab Khan
Supervising Director, Solicitor AdvocateView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Salman Shah
Director, SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Sikandar Ali Jatoi
Director, Solicitor AdvocateView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Ghulam Mustafa
BarristerView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Ahmed Syed
Registered Foreign LawyerView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Muhammad Azeem
Registered Foreign LawyerView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Nuresa Begum
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Oraz Shiriyev
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Sarah Akram
Supervising SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Kashif Haroon
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Khadija Faisal
Legal AssistantView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Suzana Husain
Trainee SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Christian O. Nwaorah
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Oriola Uka
Registered Foreign LawyerView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Sandesh Kumar
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Michele Montjen
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Manpreet Kaur
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Mai Oanh Hoang
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Mariya Hussain
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Vishva Shanmugam
Costs DraftsmanView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Hoor Aleen Badarneh
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Robert Thomson
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Kunal
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Artemisa Shquti
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Mathelide Othilie Christiansen
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Rugena Begum
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Shehryar Ahmed
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Benedicte Mabika
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Osama Syam
ParalegalView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Akbar Mohammed Mir
SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
Noemaan Fahim
Immigration SolicitorView Profile | ContactBook Appointment
