Free, specialist legal help for asylum, protection, and vulnerable clients.
We represent people claiming asylum, survivors of domestic abuse and trafficking, people in immigration detention or facing deportation, and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. If you qualify for legal aid, there is no cost to you.
Specialist legal help for asylum, UASC, and appeals
These are the three areas where we do most of our work — and where legal aid is almost always available. Every area below is within legal aid scope, supervised in-house by our Principal Solicitor and our Senior Supervising Caseworker.
Asylum Claims
Initial asylum claims, screening and substantive interview preparation, and representation through to the Home Office decision.
Learn moreUASC
Representation for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, referred through local authorities and social workers. Full legal aid support from claim through to decision.
Learn moreAppeals
Appeals to the First-tier and Upper Tribunal against refused asylum and protection claims. We prepare the grounds, evidence, and the hearing.
Learn moreHumanitarian Protection
Claims for humanitarian protection and discretionary leave where asylum does not apply but return would breach human rights.
Learn moreTrafficking & NRM
Representation for potential victims of trafficking and modern slavery, including referrals into the National Referral Mechanism.
Learn moreDomestic Abuse (SET(DV))
Settlement applications for survivors of domestic abuse on partner visas, including the destitution domestic violence concession (DDVC).
Learn moreImmigration Bail
Bail applications for people held in immigration detention, detention reviews, and challenges to continued detention.
Learn moreDeportation
Representation against deportation orders, including automatic deportation for foreign national offenders, and Article 8 challenges.
Learn moreJudicial Review
Judicial review of unlawful Home Office decisions, including fresh claim refusals, removal directions, and certification.
Learn moreStandard visas and settlement are handled by our private brand.
Many immigration routes fall outside legal aid scope. If your matter is one of these, our private brand Kalsi Legal handles it on a fixed-fee basis — same firm, same SRA regulation (No. 8004435), different funding.
Visit Kalsi Legal- Spouse, partner, and fiancé(e) visas
- Skilled worker and sponsor licences
- Indefinite leave to remain (ILR)
- Naturalisation and nationality
- Student, graduate, and visit visas
- Appeals outside asylum scope
How legal aid funding works for adult asylum claims
If you are an adult claiming asylum in the UK, legal aid will cover your representation if you qualify on means and your case has reasonable prospects. Here is the short version — we will confirm eligibility at your first appointment.
You receive asylum support from the Home Office.
If you are on s95 support — the accommodation and subsistence provided by the Home Office while your claim is being decided — you will pass the legal aid means test automatically. This is the most common route for adult asylum clients.
Someone else supports you financially.
If you are not on s95 but are being supported by a family member, friend, charity, or host, we can still bring your case into legal aid. We will take a short statement from your supporter and submit it with your means evidence. No income of your own is fine.
Your case must be in scope and have prospects.
For asylum, the merits threshold is lower than for other case types — the Legal Aid Agency recognises the stakes. We give you an honest view at your first appointment. If we cannot proceed under legal aid, we explain clearly why and what options remain.
Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) are referred through local authorities and social workers, who provide the supporting documentation as part of the referral.
Four things we promise you
Legal aid immigration work requires specialism, patience, and respect. These are the four commitments we make to every client who walks through our door — or messages us from anywhere in the UK.
Legal Aid Experts
We have been doing legal aid immigration and asylum work for over a decade. Our team holds IAAS accreditations at Senior Supervising, Level 2, and Level 1, and we hold a contract with the Legal Aid Agency. This is specialist work, and it is what we do every day.
Trauma-Aware Practice
Many of our clients come to us after enormous difficulty — persecution, violence, loss. We take statements at your pace, in a setting that feels safe, and we explain every step in plain language. No pressure, no judgment, no surprises.
Multilingual & Multicultural
Our team speaks languages including Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Arabic, and Albanian, and we arrange trusted interpreters for every other language at no cost to you. We understand that legal process is only one part of what you are navigating.
Honest About Eligibility
Legal aid has strict means and merits tests — not everyone qualifies, and we will tell you honestly at the first call. If we cannot help under legal aid, we point you in the right direction — whether that is our private brand Kalsi Legal, or another firm better placed for your case.
Charities, local authorities, and social workers refer clients to us every week.
If you are a charity caseworker, local authority officer, social worker, or drop-in advisor and you have a client who may qualify for legal aid, our contact page has everything you need — a referrer checklist, what information to send, how long we take to respond, and what happens next.
Refer a ClientWhat people ask us most
If your question is not answered here, please contact us — we reply within one working day.
Legal aid for immigration is limited to specific case types: asylum and humanitarian protection claims, victims of human trafficking and modern slavery, domestic abuse survivor applications (SET(DV)), immigration bail, deportation, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), and certain judicial reviews of Home Office decisions.
You must also pass a means test (based on your income and savings) and a merits test (whether the case has reasonable prospects of success). We assess both at your first appointment.
If you qualify for legal aid and pass both the means and merits tests, there is no cost to you. Legal aid is funded directly by the Legal Aid Agency. You do not pay us, and you do not repay the Legal Aid Agency in most cases.
The means test looks at your income, savings, and household circumstances. If you receive Universal Credit, Income Support, or asylum support, you may pass the means test automatically. We help you complete the means assessment at your first appointment.
The merits test asks whether your case has reasonable prospects of success. For asylum and protection cases, this is a lower threshold than for other types of case. We give you an honest view at your first appointment.
No. Standard immigration routes — spouse and partner visas, skilled worker, sponsor licences, student and graduate visas, standard ILR, naturalisation, and visit visas — are not covered by legal aid. These are handled as private paid work by our private brand, Kalsi Legal.
Yes. Our team speaks Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Arabic, and Albanian directly, and we arrange trusted interpreters for every other language at no cost to you. You should never feel unable to tell us your story because of language.
If you need specialist legal aid immigration help, we are here.
Call us on the number below, email us, or use the contact form. A real person reads every enquiry — usually within one working day.
0116 319 4884