Document review

Document review is for people who have prepared their own application and want a second pair of eyes before they submit. Many refusals come from small gaps or inconsistencies that are easy to miss when you have been looking at the same papers for weeks.

Who it is for

• Applicants who are confident with the process but want reassurance before paying the government fee.

• Students, visitors and family members whose case depends heavily on financial or relationship evidence.

• Anyone who has been refused before and has prepared a new application.

What is included

• A check of your completed form against your documents, line by line.

• A review of your evidence against the published requirements for your route, including dates, amounts, names and the format of bank statements.

• A check for inconsistencies: for example, dates of employment, travel history or addresses that do not match between documents.

• A check that any previous refusals and immigration history are declared correctly.

What you get at the end

A written list of the issues we found, ordered by importance, with a plain explanation of each one and what you could do about it. Where something is missing, we say what would normally be accepted instead. You then decide what to change before you submit.

What we need from you

• Your completed but unsubmitted application form, or a full copy of your answers.

• Every document you plan to upload or bring, in the form you plan to use.

• Your intended submission date, so we can tell you if any document will be too old by then.

Limits you should know about

We review what you send us. We cannot check the authenticity of documents issued by banks, employers or universities, and we will not help to change or create documents. A review lowers the chance of avoidable mistakes, but it cannot guarantee a decision, which is always made by the government concerned. If we find an issue that needs legal representation, such as a past immigration breach that may need specialist advice, we will tell you and refer you to a solicitor.