Bente Zugaj – Immigration Supervisor

Bente graduated with a Master’s Degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1985 & an additional Master’s Degree in International & European Law in 1997 from the University of Liverpool. She has specialised in Immigration Law since 2002.

Apart from being fluent in English and Danish, Bente also has a good knowledge of German, French, Norwegian and Swedish. Outside of law Bente is a keen ballroom & Latin American dancer. She also enjoys walking, aerobics and cooking.

Bente can be contacted on bente.zugaj@hallidayreeves.com.

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For immigration advice from the specialist immigration solicitors, please call or message us now on 0330 1337777 or complete a Free Online Enquiry.

Excellent, Professional Representation

Special thanks for the most professional representation. you (hallidayreeves ) stuck by me through the years. By dealing with this stressful case. I admire the work ethic and most of all the excellent representation

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Successful Visit Visa

I would like to extend my great appreciation for the good service I received from your
firm. I would like to give my personal thanks particularly to Ms. Sabiha Riaz for her excellent attention
to detail in regards to the application for a visa for my sister. In dealing with Ms. Riaz
she gave me her personal care and felt great satisfaction emotionally in my situation. I also felt how happy
she was for me when I told her that the visa had been granted. My family would like
to give thanks to your firm and to Ms. Riaz. I would surely use your firm again and would not hesitate to
recommend you to anybody.

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Entry Clearance-great experience with this firm

My partner and I had a great experience with this firm. We received excellent service from Sabiha who helped us with our immigration matter. She took time to answer all our questions and help complete our application. Sabina followed up with visa application and queries, this enabled us to get the visa we required to visit the UK granted. We have already recommended Sabiha and the firm to friends and family who require immigration support.

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We were lucky to have you

We were lucky to have you look after our application. You were so helpful,kind and supportive.

We will recommend your firm in the future.

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Extraordinary Service

The service offered has been extraordinary where all my doubts were explained perfectly. The preparation of my case together with my interview were prepared in advance and the necessary data was collected, which led to a spectacular interview. I recommend the service from Halliday Reeves 100%, a million thanks and especially to my lawyer Louisa Pacitto.

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Successful Citizenship Application

Thank you very much for helping me with my Citizenship application. Your services were excellent

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Spouse Visa without a hitch!

Hannah was invaluable in our fiancee and subsequent spouse visa applications. She was very informative during our initial consultation and set out our options clearly. During our fiancee visa application, there was a hiccup on the Home Office’s behalf where they didn’t follow their own guidelines and they refused the visa. This had serious implications for our already tight timeline but Hannah was very good at challenging and successfully overturning the erroneous decision. Our follow up spouse visa went without a hitch. Overall, having Hannah involved in the process meant that we were able to marry and live together in the UK; we just simply did not have the knowledge to make it happen ourselves.

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Everything was perfect!

I found the services very good, a lot of patience was used on my case. Everything was perfect. Keep it up with good work. Thank you very much.

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Sponsor Licence

The service was great. Hannah helped immensely with informing us of the steps required to get the application through.
There was plenty of communication and direction too.
We look forward to working more with Halliday Reeves in the future when the need(s) arise.

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Successful Application !

Thanks for the service I got from HallidayReeeves. I am pleased to say that you’re reliable & easy to work with. Thanks for always updating me every step of the way regarding my case. The relationship between client & you is excellent.

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Decision within a month!

I dealt with Karim Aidross and he was very professional and provided the best advise and I got my decision within a month of submitting the application. It was the best service ever.

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Impressed with the free consultation!

Confidence in a service always starts from the Introduction stage. Especially with an immigration situation for my partner so important, and slightly complex. I was extremely pleased to find Halliday Reeves possess the skillset for listening, understanding and advising from the initial phone call to the consultation service provided. I spoke to a lady on reception firstly, who took all my information and details. I then received a call back from Eileen (Admin) who was extremely helpful with taking the correct details from me, as on my previous call some of my information I gave was not clear (I had a lot of information to give them!). In addition to accurately taking the information again in a professional manner, Eileen was also very helpful, friendly, and compassionate when hearing my current circumstances.

This alone encouraged me to continue my enquiry, the front of house service is impeccable. She advised I would receive a call from one of the lawyers within an hour hopefully, but by the closure of business at the latest. I received a call from Louisa (Lawyer) around 30 minutes later, excellent time management, as I know they have clients that they would have been working on but still found time to give a free initial consultation promptly. Again, friendly yet professional, helpful and superb listening skills as I gave her information from all directions. I had two options, and after discussing further with Louisa, this was narrowed down to one, and this was the most appropriate after investigations. With the highest chance, almost certain based on meeting the criteria which is the case.

This is the service provided without even having instructions to deal with the case, but they treat you as if you are already a paying client, and that was simply a free consultation I received. Impressive.

I’ve spoke to a number of Solicitors recently, as you do when trying to ascertain which is most suited to the needs & requirements, and I must say I’m impressed by Halliday Reeves.

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First Immigration lawyer to give a clear explanation and guide me

I have reached out to Halliday Reeves for a free consultation to get some help on my naturalisation process. They were extremely responsive and Ms. Sabiha Riaz called me the same day so we could talk over my questions and concerns.

She was the first immigration lawyer who took the time to give a clear explanation and guide me in the right direction, her knowledge and experience was reassuring, she was very kind and attentive during our exchange.

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Super Quick approval of my application

I worked with Hannah on my application. Hannah made the process very smoothly for me and reduced the stress associated with it! She replied to my queries very quickly and was very patient with me. My application was approved super quickly, and I am sure having Hannah's help has had an influence on this, as no documents were missed! Thanks so much Hannah, for all your help!

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Your Service has been brilliant!

Your service has been brilliant and Hannah's support has been tremendous. She made sure that everything was covered before finally submitting my application. I thank Halliday Reeves very much

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Reasonable fees and simply excellent service!

Your service is simply Excellent, Hannah was always available for any question at any time, I had just to email her to get an appointment for a phone call, most of the time the same day.
Also, she has a very precise and accurate English that even me and my wife could understand.
The last point is that fees were quite reasonable

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Absolutely Excellent Service & Communication from start to finish

We found the whole procedure Stress free & was kept informed at every stage and had regular discussions & clarified all the queries with patience.
Thanks Sabiha Riaz for all your Support & Guidance.
We would highly recommend family and friends to use Halliday Reeves.

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Amazing service

I would like to thank you for the amazing service we have received over the years.

Sabiha always listened to us and understood our situation. She was kind ,professional and very caring. She put us at ease and explained things that we didn’t understand.

From the first moment of meeting Sabiha my husband knew that he could trust her and that she would give his case 100 percent but she actually delivered more than 100 percent in-fact there’s no number that could measure it.

We are extremely grateful to Sabiha and Halliday Reeves for the outstanding service received . We would not hesitate in recommending you we give you more than 5 stars. We wish you all the best

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Professional and very thoughtful

1) Pricing: I think that this is a very reasonable price for providing all the services and professional helps.

2) Responding speed: Miss Louisa Pacitto is very helpful all the time with swift answers on my case with all different questions.

3) Professional Advices: Not only Miss Pacitto, but also other professional staff who I don't know their names, all have provided me with professional answers of my questions, and can offer me different solution options for selecting. Actually this is very helpful and important because it can give me enough space to consider my current situation. The presentation letter to the Home Office on my case is very comprehensive, detailed and professional. I believe that I cannot provide such a statement only by myself, and this letter plays an important role to make my application stronger.

4) In general: I think that HR is very professional and very thoughtful. I enjoyed all the experiences I have with your work with my case.

Otherwise, I would like to say many thanks to Miss Louisa Pacitto. She is very kind. Once she noticed that I am not an English native speaker, she can always talk with me slowly and patiently. She is very thoughtful and helpful, and solve my problems and answer my question quickly and properly. I would like to recommend your professional advice services to my friends in the future if they have similar problems with me on immigration issues.

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Very impressed with Halliday Reeves

I was very impressed with Halliday Reeves, Louisa Pacitto is very professional and responsive, everything was completed online.

Efficiently and with no delay, my wife now has her visa and I will be using Halliday Reeves for our next visa, I highly recommend this firm.

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Fantastic service

Fantastic service all round from start to finish.

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Amazing & wonderful job

Hannah Wilkinson handled my case and she did an amazing & wonderful job. It was a bit of a journey but Hannah was with me every step of the way, she was very patient, kind, considerate and super informative about all the steps I needed to take. We took the time to prep and submitted my application and I got a quick reply, extra info was needed so we provided it and then my application was successful. So a great thank you to Hannah and Halliday-Reeves !

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You guys are the best

So reliable, you guys are the best, with your advice on immigration issues my wife and my son have been granted their visa all thanks to Halliday Reeves and a big thanks to Hannah Wilkinson and the full team

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Excellent work

Excellent work. Satisfactory result to my case.

My thanks and appreciation for a job well done.

You were transparent and helpful.

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Great and reliable

Thank you very much for the great service and hard work.

I found your service great and reliable.

GT

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Recommend you to friends

Thank you for the help with my application you have helped before and never let me down I would recommend you to friends who need help with their immigration status you kept me up to date with the process of my application thank you again

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Definitely recommend this law firm

I worked with Mr Karim and he was a professional. I would definitely recommend this law firm. it’s reliable

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Thank you very much

Thank you very much for working on my case. I know it has been a challenge with the pandemic not being able to see clients but you came through for me, thank you again!

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Consummate professional

I feel we were so fortunate to be blessed with the help from Hannah Wilkinson in our quest for a spousal visa. My wife is an American citizen and Hannah's knowledge of the total process was outstanding. Her help guidance and advice throughout the whole process was exemplary.

She is the consummate professional. I make no apology for the glowing reference, she is genuinely deserving of it. I would highly recommend her and her company to anyone who wanted to go through this experience without the stress and headaches.

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So delighted with your service

Thank you so much for all the help and for assisting with my immigration Application. We are so delighted with your service

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Wonderful support

Thank you so much for your wonderful support that you have provided me during my Immigration application. I appreciate all your efforts and everything that you have done for me

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Rapid Response

Thank you for your help, in particular, your rapid response when I asked for help, your answers to my questions were frank and honest, the speed of service while filling applications and accuracy in requesting my documents.

Your prices were moderate and appropriate. Thank you again for the success that's been achieved.

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Absolutely brilliant firm

Absolutely brilliant firm, would definitely recommend to my family and friends. I would especially like to mention sabiha , she was very professional and reassuring and was always at the end of a phone call when I needed

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I really appreciated your support throughout the process.

Thanks once again for helping me secure my permanent residency in the UK, I really appreciated your support throughout the process. The whole process was very straightforward once we got going. Instructions for what I needed to do were clear, and I felt that I could trust you to give me all the information I needed and to ensure that what was submitted was accurate and complete.

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I can't be satisfied more

You were always responsive gathering enough information, professionalism, I can't be satisfied more

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Thank you so much

I really appreciated your work. l’m so excited l will come back again to you guys. Thank you so much

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Louisa and Hannah were both friendly

After the Zoom advice meeting with Hannah I felt comfortable and confident that I was dealing with someone who knew what she was doing. Louisa and Hannah were both friendly and at the same time efficient and professional which was what I needed and wanted. The efficient communication between Louisa/Hannah and I straight away. As soon as I sent an email to either of them I got a reply almost instantly which was very reassuring. It is a big relief and comfort to know who to approach whom we can trust when we need help

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I would most certainly recommend Halliday Reeves for such matters

Everything was handled very professionally and timely. Hannah Wilkinson was fantastic throughout the whole process. She went above and beyond to assist us at every stage, even after the application was submitted when we faced a huge delay in waiting for the visa. We are extremely happy with the service we received. I would most certainly recommend Halliday Reeves for such matters

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Everything went very well

Everything went very well. This is a difficult time to be working from home. Thank you

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Riffat Malik was so kind and helpful

I really want to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to your wonderful services. I have benefited so much from your incredible help. Riffat Malik was so kind and helpful, I really appreciate everything she did for me. Thank you.

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Successful spouse visa application

We instructed Halliday Reeves to help us with a spouse visa application during Covid. Our lawyer (Hannah Wilkinson) was fantastic throughout the whole process. She was very patient with us, replied to all of our emails and queries quickly and really took the time to understand what our concerns were. Her answers were informative and helpful and we felt she went above and beyond to reassure us and guide us through what could have been a stressful process.

We passed the application first time...!

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Thank you!

I would like to say thank you to my solicitor Tony Brindley. I am very grateful for all the hard work that he did on my immigration application. I have been granted asylum in the United Kingdom on 21 November 2020. wish him all the very best

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Professionalism & patience throughout

We are so grateful for everything you’ve done. You’ve honestly gone above and beyond to help us and it really means a lot. Thank you for being patient and understanding with my many phone calls and stressed emails! Even from the very beginning it wasn’t the most straightforward case with my employment situation and the financial requirement etc! Thank you for your professionalism and patience throughout.

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All of my questions answered

We dealt with Hannah. I was really pleased with the support and service Hannah gave. I am hoping to use her again when our next visa occurs. After a rather stressful previous application (not through yourselves) Hannah helped put me at ease and answered all of my questions well.

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Amazing Service

thnx so much for your help -it’s an amazing service

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Excellent services with positive amazing results

Very very happy with the service and glad.
You deserve a gold medal...amazing and very good.

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Team of Angels!

I want to thank you for the support and efforts you and your Team made for me in getting me a new life.
I will never forget . . . in 40 days I heard good news for my application. I will always remember your firm as a team of Angels.

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Guys keep doing a great job!

I am pleased to share my feedback about the service provided by your office in general, all the staff are friendly, efficient and have a positive approach to their clients. All of my cases were fully and successfully completed in a highly satisfactory manner. Guys keep doing a good job. Very well done.

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They do their best in every case

Halliday Reeves are doing a good job! They do their best in every case and did an amazing job on my case which I really appreciate. God bless you guys you are really amazing

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Special thanks to Louisa

Just want to say thank you for your excellent customer service and special thanks to Louisa for her good service and quick response

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Very happy with the advice

I would like to thank you for all your help- very happy with the advice and all you did for me. Many thanks

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I have met some Solicitors before..

I have met some solicitors before, none of them like you guys. The first time I met Tony Brindley he gave me hope. I felt he knew how to work on immigration Cases .
Very good Service, you work hard and have great knowledge of immigration cases. Thank you so much

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I cannot fault anything!

I cannot fault anything when it comes to the service I received. Even with the interference of the virus Hannah kept me up to date She even made sure I got one of the limited appointments for biometrics in my area after the lockdown. Thank you

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Sabiha Riaz she is an unbelievable Lawyer

I would like to thank Halliday Reeves regarding my immigration matter. It's been a pleasure to share an experience with you especially my lawyer Sabiha Riaz she is an unbelievable lawyer who helped me a lot with my case with a very humble perspective. Thank You

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Coming back for the next stage

Hannah did exceptionally well during these unprecedented times. The hold ups were very frustrating but beyond anyone's control. We got the right result in the end. We'll be looking at coming back for the next stage once we are ready.

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Doors always open and a warm welcome

I would like to show my appreciation to Halliday Reeves who have shown commitment during my difficult times, by putting all efforts with maturity, skill and professionalism into helping me achieve a successful outcome in my case. You have helped give me my freedom.
The doors were always open and I always got a warm welcome in your office. Thank you for your patience, dedication and commitment. 11/2019

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Praise from a fellow Solicitor in London who worked with us on a case is always appreciated

Just to let you know the client was granted leave to remain and although I would love to take the credit on this one, it is my view that your firm did the majority of the work and a great job.

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Lovely People

Excellent service. Absolutely Perfect. My partner got her decision and I'm really thankful for all the hard work you have done for us. Lovely people, always welcome you with a smile and you won't feel lonely when you go to give them visit.

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You invest in your people, are caring and dedicated

Living through the unending limbo, denials, refusals and rejection it pays to find someone who shows you that they are in your corner. You truly understood who I was, what needed to be done and were always candid even when things didn't look good for me. I would recommend Halliday Reeves because you invest in your people, are caring and dedicated. I am happy to have chosen you because you stuck with me throughout my toughest and vulnerable time of my life. Thank you for helping me and giving me my life back
10/2018

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Tier 2 Visa-thank you!

We would like to thank you for all your hard work and help in obtaining a Tier 2 Visa for myself and my family.Your support is greatly appreciated.The service we received has been excellent and all the team members are very professional
08/18

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Loads of Sri Lankan's have requested your details

Received the BRP today, thank you so much for taking our case, loads of Sri Lankan’s have requested your contact details

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So happy our application was successful

I want to tell you that I am so happy our application is successful. We got our decision yesterday. Thank you for your help, have a blessed day.
08/17

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My kids got their visa!

Just wanted to let you know that my kids got their visa and thank you so much for your help I really appreciate your efforts, my thanks to every body in your office. Best Regards.

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Thank you so much

Thank you so much. Credit goes to you for taking our application on and investing your time in this. In this way you have helped my voiceless child. I am so grateful to you You are thoroughly professional.

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helpful,friendly and totally supportive

My wife and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you so much for all your hard work over the processing of my application. We are very grateful for everything you and your team have done from start to finish. The staff were helpful, friendly and totally supportive. We really appreciated your knowledge, advice, acting on my behalf and making what was a very difficult time a lot easier. I will be happy to recommend you to friends and families.
02/17

A.M.
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Courage,Support & Care

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of me and my family to deeply thank all the staff of Halliday Reeves law firm in Middlesbrough..the success of our application...Thank you so much for representing me and my family, thank you for all the courage, support, caring and hope you have given me over the period of our case. Thank you so much for being our solicitor, thank you for the friendly and professional way you have shown every time I met you , words couldn't describe my feelings; I wish I had words that could express my happiness and joy. It has been the very best news I have ever heard. I would greatly recommend Halliday Reeves law firm for anyone who really wants advice and support and I will never hesitate to recommend anyone.

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You have been a star!

Thanks a lot you have been a star..and working hard chasing Immigration...Words can't explain how grateful I am
07/2013

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Immense professionalism, dedication and support

I want to use this opportunity on behalf of my family to thank … all the staff of Halliday Reeves for the success of our case. After a very lengthy and sometimes frustrating case, we won the case-Thanks to immense professionalism, dedication and support… We are indeed thrilled and satisfy with the services rendered to us. WELL APPRECIATED. We would always recommend Halliday Reeves Law Firm to friends and families. THANKS SO MUCH."
02/2013

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the best service!

I would like to thank Halliday Reeves Law Firm. We worked with other solicitors in the past but Halliday Reeves Law Firm has provided the best service so far. They make things easy to understand and explain legal issues very nicely.They analyzed our case patiently and gave us quick solutions. We are very pleased with excellent feedback through email communication. We will personally use their services again in future if required and we will also highly recommend their services to other people.
02/2011

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Successful student visa-fantastic support

Firstly I would like to congratulate your firm on winning our case. May I kindly ask for a few minutes of your time to highlight the fantastic support we received.
Our student visa case was quite complex. We always felt you went beyond the call of duty in representing us.
May it go on record that we are very satisfied clients who hope to use your services again in the future.
10/2011

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Off to University

Thank you for representing me in this delicate Home Office case that took so many years to solve.. my application was successful and I have been granted leave to remain Indefinitely...words cannot describe how I feel. I am so happy and over the moon at least I will be able to go to university this September.
06/2010

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Managing Director, Newcastle Eagles

We have worked on a variety of immigration projects with Halliday Reeves in recent years and would be very happy to recommend their services and support on both a personal and business level.

P.B., Managing Director, Newcastle Eagles
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Ongoing service of business needs

Halliday Reeves has consistently provided a professional, thorough and efficient service in all immigration matters that we have had to address for our business. Conduct and confidentiality has been paramount at all times. Our business needs will require an ongoing service from Halliday Reeves. We will have no hesitation in using their services again.

The Jinja Tree Restaurant
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Full Status for my family

Halliday Reeves helped my family when we were detained. They had removals stopped, got us released, had previous refusals overturned and eventually my wife, children and I received full status in the UK. Their help and hard work turned our case around.
06/10

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Excellent support and service

I decided to use Halliday Reeves Solicitors due to their excellent immigration support and service. My case was very complex and presented a lot of worry and anxieties about the Home Office decision in respect of my application. It was certainly a good decision to travel all the way to the North East for your assistance. I was given regular support and good advice along the process I received a lot of reassurance and this helped me with increasing my hopes and faith.
08/2010

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Positive outcome before the proposed timescale

I am very happy with the service provided and the outcome in my case. Very professional, efficient and friendly. (You were) able to get a positive outcome even before the proposed timescale by the embassy and the court. I would definitely recommend your firm to others who may need a similar service.
09/10

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Spouse Visa-Grant of Entry Clearance

Congratulations to you and to us. My wife has been granted the UK entry clearance. Thank you very much for your great service.
09/2010

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Very Professional & feedback always on time

Just thought I would share with you all my appreciation of the quality and level of professionalism I experienced at Halliday Reeves. My case was dealt with in a very professional manner and feedback was always on time. I managed to meet all the deadlines for documents and correspondence to the Home Office. I take this opportunity to thank this legal firm and would not hesitate to recommend anyone there.
10/2010

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