Two services. Two different jobs. The bright lines, in plain terms.

Side-by-side comparison

If the question starts with "the IND is silent", start with us. If the question starts with "the IND refused", start with a lawyer.

When MigrationProvision is the right route

• The statutory term has passed and no decision has arrived.
• An extension letter is in hand but you suspect it is procedurally defective.
• The Ombudsman route or the UN Special Rapporteur route is being considered for a stuck file.
• The case is straightforward procedurally and the issue is timing, not substance.
• Cost is a concern and the case does not need court representation.

When a lawyer is the right route

• The IND has refused the application on the merits and an objection / court appeal is needed.
• The case involves detention ("vreemdelingenbewaring") and an immediate court hearing is needed.
• An asylum decision has been refused and the six-week court appeal window is running.
• A complex substantive argument is at stake: 1F exclusion, public-policy refusal, criminal-record questions.
• The case has a credibility component that requires careful witness preparation.
• The applicant qualifies for toevoeging (pro deo) and prefers a fully-funded lawyer route.

How the two work together

1. 1
   We handle the stuck-procedure phase

   Notice of Default, daily penalty claim, Ombudsman complaint, court-appeal-bundle preparation. €8.75 to €21.15 in total.
2. 2
   If the IND then decides on the merits, two outcomes

   If granted, the file closes. If refused, we hand over a clean procedural file with a one-page brief to your chosen lawyer.
3. 3
   The lawyer takes the substantive route

   Objection, court appeal, hoger court appeal. The lawyer's work picks up where ours stops. We do not bill for the handover.
4. 4
   Pro deo (toevoeging) at the lawyer stage

   Het Free Legal Advice Service assesses eligibility. Most low-income immigration applicants qualify for state-funded legal aid, meaning the lawyer's fee is paid by the State.

The cost gap, in numbers

A typical immigration lawyer charges €175 to €250 per hour. A Notice of Default plus a daily penalty claim typically takes a lawyer 2 to 4 hours to prepare. That is €350 to €1,000 in lawyer fees for what we do for €8.75 (file) + €12.40 (escalation), maximum €21.15. The cost difference exists because the work is different: we systematise a narrow procedural step; a lawyer takes substantive responsibility.

What we will not do

• We do not give substantive legal advice. We do not advise on the merits of an application.
• We do not appear in court. The court-appeal bundle we prepare is handed over to an admitted lawyer.
• We do not handle detention reviews, removal-order litigation, or criminal-justice matters.
• We do not take a cut of the daily penalty or of any compensation. Our fee is published, fixed, and unrelated to outcomes.

What a lawyer will usually not do (for stuck procedures)

• Most lawyers consider a Notice of Default below their economic floor. The fee for 1 hour of work exceeds our entire service.
• Lawyers usually start engagement with a substantive intake; a stuck procedure does not justify the intake time.
• Many lawyers refer stuck-procedure cases to services like ours and handle only the substantive escalation if it becomes necessary.

How to choose between us at the start

Read the situation. If the file is stuck (no decision), open with us. If the file is refused (a decision has been given and it is negative), open with a lawyer. If both apply (the IND has refused and the refusal itself was given late), the lawyer is the route and we can prepare the daily penalty-claim letter as a parallel piece.