FAQ

Hearing the matter and telling you whether there is room to contest it is free. Give us the outline by phone or through the online enquiry form.

From the point where we review the documents and draft a concrete line of response, we proceed on a formal engagement. Fees depend on the complexity of the matter and the stage of the procedure, so we give you an expected range after the consultation and let you decide.

An administrative agent is qualified to prepare and file applications, notifications, objections and administrative appeals with government agencies. Licensing, visas, veterans affairs and business certification — the procedures where a matter is contested at the agency stage — are the main field.

Bringing administrative litigation before the courts is a lawyer's work. If we judge that a matter has to go to litigation, we say so, and where useful we put together the material up to that point.

Yes. Review and drafting are done by phone, email and messenger, and only the originals that are needed travel by post. We also file on your behalf with the competent authority.

Matters that require a site visit — factory registration, research space requirements — are scheduled separately.

No. The outcome of an administrative decision depends on the facts and on the agency's discretion, and promising a result is itself a sign not to be trusted.

What we do instead is tell you honestly at the first consultation what can be contested in your case and how strong the prospects are. If they are weak we say so, and in that case we suggest changing direction — towards mitigation, or another procedure.

If you have a document from the agency, that is the most important thing.

• Advance notice of disposition, the disposition itself, a notice of rejection or refusal
• Business registration certificate or corporate registry extract
• The relevant licence, contract, settlement records and other documents relating to the matter

A consultation is possible even if you have no documents yet. A photograph sent to us is enough.

The deadline for filing a statement set out in the notice is your first opportunity, and in practice the most important stage. It is usually around ten days.

If you file nothing at this stage, the decision is confirmed as notified, and reversing it afterwards through an objection or an administrative appeal is far harder. Where the deadline is tight it is sometimes possible to ask for an extension, so contact us as soon as the notice arrives.

There is still a way. You may bring an administrative appeal or administrative litigation within 90 days of learning of the decision, and for some types of disposition there is a separate objection procedure.

Once the period passes, however, you cannot contest it however unfair the content. If you have received the decision, check the date first and contact us.

Not necessarily. The amount recovered depends on the scope treated as use outside the stated purpose, and where it is accepted that there was no intent or gross negligence, the sanction surcharge is often reduced along with it.

We first match the spending record against the supporting documents, line by line, to identify what can be disputed. See the Subsidy Clawback page for the procedure.

Yes, where the governing statute provides for conversion in your sector. The key is to show that stopping trading would harm users or make the business itself untenable.

Where the breach is serious, however, conversion is not allowed. See the Suspension & Penalty Surcharge page.

Usually between three months and two years, depending on the ground. We look both at contesting the designation itself and at applying for a stay of execution so that you can keep bidding during the period.

The earlier you receive the notice, the wider the scope for response. See the Debarment Release page.

Filing the same thing again will be rejected for the same reason. The first step is to establish whether the ground for rejection is a curable defect or a failure to meet the requirement itself.

If it is curable, we assemble the material and refile; if the interpretation of the requirement has to be contested, we go to an objection or an administrative appeal. Show us the notice of rejection and we will tell you which it is.

Usually two to four months from first consulting the competent authority through to registration. What governs the timeline is not the paperwork but the prior consultation on whether the purpose fits that authority's remit and whether the basic assets are adequate.

Drafting the documents before that consultation usually means writing them again from the start.

In manufacturing it is frequently the precondition for tax relief, policy funding and various certifications. Without it you simply fall outside the support available.

Registration is often blocked because the registered building use does not match the actual process — something that can usually be resolved if it is dealt with in advance.

The fact of the expiry cannot be undone, but how the case is handled varies greatly with the circumstances and the length of the overstay. Voluntary disclosure sometimes allows the fine to be settled and the stay restored.

The options narrow as time passes. The sooner you contact us, the better.

While your current period of stay is still running. Once it has ended you are no longer making a change but following a different procedure, and on much worse terms.

Checking the requirements for the status you want in advance, and filling the gaps — education, career, business record — before filing, is what raises the success rate.

A violation review is the procedure for confirming the breach and setting the level of the disposition. The outcome may be a fine, a departure order or deportation, and which of these it is depends on what is put forward.

Setting out mitigating circumstances — family ties, how the stay came about, means of living — with supporting documents is what matters. Take advice before the review.

Yes. The ground for refusal is almost always that the causal link between duty and the injury or illness was not established.

Obtaining the unit records, colleagues' statements and medical records again and strengthening that link can change the outcome. Show us the refusal notice together with what you filed before, and we will point out where it fell short.

There is no time limit on the application itself. An injury sustained in service decades ago can still be the subject of an application.

The practical obstacle is that records become harder to obtain as time passes. We start by finding out what survives — ward journals, pre-discharge health records, records of treatment at the time.

You can file an objection to the grading and apply for a re-examination. Strengthening the medical evidence so that it accurately reflects your present condition is what counts.

A single grade changes both the compensation and the range of entitlements, so it is worth contesting. See the Disability Compensation & Pension page.

In most cases a corporate R&D centre or an R&D department is the starting point. Having a research organisation counts in your favour in both venture certification and Inno-Biz assessment.

The order varies with your sector and your financial and staffing position, so tell us where you stand and we will set out what is available and in what sequence. The Venture · Inno-Biz · Main-Biz page sets out the differences between the three.

No. Most revocations arise from post-recognition compliance. If a dedicated researcher resigns, or the office moves, and the change is not notified, recognition can be revoked retroactively and tax credits already claimed reclaimed.

Meeting the notification deadlines when staff or space change is the heart of it in practice.

The test is the process you actually perform, not the industry code on your business registration. Companies that appear not to qualify often do, once the process is examined.

Tell us your main processes and the equipment you hold and we will identify the field. See the Root Industry Certificate page.