The verdict in three sentences
In Cambridge, a website for an immigration and relocation firm built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, from 7 000 to 25 000 GBP, and a good deal more once a bespoke employer portal or document upload area is added. Kolonell builds the journeys by client profile (researcher, transferred employee, family), the offer for HR teams and the practical guides at a fixed price: 2 300, 3 900 or 6 900 GBP, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks for Starter and Growth. The decision turns on the three-year cost, on how clearly the site explains who does what between regulated advice and relocation, and on how each supplier handles your clients' identity documents.
What does a website cost from a Cambridge agency, a freelancer or Kolonell?
These ranges are cautious. They come from public price lists of agencies in Cambridge and the East of England, minimum project sizes on Clutch.co profiles, hourly rates published by local agencies (often 65 to 110 GBP per hour) and rates visible on Upwork or PeoplePerHour.
| Criterion | Cambridge agency | Local freelancer | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build, 2026 order of magnitude | 7 000 to 25 000 GBP and up | 2 000 to 6 500 GBP | 2 300 GBP, 3 900 GBP or 6 900 GBP, fixed price |
| Bespoke document portal | Often 6 000 to 15 000 GBP extra | Rarely offered | Quoted separately; a secure third-party tool recommended first |
| Usual timeline | 8 to 14 weeks | 5 to 10 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks, Premium usually 4 to 6 |
| Practical guide copywriting | Often billed separately | Rarely included | Native English or French included |
| Team photos | Shoot sometimes optional | Rarely | Not included: your photos or a local photographer |
| Support after launch | Separate contract | Case by case | 3 months, 6 on Premium |
| Ownership | Check the contract | Check the contract | Domain in your name, all access handed over |
Payment by bank transfer or Wise: 50 % at kickoff, 50 % on delivery. Your project manager calls you on Google Meet at Cambridge time and sends a written update every week; the team is in Senegal (GMT), on the same clock as Cambridge in winter and one hour behind in summer. Packages are detailed on our international websites offer.
Immigration advice or relocation: who does what on your site?
In the United Kingdom, immigration advice is a regulated activity: it is given by advisers registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly the OISC) at a given level, or by authorised legal professionals such as solicitors regulated by the SRA. Giving immigration advice without authorisation is an offence. Relocation covers something else: house hunting, school places, GP registration, bank accounts, support for the partner.
Many Cambridge firms do both through partnerships. The site has to spell it out: who advises on the visa (name, IAA registration number and level, or solicitor status), who handles the move, and what the firm does not do. No page should promise a visa, a timeline or a favourable outcome.
What researchers, biotech hires and families expect
Cambridge draws a very specific clientele: postdocs and professors recruited by the university and research institutes, scientists on the biomedical campuses and at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton, engineers in the science parks and deep tech start-ups, partners looking for work. The requests the site should present clearly fall into several categories (Global Talent, Skilled Worker, Graduate, students, dependants), as types of cases and never as a promise.
- A journey per profile: researcher, transferred employee, family, student, with the firm's steps and the partner's steps.
- An HR offer for employers holding a sponsor licence: support packages, reporting, a named contact.
- Local practical guides: neighbourhoods (Mill Road, Chesterton, Trumpington, villages on the busway), pressure on rents, Cambridgeshire school catchments.
- Appointment booking through a third-party tool such as Calendly; a bespoke calendar is quoted separately.
- Secure document upload through a third-party tool; never a passport sent by plain email.
On compliance, forms fall under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018; some documents (health, criminal records) call for extra care, hence minimal forms. The Equality Act 2010 applies to online services, and WCAG 2.2 AA serves as the technical reference for accessibility. This is not legal advice.
What does each package include for an immigration and relocation firm?
| Element | Starter 2 300 GBP | Growth 3 900 GBP | Premium 6 900 GBP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service pages | Immigration and relocation presented separately | One page per client profile | Full structure, detailed employer offer |
| Who does what | Team page with regulatory status | Adviser and partner profiles | Detailed profiles, languages spoken |
| Practical guides | 2 guides | 6 guides on areas, schools, admin steps | Structured resource centre |
| Appointments | Link to your tool | Third-party tool embedded | Careful integration; bespoke calendar quoted separately |
| Bilingual FR/EN version | No | No | Included |
| Timeline | 3 to 4 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks | Written plan, usually 4 to 6 weeks |
What is the three-year cost?
Kolonell maintenance after the support period is quoted separately, so the table uses the same assumption on both sides.
| Item over 36 months | Cambridge agency (mid-range) | Kolonell Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Build | 15 000 GBP | 3 900 GBP |
| Secure document upload | Bespoke module, 8 000 GBP | Third-party tool, 25 GBP per month, i.e. 900 GBP |
| Maintenance (same assumption) | 100 GBP per month for 33 months, i.e. 3 300 GBP | 3 300 GBP, quoted separately |
| Guide updates after rule changes | 8 hours at 85 GBP, i.e. 680 GBP | Quoted before work, assumption 500 GBP |
| Indicative total | 26 980 GBP | 8 600 GBP |
Need a professional website?
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Immigration rules change often: check that the quote allows for quick updates to the pages concerned.
Which questions should you ask before signing?
- Who writes the sensitive pages, and who signs them off on the regulated adviser's side?
- Are the domain and accounts (hosting, booking tool) in your name?
- How are identity documents received, stored and deleted?
- Does the copy contain promises of timelines or success rates? They must go.
- Is the bespoke portal really needed at launch?
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Priya S. runs a four-person relocation company in Cambridge that works with an IAA-registered adviser for visa matters. A local agency proposes 15 000 GBP for the site and 8 000 GBP for a document upload portal. Kolonell proposes the Growth package at 3 900 GBP; Priya uses a third-party secure collection tool at 25 GBP per month, i.e. 900 GBP over three years.
Without maintenance, the comparison is 23 000 GBP against 4 800 GBP, a gap of 18 200 GBP. With the same maintenance assumption (3 300 GBP on each side), the totals become 26 300 GBP against 8 100 GBP. Priya keeps the portal idea for later, once employer contracts justify it.
FAQ
How much does a relocation firm website cost in Cambridge in 2026?
As an order of magnitude, 7 000 to 25 000 GBP with a local agency and 2 000 to 6 500 GBP with a freelancer. Kolonell charges 2 300, 3 900 or 6 900 GBP, at a fixed price.
Can the site display our success rates?
We advise against it: no page should suggest that a visa is guaranteed. Describe your steps, your internal response times (for example 48 hours) and your regulatory status instead.
How should we receive clients' passports?
Through an encrypted third-party upload tool, often 15 to 40 GBP per month, rather than email. A bespoke client portal is quoted separately.
Can Kolonell write the guides on schools and neighbourhoods?
Yes, the Growth package includes 6 guides written in native English or French. Your team checks the facts before publication.
Do we need a bilingual site?
The FR/EN version is included in Premium at 6 900 GBP. Other languages, such as Chinese or German, are supplied by you or quoted separately.
Let's scope your project. Send us your client profiles, how roles are split with your regulated partners and your current site, and you will receive a fixed-price proposal with a 3 to 4 week schedule. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
