United Kingdom · Before you pay
How to check an immigration adviser in the UK
Anyone who gives immigration advice in the UK must be registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, called the OISC until January 2025) or be a member of an approved professional body, as solicitors are. Check the adviser in the IAA's Adviser Register, or a solicitor in the SRA's register, before you pay: giving immigration advice without being qualified is a criminal offence.
The IAA endorses no one, and neither do we. “The IAA does not provide immigration advice or recommend or endorse any specific immigration adviser.” Our UK list shows whom we found in the register; it is not a recommendation. IAA · read 1 Nov 2026
Five checks before you pay
- Find the adviser in the IAA Adviser RegisterSearch by the organisation's or adviser's name, or the registration number on their website. A solicitor won't be there: look in the SRA's register instead.
- Check that their level covers your caseLevel 1 advisers take simple cases; only a Level 3 adviser can represent you at an immigration tribunal.
- Get the letter before work startsA regulated adviser must tell you in writing what they will do, what it costs and how you pay.
- Pay traceably, against a receiptA signed, dated receipt for every payment; never cash, vouchers or a personal bank account.
- Walk away from guaranteesA “guaranteed” visa, an offer to speed things up or a job you pay for are warning signs in UKVI's fraud guidance.
Who may give immigration advice in the UK
- Registered or regulated. “All immigration advisers must be registered with IAA or be a member of an approved professional body.” GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
- It is the law. “No person may provide immigration advice or immigration services unless he is a qualified person.” Qualified persons are people registered with the IAA, people authorised by a designated professional body (such as a law society) or by a designated qualifying regulator, and people working under their supervision. legislation.gov.uk (section 84) · read 1 Nov 2026
- Advising without qualification is a crime: on conviction on indictment, up to two years in prison, a fine, or both (section 91). legislation.gov.uk (section 91) · read 1 Nov 2026
- The IAA was the OISC. “Previously known as the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, we rebranded as the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) in January 2025.” IAA · read 1 Nov 2026
- What the IAA does. “The IAA is a government body set up to ensure that immigration advice is only provided by suitably qualified organisations and individuals.” It can prosecute people who give or advertise immigration advice illegally, enter an adviser's premises and seize their records. IAA · read 1 Nov 2026
- Solicitors and barristers are not IAA cases. “We license and regulate people who want to provide immigration advice to the general public (but not legal professionals such as solicitors and barristers who are already regulated by their own professional body).” IAA · read 1 Nov 2026
Which register to search
| Who | Regulated by | Check them in |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration advisers who are not lawyers | The Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), formerly the OISC | IAA Adviser Registerby name or IAA numberIAA Adviser Finderby location; only firms that opted in |
| Solicitors and barristers | Their own professional bodies, not the IAA. For solicitors GOV.UK points to the Law Society (England and Wales), the Law Society of Scotland and the Law Society of Northern Ireland | SRA Solicitors RegisterEngland and WalesLaw Society: Find a SolicitorEngland and WalesLaw Society of Scotland: Find a Solicitor |
| Agencies that only get visas for trips abroad | We found no official page that says whether the IAA scheme covers this work | On our list we don't check them against the IAA register, and their listing says so |
How to search the registers, step by step
- IAA Adviser Register: by name or number
Type the organisation's or adviser's name, or the registration number from their website. A match shows the name, IAA reference number, level of authorisation and website. Open the Adviser Register IAA · read 1 Nov 2026
- IAA Adviser Finder: by location
It finds registered advisers near you, but it lists only organisations that opted in, so a firm missing from the Finder may still be registered. GOV.UK · IAA · read 1 Nov 2026
- The IAA's spreadsheet of registered organisations
Every currently registered organisation with its number, level, address, website and status. The current edition shows the position on 9 July 2026, so confirm anything newer in the Register. IAA · read 1 Nov 2026
- Banned or suspended advisers
GOV.UK lists advisers currently prohibited from giving immigration advice or suspended by the Immigration Services Tribunal; the page was last updated on 26 August 2025. GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
- Solicitors
Look the solicitor or firm up in the SRA register (England and Wales) or with the Law Society of Scotland or Northern Ireland. Firms often show their SRA number on their own website: look that number up. GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
Adviser levels: what each can do
| Level | What GOV.UK says |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | “A level 1 adviser can give you advice on simple cases, for example getting a business visa extension when you have no problems with work and all necessary documents.” They advise on entry clearance, leave to enter, leave to remain, nationality and citizenship, and EU and EEA law. |
| Level 2 | “Level 2 advisers can do everything that Level 1 advisers can do, but can also accept more complicated cases.” |
| Level 3 | “Only a level 3 adviser can appear on your behalf at an immigration tribunal.” |
GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
Red flags, from official warnings
Walk away if
- Someone guarantees you a UK visa using documents they provide. UKVI · read 1 Nov 2026
- An agent offers to speed up your visa and asks for payment into a personal bank account. UKVI · read 1 Nov 2026
- They want cash, digital vouchers or money paid into an unknown bank account: these can't be traced. UKVI · read 1 Nov 2026
- They demand secrecy, push you to act at once, or write from a free email account such as Gmail. UKVI · read 1 Nov 2026
- You are asked to pay for a UK job: “a legitimate employer would never ask for payment to secure a visa.” UKVI · read 1 Nov 2026
- An adviser claims you'll be successful: GOV.UK lists this as a ground for a complaint. GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
- They aren't regulated: “You cannot get your money back if an adviser is not regulated.” GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
What a regulated adviser gives you
- A letter as soon as you hire them: what work they're doing for you, how much you'll be charged and how you'll pay. GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
- A signed and dated receipt for any money you pay. GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
- Even advisers who charge nothing leave you to pay expenses such as translations and application fees. GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
Paying the Home Office
- UKVI: “we will never ask for payment by email, at a visa application centre or into a personal bank account.” Pay visa fees online on GOV.UK and its commercial partners' websites. UKVI · read 1 Nov 2026
- “Official UK government websites always have ‘.gov.uk’ at the end of their website address.” UKVI · read 1 Nov 2026
The Home Office also warns that criminals use websites offering fake services, work or study in the UK and “guaranteed visas to enter the UK” (UKVI · read 1 Nov 2026). GOV.UK names no “WhatsApp only” or “price below the official fee” warning, so we don't list those here.
Complaints and reporting
- Complain to the IAA about bad service from a registered adviser, or about immigration advice from an unregulated person: complaints@immigrationadviceauthority.gov.uk, 0345 000 0046. GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
- What the IAA can't do: get you a refund or compensation, or take complaints about people or organisations outside the UK. GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
- Solicitors and barristers: complaints go through their professional body's route, and the IAA may refer yours elsewhere. GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
- Report an unregulated adviser to the IAA at info@immigrationadviceauthority.gov.uk. GOV.UK · read 1 Nov 2026
- Fraud: report it to Action Fraud, online or on 0300 123 2040 from the UK; from abroad, to your local authority. UKVI · read 1 Nov 2026
Our UK list, checked against the IAA register
We checked 56 of our 59 UK listings on 1 Nov 2026 against the IAA's published register (list of 9 Jul 2026). The licence check counts for registered advisers and for anyone we couldn't confirm; it drops out for solicitors' firms and for agencies that only get visas for trips abroad, so their count is out of five.
How we matched. The IAA number on the adviser's own website, its website address in the register, or the same name. “Not yet confirmed” means only that our search found no entry; it is not a finding that the firm is unregulated. The live Adviser Register runs only in a browser, so we used the IAA's own spreadsheet: registrations after 9 July 2026 aren't in it. Solicitors' SRA numbers come from their own websites; we haven't looked them up in the SRA register yet.
FAQ
What is IAA in law?
The Immigration Advice Authority, the government body that makes sure immigration advice is only given by suitably qualified organisations and individuals. Under section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, “No person may provide immigration advice or immigration services unless he is a qualified person.”
Is the OISC the same as the IAA?
Yes. The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner rebranded as the Immigration Advice Authority in January 2025. Some advisers' websites still say OISC: First Migration's gives the same number, F200700083, that the IAA's list shows.
What is an immigration adviser based in the UK?
Someone who gives immigration advice or services and is registered with the IAA, or is a member of an approved professional body, as solicitors are. IAA advisers work at Level 1, 2 or 3 and may only advise on what their level allows.
How do I check if an immigration adviser is registered?
Search the IAA Adviser Register by the organisation's or adviser's name or registration number: a match shows the name, IAA reference number, level and website. For a solicitor, use the SRA register (England and Wales) or the Law Society of Scotland or of Northern Ireland.
Can I get my money back from an adviser?
GOV.UK: “You cannot get your money back if an adviser is not regulated.” The IAA can't get you a refund or compensation either; it handles complaints about service from registered advisers.
Do visa agencies have to be registered with the IAA?
Anyone who gives UK immigration advice or services must be qualified: registered with the IAA or a member of an approved professional body. We found no official page that says in so many words whether getting visas for trips abroad counts; on our list, agencies that only do that aren't checked against the IAA register.
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Sources. GOV.UK, IAA, UKVI and legislation.gov.uk pages, linked next to each fact and read on 1 Nov 2026; the IAA's register of currently registered organisations (GOV.UK, list of 9 Jul 2026). We are not the IAA or the SRA, and we don't give immigration advice. Report a change.