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How to check a UK immigration adviser is registered

In the UK only a "qualified person" may give immigration advice: an IAA-registered adviser, a solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive, or someone working under their supervision. Ask for the regulator and registration number, then check it yourself on the IAA Adviser Register or the SRA Solicitors Register.

Paying someone to help with a visa is a big decision, and the person you pay has to be allowed to help you. In the UK that is not a matter of opinion. Section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 says: "No person may provide immigration advice or immigration services unless he is a qualified person." Giving advice without being qualified is a criminal offence.

The checks take a few minutes and cost nothing to run. This page explains who counts as qualified, where each type of adviser is registered, what the registers show and what they don't, and the gaps to watch for.

Who is allowed to give immigration advice

Section 84(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 lists the people who count as "qualified". In plain terms:

  1. A person registered with the Immigration Services Commissioner. The Commissioner's office was called the OISC. Since 16 January 2025 it operates as the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA). The law still says "Commissioner"; gov.uk and the IAA's own documents say "IAA". Older websites still say OISC.
  2. A person authorised by a "designated professional body". Section 86 lists the Law Society of Scotland, the Law Society of Northern Ireland, the Faculty of Advocates and the General Council of the Bar of Northern Ireland.
  3. A person authorised by a "designated qualifying regulator". Section 86A lists the Law Society (solicitors, regulated by the SRA), the Institute of Legal Executives (chartered legal executives) and the General Council of the Bar (barristers). Section 84(3A)(b) limits this route to advice given in England and Wales.
  4. Someone acting on behalf of, and under the supervision of, any of the above.

Crown servants acting in that role are also outside the ban (section 84(6)), and the Secretary of State can exempt further categories by order (section 84(4)(d)).

"Immigration advice" has a specific meaning in section 82: advice that relates to a particular individual and is given knowing that it relates to them. General information published for everyone, like this page, is not immigration advice. Someone telling you which visa to apply for, or whether you meet a rule, is.

Step 1: ask who regulates them and for the number

Before you pay anything, ask two questions: who regulates you, and what is your registration number? A regulated adviser expects the question.

  • IAA advisers must display their IAA registration number where appropriate (IAA Code of Standards 2024, code 6.1). Organisation numbers in the IAA's published list are a letter followed by nine digits, for example F201900086.
  • Law firms regulated by the SRA must show their SRA number and the SRA's digital badge in a prominent place on their website (SRA Transparency Rules 4.1). Their letters and emails must show the SRA number and the words "authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority" (rule 4.2).

A website badge is a claim. The register is the check. Use the number to search the register yourself rather than following a link the adviser sends you.

Step 2: check an IAA adviser on the Adviser Register

The IAA runs two public tools, linked from its gov.uk page:

  • The Adviser Register, which exists "to ensure the public can check whether an organisation or individual is registered with the IAA". You search by organisation or individual name, or registration number. A match shows the name, IAA reference number, level of authorisation and website.
  • The Adviser Finder, which lists organisations by distance from you. It only shows organisations that have opted in to the search, so an organisation missing from the Finder may still be registered. Use the Register to check.

The IAA also publishes a downloadable list of regulated organisations under freedom of information. The latest file shows the position on 9 July 2026, published 25 September 2026. It lists 2,276 organisations: 1,494 at Level 1, 210 at Level 2 and 572 at Level 3. Because it is a snapshot, an organisation registered after 9 July 2026 will not be in it, and one that has since left the register still will be. The live Register is the one to rely on.

Check two things, not one: that the organisation is registered, and that its level covers the work you need. Code 3.3 says advisers must not work "above your authorised Level or Category" without the Commissioner's written permission. Our guide to IAA levels explains what each level covers.

Step 3: check a solicitor on the SRA Solicitors Register

The SRA describes its register as "the definitive impartial source of information about the law firms and people regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority". It lets you:

  • check whether somebody is a solicitor and find where they work
  • check whether the SRA regulates a law firm
  • check for firms the SRA has closed down and people it has prohibited from practising

Search tips from the SRA: spell names exactly, and note its warning that "No results means that we have no record of a firm or person matching your query, so it is not safe to assume the firm or person you are looking for is regulated by us."

Two points the register will not answer for you. First, being a solicitor does not mean someone practises immigration law day to day; ask what share of their work is immigration and who supervises it. Firms that offer immigration applications must publish the experience and qualifications of the people doing the work and their supervisors (SRA Transparency Rules 1.5(c)). Second, a solicitor's authorisation to give immigration advice under section 84(2)(ba) covers England and Wales only. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, lawyers are authorised through the bodies listed in section 86.

Barristers and chartered legal executives are authorised through the General Council of the Bar and the Institute of Legal Executives (section 86A). Ask which body regulates them and check that body's own register.

Step 4: check the prohibited and suspended list

Gov.uk publishes a list of people and organisations prohibited or suspended from giving immigration advice by direction of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration Services), or suspended under paragraph 4B of Schedule 6 to the 1999 Act. The page was last updated on 26 August 2025. On 9 October 2026 it named nine people or organisations indefinitely prohibited and two advisers suspended.

The list is short and updated irregularly, so a clean result here is not proof of anything on its own. It is one more check, alongside the register search.

Help that does not need registration

Not everyone who helps with an immigration matter needs to be registered. The IAA's Immigration Assistance practice note (August 2025) gives examples:

  • A friend or family member can help occasionally, without charging, if they make clear they are not a qualified adviser. If they start advising people more widely or regularly, they would need to be regulated.
  • Someone can translate letters, help you gather documents, or go with you to meetings with your own regulated adviser.
  • Anyone can point you to a regulated adviser or to guidance on gov.uk. Signposting is not regulated.
  • An accountant can prepare your business accounts, but cannot advise whether your documents meet the immigration requirements unless registered.
  • Some bodies are exempt by ministerial order; the IAA's example is a university that "may be able to help and does not need to be registered".

Advisers based outside the UK are outside the IAA scheme when they advise you from abroad. The IAA's example is a firm in Dublin advising a student in Belfast online. The IAA points out the cost of that: advice given from abroad is "not subject to any regulatory checks on fitness or competence by the IAA". If the same firm meets you in person in the UK and advises you, it would be committing an offence.

What happens to people who advise without being qualified

Under section 91 of the 1999 Act, providing immigration advice or services in breach of section 84 is an offence. On summary conviction the penalty is up to six months' imprisonment, a fine, or both; on indictment, up to two years, a fine, or both. Company officers can be liable too.

Section 92B makes it a separate offence to offer or advertise immigration advice when providing it would be an offence, including advertising that presents someone "as competent to provide advice or services".

If you think someone is advising without being registered, the IAA accepts complaints about "immigration advice provided by an unregulated adviser" through its online complaints portal.

When it is worth paying a regulated adviser

Checking registration protects you from one specific risk: paying someone who is not allowed to act. It tells you nothing about price, availability or whether an adviser handles your type of case.

People usually pay for regulated help when the rules are being applied to unusual facts: a previous refusal, a gap in lawful status, income that does not fit the standard evidence, or a deadline after a decision. A typical first step is a paid consultation, where the adviser reviews your documents and explains the options. Under IAA code 5.3, an IAA adviser must give a prospective client an effective client care letter setting out the work agreed, estimated costs and timeframes. Solicitors publish price information for immigration applications on their websites.

No regulated adviser can promise a result. IAA code 6.5 bars advisers from making promotional statements about their success rates.

You can browse IAA-registered organisations and SRA-regulated firms in the Migratio UK directory, which shows each one's regulator and registration number so you can run the checks above yourself.

Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work in general. It is not advice on your own case.

Questions people ask

Is the OISC adviser finder the same as the IAA adviser finder?

Yes. The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) has operated as the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) since 16 January 2025. The Adviser Finder and Adviser Register are now IAA tools, linked from the IAA's gov.uk page. Older websites and bookmarks still say OISC.

How do I check an IAA registration number?

Search the number on the IAA Adviser Register. A match shows the organisation or individual name, the IAA reference number, the level of authorisation and the website. The Adviser Finder only includes organisations that opted in, so use the Register rather than the Finder to confirm registration.

Does a solicitor need to be registered with the IAA?

No. Solicitors authorised by the SRA are qualified under section 84(2)(ba) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and are checked on the SRA Solicitors Register instead. That authorisation covers immigration advice given in England and Wales.

What if an adviser is not on any register?

The SRA warns that no result on its register means it has no record, so it is not safe to assume the person is regulated. Ask the adviser which regulator they use and search again with their exact name and number. You can report suspected unregulated advice to the IAA through its complaints portal.

Do overseas immigration agents need to be registered in the UK?

An adviser based outside the UK who advises you from abroad is outside the IAA scheme, according to the IAA's August 2025 practice note. That also means no IAA checks on their fitness or competence. If they meet clients in the UK and advise them, they would need to be regulated.

Does registration mean an adviser will get my visa approved?

No. Registration means the adviser is allowed to act and is regulated. Decisions are made by the Home Office. IAA advisers are not allowed to make promotional statements about their success rates (IAA Code of Standards 6.5).

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • IAA adviser levels 1, 2 and 3: what each can do — The IAA registers immigration advisers at three levels. Level 1 covers straightforward applications, Level 2 adds casework such as complex applications and administrative review, and Level 3 adds representation at immigration tribunal appeals. Advisers must not work above their authorised level.
  • Immigration solicitor or IAA adviser: the difference — Both are allowed to give UK immigration advice. Solicitors are regulated by the SRA and must publish prices for immigration applications; IAA advisers are registered at Level 1, 2 or 3 and limited to that level. The differences are in scope, where they can practise, how they handle money and where you complain.
  • Unregistered immigration advisers: how to spot one — In the UK it is a criminal offence to give immigration advice or services without being registered with the IAA or authorised by a legal regulator such as the SRA. You can check any adviser on the IAA Adviser Register or the SRA register, and report unregulated advice to the IAA. GOV.UK warns that you cannot get your money back if an adviser is not regulated.
  • How to complain about an immigration adviser — Complaints about IAA-registered advisers, and about advice from unregulated people, go to the Immigration Advice Authority. Service complaints about solicitors and other legal professionals go first to the firm and then, after 8 weeks or an unsatisfactory reply, to the Legal Ombudsman. Serious misconduct by a solicitor can be reported to the SRA.
  • Questions to ask an immigration adviser before you pay — Before you pay, a UK immigration adviser should be able to show you their registration, their level, a fee scale and a written client care letter. IAA advisers must invoice you, give a receipt, keep money paid in advance in a separate client account, and wait seven days after an invoice before taking a pre-authorised card payment.