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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.

If you are using an IAA-regulated adviser rather than a solicitor, the level they hold decides what they are allowed to do for you. An adviser can be fully registered and still not be permitted to take on your kind of case.

This page sets out the three levels in the IAA's own words, how many organisations hold each one, and how to check a level before you instruct anyone. Solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives are regulated differently and do not have IAA levels.

The three levels in the IAA's words

The IAA's guidance for advice seekers says it "registers advisers at three levels of competence".

Level 1 – Advice and Assistance. "Advisers at this level can assist you with straightforward cases, such as extending a business visa when all documentation is in order." The guidance lists entry clearance, leave to enter, leave to remain, nationality and citizenship, and EU and EEA law.

Level 2 – Casework. Level 2 advisers can do everything at Level 1 "and more complex cases, such as preparing applications with additional evidence and support letters". The guidance names family and private life applications, student visas and certain aspects of nationality law. It also lists claims for asylum and human rights applications, administrative review of a visa decision, cases where someone entered the UK illegally or stayed after their visa expired, and removal or deportation cases. "While they cannot represent you in court, they may be able to represent you in specific tribunals."

Level 3 – Advocacy and Representation. Level 3 advisers "can handle all the tasks of Level 1 and 2 advisers. They can represent you in immigration tribunal appeals and offer comprehensive support with complex cases, including asylum, human rights, and family reunification."

The IAA also authorises advisers in categories as well as levels, and code 3.3 of its Code of Standards refers to both: advisers must not "operate above your authorised Level or Category" without the Commissioner's written permission. Ask an adviser which categories they hold if your matter involves asylum or protection.

How many organisations hold each level

The IAA's freedom of information list of regulated organisations (position at 9 July 2026, published 25 September 2026) has 2,276 organisations:

  • Level 1: 1,494 organisations (about 66%)
  • Level 2: 210 (about 9%)
  • Level 3: 572 (about 25%)

The same file gives each organisation's earliest approval date. The median earliest approval date is April 2020 for Level 1 organisations, September 2017 for Level 2 and January 2015 for Level 3. 550 organisations in the file were first approved in 2024 or later.

These counts describe the register. They say nothing about the quality of any one organisation, and the file is a snapshot. Use the live Adviser Register for any single organisation.

Organisation level and adviser level

The IAA list is at organisation level: each organisation appears with one "Regulated Level". Individual advisers inside an organisation are also registered, and their own level can differ.

The IAA's guidance notes on its Code of Standards include a case study that shows why this matters. A Level 1 organisation employed a Level 2 adviser to raise its level, but that adviser worked at two other organisations and rarely attended. Level 2 work was done by Level 1 advisers and signed off in the Level 2 adviser's name. The IAA treated this as a breach of code 3.3, even though a Level 2 name was on the paperwork.

Practical points that follow from the code:

  • Advisers may only work above their level under a supervision arrangement the Commissioner has authorised in writing.
  • Advisers may only outsource work within their approved level and categories, and need your prior consent to seek outside advice on your behalf (code 3.4).
  • It is reasonable to ask who will actually do your work, and at what level that person is registered.

Matching a level to the kind of work

The IAA descriptions point to a rough split, which you can compare with what you are asking an adviser to do:

  • A straightforward application where every document is in order sits within the Level 1 description.
  • Applications needing additional evidence or support letters, family and private life applications, administrative review, and cases involving overstaying, removal or asylum sit in the Level 2 description.
  • Representation at an immigration tribunal appeal sits at Level 3.

The level an adviser holds is a ceiling, not a specialism. A Level 3 organisation is allowed to do Level 1 work. Whether a case is "straightforward" is itself a judgment about your facts, and that is a question for a regulated adviser, not for a general guide like this one.

Deadlines matter here. Gov.uk sets 28 days to request administrative review if you were refused outside the UK, 14 days inside the UK and 7 days if detained. Appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), where a right of appeal exists, must be lodged within 14 days of receiving the decision in the UK or 28 days from outside. If the work you need sits at Level 2 or 3, finding an adviser registered at that level early leaves time to check them.

Fee-charging and non-fee-charging organisations

Separately from level, the IAA registers organisations as fee-charging or non-fee-charging. Code 2.7 says an organisation registered as non-fee-charging must not charge clients "directly or indirectly a fee for the provision of immigration advice". The IAA's guidance adds that an organisation demanding donations from clients is "likely to be non-compliant", and that organisations with legal aid contracts must register as fee-charging, because legal aid fees count as charging clients indirectly.

Non-fee-charging organisations exist at every level. If cost is the main constraint, our guide to immigration advice at no charge (£0) explains who offers it.

How to check a level before you instruct anyone

  1. Ask the organisation for its IAA number and the name of the adviser who will handle your case.
  2. Search the IAA Adviser Register. A match shows the level of authorisation.
  3. Check that the level shown covers the work you are asking for, using the IAA descriptions above.
  4. Ask for the client care letter before work starts. IAA code 5.3 requires one for every prospective client, and the IAA's guidance says it should include the work agreed, estimated timeframes, the costs and the organisation's complaints procedure.

If something has gone wrong, the IAA takes complaints about poor service from registered advisers through its online portal.

What every level has to do for you

The level changes what an adviser may take on. It does not change the basic duties, which sit in the IAA Code of Standards 2024 and apply to every registered adviser and organisation, Level 1 or Level 3, fee-charging or not. Read off the Code on 9 October 2026, they include:

  • A client care letter for every prospective client (code 5.3), with a record that you agreed to it, either a signed and dated copy or evidence of electronic agreement (code 5.4).
  • Regular written updates on the progress of your case (code 5.5).
  • Return of your documents on request and without delay (code 5.7). Where an organisation holds your original documents, you must have a copy, and the originals go back to you as soon as they have served their purpose (code 8.7).
  • A closure letter or statement when your case ends, including when you withdraw your instructions (code 5.8).
  • Transfer of your file to a new adviser if you ask, "irrespective of whether any payment is outstanding" (code 5.9).
  • Retention of your file and records for at least six years (code 5.10).
  • A complete record of dealings with you in attendance notes (code 8.5), current and adequate professional indemnity insurance (code 8.2) and a written complaints procedure (code 3.5).

These codes are the yardstick the IAA applies if you complain. They are worth reading before you sign a client care letter.

Worked example: a level mismatch

Take someone refused a visa while living outside the UK whose decision letter says they can ask for administrative review. Gov.uk says that review costs £80 and that it "can take 12 months or more to receive the result". The IAA's description lists getting a visa decision reviewed under Level 2, not Level 1.

Under code 3.3, a Level 1 organisation that took on the review without the Commissioner's written permission would be operating above its authorised level, however experienced its staff. The check is the one described above: search the Adviser Register, read the level, and compare it with the task. If the level is lower than the task, ask the organisation how the work would lawfully be done. One answer might be that a Level 2 adviser inside the organisation will do it. Another is a referral elsewhere. Code 3.4 lets an organisation outsource work only within its own approved level and categories, and only with your prior consent to seek additional advice on your behalf.

The same logic runs the other way. A Level 3 organisation may do Level 1 work, so a higher level is never a reason to refuse a simple task, and it is not a reason to pay more for one.

When it is worth paying for a higher-level adviser

People usually look beyond Level 1 when a refusal, a status gap, an appeal or a removal decision is involved, because those are the matters the IAA's own descriptions place at Level 2 and 3. A typical first step is a paid consultation in which the adviser reviews the decision letter and documents, explains which remedies exist and confirms in the client care letter what they will do and what it costs.

No level guarantees an outcome, and IAA advisers are not allowed to advertise success rates (code 6.5).

The Migratio UK directory lists IAA-regulated organisations with their level and registration number, so you can filter by level and then confirm it on the IAA register 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

What is the difference between OISC Level 1, 2 and 3?

OISC is the old name of the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA). Level 1 covers straightforward applications, Level 2 covers more complex casework including administrative review and asylum and human rights claims, and Level 3 adds representation at immigration tribunal appeals. Each level includes the work of the levels below it.

Can a Level 1 adviser help with a refused visa?

The IAA lists administrative review of a visa decision under Level 2 and tribunal appeals under Level 3. Code 3.3 bars advisers from working above their authorised level without the Commissioner's written permission, so check the level on the IAA Adviser Register against the work you need.

Can an IAA adviser represent me at an immigration appeal?

Representation at immigration tribunal appeals is Level 3 work in the IAA's descriptions. Level 2 advisers cannot represent you in court but may be able to represent you in specific tribunals. Solicitors and barristers are not part of the IAA level system.

How do I find out what level an immigration adviser is?

Search the organisation or adviser on the IAA Adviser Register. A match shows the level of authorisation. The IAA's published list of regulated organisations also shows each organisation's level, but it is a snapshot dated 9 July 2026.

Is a Level 3 adviser more expensive than a Level 1 adviser?

The IAA does not set prices by level. Each fee-charging organisation must have a fee scale and charge a reasonable fee that relates to the work done (code 9.1). Ask for the fee scale and a written estimate in the client care letter.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Who can represent you at an immigration appeal — At the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) you can be represented by anyone not prohibited by section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999: in practice a Level 3 IAA-registered adviser, a solicitor, a barrister or another authorised lawyer. You can also represent yourself. Judicial review in the Upper Tribunal needs a representative with rights of audience in the High Court.
  • Free immigration advice in the UK: who offers it — Advice at no charge comes mainly from two places: legal aid, for the immigration matters the law lists (asylum, detention, trafficking, domestic abuse and a few others) if you pass the means test; and IAA organisations registered as non-fee-charging. Paid advice at law firms typically starts with a consultation costing a few hundred pounds.
  • Administrative review of a UK visa refusal — Administrative review is a Home Office check of whether a refusal was caused by a caseworking error. It costs £80 and must be requested online within 14 days if you were in the UK, 28 days if you applied from outside, or 7 days if detained. It only covers routes listed in Appendix AR, usually ignores new evidence, and GOV.UK says results can take 12 months or more.