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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.

Paying an immigration adviser is often the biggest decision you make before the application itself. The good news is that the rules tell you exactly what a regulated adviser has to give you in writing. If you know what those documents are, you can ask for them by name, compare advisers on the same terms, and spot a problem before money changes hands.

This guide covers the two main groups who can charge for immigration advice in the UK: advisers registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly the OISC) and solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The rules quoted are from the IAA Code of Standards 2024, its guidance notes, the SRA Code of Conduct and the SRA Transparency Rules, all read on 9 October 2026.

1. Are you allowed to give immigration advice, and at what level?

This is the first question, and you can check the answer yourself. Under section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, nobody may provide immigration advice or services unless they are a "qualified person": registered with the IAA, authorised by a designated professional body or qualifying regulator (such as the SRA for solicitors), or working under the supervision of one of those.

IAA advisers are registered at one of three levels, and the Code says they must not work above it (Code 3.3). GOV.UK sums the levels up like this:

  • Level 1: advice and assistance on straightforward cases.
  • Level 2: casework, including human rights applications, administrative reviews, and people who overstayed or are facing removal.
  • Level 3: everything above plus representation. "Only a level 3 adviser can appear on your behalf at an immigration tribunal."

Good questions: What is your IAA registration number (or SRA ID)? What level and categories are you authorised for? Is the person doing my work registered, or supervised by someone who is? Then check the answer on the IAA Adviser Register or the SRA register. IAA advisers must display their registration number (Code 6.1).

2. Will I get a client care letter, and what will it say?

IAA Code 5.3 says an adviser must "provide all prospective clients with an effective client care letter", and Code 5.4 says they must keep a record that you agreed to it. The IAA's guidance notes list what an effective letter should include:

  • who the client is, and your immigration status if known;
  • full details of your instructions, the advice given, the work agreed and estimated timeframes;
  • the costs estimated or agreed, and any additional costs you could become liable for;
  • that any client money held for you stays yours until you are invoiced and payment is due;
  • the adviser's name, address, phone and email;
  • that you will get copies of any original documents you hand over;
  • the complaints procedure;
  • that the organisation is regulated by the Commissioner, who can examine your file;
  • that the organisation keeps full responsibility for all work done for you.

GOV.UK's own summary is shorter: your adviser must give you a letter immediately after you hire them saying what work they are doing for you, how much you will be charged and how you will pay.

Solicitors have a parallel duty. The SRA Code (8.6 and 8.7) requires them to give you information in a way you can understand and "the best possible information about how their matter will be priced", both at the start and as the matter progresses. They must also tell you in writing, at the time of engagement, how to complain and about your right to go to the Legal Ombudsman (8.3).

Good question: Can I see the client care letter, or your standard terms, before I pay anything?

3. What exactly will this cost, and what is not included?

IAA Code 9.1 requires organisations that charge to "have a fee scale and only charge a reasonable fee that directly relates to the work done". The guidance notes add that the fee scale should be shared with clients and prospective clients, that any discount and its reason should be written in the client care letter, and that a wide range is a warning sign: where "the highest fee is almost twice the lowest fee, without a reasonable explanation", the Commissioner "is likely to find that the client was overcharged".

Solicitor firms in England and Wales that advertise immigration applications (excluding asylum) or First-tier Tribunal appeal work must publish prices on their website under SRA Transparency Rules 1.3 and 1.5. That includes the total cost or a range, the basis for charges (hourly or fixed), the experience of whoever does the work, likely disbursements, VAT, and what is and is not included, with key stages and timescales.

Remember the government fees are separate. An adviser's fee does not include the Home Office application fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge, English tests, translations or tribunal fees. GOV.UK notes that even advisers who do not charge a fee will still leave you paying expenses "like translation costs and application fees".

Good questions: Is this a fixed fee or hourly? What does it cover, stage by stage? Which disbursements will I pay on top, and roughly how much? Is VAT included? What happens to the fee if the Home Office asks for more evidence, or the application is refused?

4. How and when do I pay?

This is where IAA rules are stricter than many people expect. For organisations that charge fees, the Code says:

  • 9.2: submit an invoice when payment is required and give you proof of payment of what was taken.
  • 9.3: where you have given prior authority for card payments, "only take fees invoiced seven days after the invoice has been provided". The guidance says this gives you time to add funds or dispute the invoice.
  • 9.4: hold client money in a distinct client account, separate from the business account, where money is taken in advance. Money for work not yet done "does not belong to the business".
  • 9.5 to 9.7: return unused money, refunds of disbursements, and agreed refunds promptly.

GOV.UK's checklist for hiring an adviser says to find out how much they charge and whether you will have to pay them, get a signed and dated receipt for any money you pay, ask how much you will owe if you stop using them, and agree a fee before they do any extra work.

Good questions: Will you invoice me before taking payment? Is money paid in advance held in a client account? What will I owe if I stop instructing you halfway through?

5. Who will actually do the work, and how will I hear about progress?

IAA Code 5.5 requires advisers to keep each client "regularly informed, in writing, of the progress of their case". Code 5.6 requires arrangements so your case keeps moving if the adviser is temporarily unable to work. Code 5.7 and 5.9 require them to return your documents when asked and transfer your file if you move to another adviser, "irrespective of whether any payment is outstanding". Files must be kept for at least six years (5.10).

For solicitors, the Transparency Rules require published price information to state the experience and qualifications of anyone carrying out the work and of their supervisors.

Good questions: Who is my named contact? Who signs off the application? How often will I get a written update? If I move to another adviser, how do I get my file?

6. What happens if something goes wrong?

Every regulated adviser must have a complaints procedure. IAA Code 3.5 requires an effective written procedure; the SRA Code requires solicitors to tell you at the start how to complain and when you can go to the Legal Ombudsman (8.3), and to tell you in writing about the Ombudsman if your complaint is not resolved within 8 weeks (8.4).

The regulator you can go to depends on who the adviser is: the IAA for registered advisers (and for advice from people who are not regulated at all), and the Legal Ombudsman for service complaints about solicitors and other legal professionals. Our guide to complaining about an immigration adviser walks through both.

Good question: Can you send me your complaints procedure?

Answers that should make you pause

These answers do not prove anything on their own, but each one conflicts with a rule quoted above:

  • No registration number, or a number you cannot find on the IAA or SRA register.
  • A promise that your visa will be granted, or a quoted success rate. IAA Code 6.5 bans promotional statements about success rates, and "an adviser claiming you'll be successful" is one of the things GOV.UK lists as a ground for complaint.
  • Full payment demanded straight away by card, with no invoice.
  • No client care letter, or a refusal to put the fee in writing.
  • A level 1 adviser offering to represent you at a tribunal.
  • An offer to find you a job or a sponsor in exchange for a fee. A Home Office announcement on 9 October 2026 described a care worker who paid an agency £20,000 for work that did not exist.

Our guide to unregistered advisers covers the warning signs in more detail.

When paying a regulated adviser makes sense

Plenty of people make straightforward applications themselves using the GOV.UK guidance. People often pay for help when there is a refusal or a deadline, a previous immigration problem (overstaying, a past refusal, a criminal record), a tribunal appeal, or evidence that does not fit the standard checklist. A typical engagement starts with an initial consultation, then a client care letter setting out the agreed work and fee before anything else is done.

If you are comparing advisers, ask every one of them the same questions above and compare the written answers, not the sales pitch.

You can find IAA-registered advisers and SRA-regulated solicitors in the Migratio directory, each listed with their regulator and registration number so you can check them yourself. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

What should an immigration adviser give me before I pay?

An IAA-registered adviser must give prospective clients a client care letter (IAA Code 5.3) setting out the work agreed, the estimated or agreed costs, extra costs you might face, and the complaints procedure. They must invoice you when payment is due and give proof of payment (Code 9.2). Solicitors must give you the best possible information about pricing at the start (SRA Code 8.7).

Can an immigration adviser take my card payment straight away?

For IAA-registered advisers, IAA Code 9.3 says that where you have pre-authorised card payments, they may only take fees invoiced seven days after the invoice was given to you. Money taken in advance for work not yet done must be held in a separate client account (Code 9.4).

How do I know if an immigration adviser's fee is reasonable?

IAA advisers must have a fee scale and charge only a reasonable fee directly related to the work (Code 9.1). The IAA's guidance says that where the highest fee is almost twice the lowest without a reasonable explanation, it is likely to find overcharging. Solicitor firms advertising immigration work must publish prices on their websites under SRA Transparency Rule 1.5, so you can compare.

Does the adviser's fee include the Home Office visa fee?

Usually not. Application fees, the Immigration Health Surcharge, test fees, translations and tribunal fees are normally paid on top. Ask the adviser for a written list of disbursements and their likely cost; solicitor firms must describe likely disbursements in their published prices.

Can I get my documents back if I change adviser?

Yes. IAA Code 5.7 requires advisers to return documents relating to your case when asked, and Code 5.9 requires them to transfer your file to you as soon as possible if you ask, irrespective of whether any payment is outstanding.

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.
  • How much does an immigration solicitor cost in the UK? — On the price pages of four SRA-regulated firms read on 9 October 2026, legal fees for a spouse or partner visa application started between £2,000 and £8,000 plus VAT, and hourly rates ran from £175 to £800 plus VAT. Home Office fees and the healthcare surcharge are paid on top.
  • 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.
  • 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.