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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.

Most people who lose money to a fake adviser did not know there was anything to check. The Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly the OISC) launched its first national awareness campaign in May 2026 for exactly that reason: its research found many people seeking advice did not know immigration advisers must be regulated. Its message is "Before you trust them, check them."

This guide explains what the law says, how to check someone in a few minutes, and the signs that should make you stop before you pay or hand over your passport.

What the law says

Section 84(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999: "No person may provide immigration advice or immigration services unless he is a qualified person." A qualified person is someone registered with the IAA, authorised by a designated professional body or qualifying regulator (for example a solicitor regulated by the SRA, a barrister, or a CILEx-authorised lawyer), or someone working on behalf of and under the supervision of one of those.

Breaking that rule is a crime. Under section 91, providing advice or services in breach of section 84 carries up to six months' imprisonment and/or a fine on summary conviction, and up to two years and/or a fine on indictment. Company officers can be personally liable too.

Section 92B makes it a separate offence simply to offer unqualified advice, including arranging an advertisement in which someone "is described or presented as competent to provide advice or services". So an advert, a social media page or a WhatsApp group promising visa help can itself be an offence.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 gives the IAA further powers, including fines of up to £15,000 on regulated and unregulated advisers and orders to repay fees and compensation of up to £250,000. As at 9 October 2026, the IAA's factsheet says it "will provide updates on implementation and timescales", so treat these as coming rather than in force.

What does not need registration

Not every kind of help is regulated. The IAA's practice note on immigration assistance says that publishing general information "that might be applicable to many people is not considered immigration advice", and that simply signposting someone to an authorised adviser is not regulated. Advice becomes regulated when someone gives an opinion on what a particular person should do, based on that person's information.

The same practice note says occasional immigration advice given to immediate family members and close friends does not require regulation, and no fee can be charged for it; people who begin to advise more widely or frequently need to be regulated. Charities and community groups giving advice to individuals are treated as advising in the course of a business, even if they do not charge.

There are also three ministerial exemptions listed in the practice note: licensed sponsors advising the people they sponsor without charge, certain employers advising employees without charge, and specified educational institutions and health sector bodies. Crown servants acting as such are exempt under section 84(6).

The practical line: a website explaining the rules is information. A business or stranger telling you which visa to apply for, preparing your application, or writing to the Home Office on your behalf is giving advice or services, and needs to be qualified.

How to check someone in five minutes

  1. Ask for their registration number. IAA-registered organisations must display their IAA registration number (IAA Code 6.1). Solicitors have an SRA number.
  1. Search the register yourself. The IAA Adviser Register lets you search by organisation or individual name or registration number; a match shows the name, IAA reference number, level of authorisation and website. For solicitors in England and Wales, use the SRA register or the Law Society's Find a Solicitor. GOV.UK also links the Law Society of Scotland and the Law Society of Northern Ireland.
  1. Check the level matches the job. A Level 1 adviser can handle straightforward applications; Level 2 can take on casework such as human rights applications, administrative reviews and overstayers; "only a level 3 adviser can appear on your behalf at an immigration tribunal" (GOV.UK).
  1. Check the prohibited and suspended list. The IAA publishes a list of people and organisations prohibited or suspended from giving immigration advice by the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration Services) or by order.
  1. Check you are dealing with the registered organisation. An adviser registered to one organisation may only provide advice on behalf of that organisation (IAA Code 3.1). If the name on the invoice or bank account differs from the name on the register, ask why.

Warning signs

None of these proves someone is unregistered, but each conflicts with a rule regulated advisers have to follow:

  • No registration number, a number that does not match the register, or "we work with a registered adviser" without a name you can check.
  • A guarantee of success. IAA Code 6.5 bans promotional statements about success rates, and GOV.UK lists "an adviser claiming you'll be successful" as a ground for complaint.
  • Pressure to pay everything immediately, in cash or by bank transfer to a personal account, with no invoice or receipt. Regulated IAA advisers must invoice and give proof of payment (Code 9.2) and hold money paid in advance in a separate client account (Code 9.4).
  • No written terms. Regulated IAA advisers must give prospective clients a client care letter (Code 5.3).
  • Unsolicited approaches. IAA Code 6.3 says advisers must not tout for business, and solicitors must not make unsolicited approaches to the public (SRA Code 8.9). A stranger messaging you with a visa offer is a red flag.
  • Jobs or sponsorship for a fee. On 9 October 2026 the Home Office described a victim who "paid an agency £20,000 for what she believed was stable, full-time care work", then was charged £400 a month by her sponsor "just to keep her visa active".
  • Being told to give false information, or that the forms do not matter because they "know someone".
  • Based abroad and dealing with you remotely. Advisers outside the UK may not need UK registration, but they are also outside the UK complaints schemes.

Why it matters: what you lose

Three things can go wrong with an unregulated adviser, and they compound.

Money. GOV.UK states plainly: "You cannot get your money back if an adviser is not regulated." There is no client account, no regulator to order a refund, and no indemnity insurance (regulated IAA advisers must hold professional indemnity insurance, Code 8.2).

Deadlines. Refusals come with short time limits: 14 days for an in-country administrative review or appeal, 28 days from outside the UK. An adviser who disappears can cost you the right to challenge a decision.

Your record. The application is yours, whoever filled it in. The Immigration Rules allow refusal and cancellation on grounds of false representations or deception (Appendix Administrative Review refers to these Part Suitability decisions), so a false document submitted by an adviser can follow you into later applications.

How to report an unregistered adviser

GOV.UK says you can complain to the IAA about "immigration advice you received from an unregulated person", and you can email the IAA at info@immigrationadviceauthority.gov.uk to report someone giving immigration advice who is not regulated by the IAA or another approved body. Complaints can also go through the IAA's online portal. Someone else, such as a friend, solicitor or voluntary organisation, can complain on your behalf.

Keep everything: messages, adverts, receipts, bank transfer records and any documents they prepared. If you have been exploited at work or by a sponsor, the 9 October 2026 rule change means victims of modern slavery on Skilled Worker visas who are formally recognised by the Home Office can take any lawful work for the rest of their visa.

If an unregistered adviser has already handled your application, a regulated adviser can review what was submitted and what deadlines are running.

Finding someone who is registered

The IAA's Adviser Finder lists organisations near you, though only those who opted in to that search. The IAA Register covers all registered organisations.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers and SRA-regulated solicitors with their regulator and registration number on every listing, so you can cross-check them on the official register before you get in touch. 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

Is it illegal to give immigration advice without being registered in the UK?

Yes. Section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 says no one may provide immigration advice or services unless they are a qualified person, and section 91 makes breaching that an offence punishable by up to two years' imprisonment and/or a fine on indictment. Offering or advertising unqualified advice is a separate offence under section 92B.

How do I check if an immigration adviser is registered with the IAA?

Search the IAA Adviser Register by organisation or individual name or registration number. A match shows the name, IAA reference number, level of authorisation and website. For solicitors, check the SRA register or the relevant Law Society. Also check the IAA's list of prohibited or suspended advisers.

Can I get my money back from an unregistered immigration adviser?

GOV.UK says you cannot get your money back if an adviser is not regulated. You can still report them to the IAA, which can investigate unregulated advice, and keep records of every payment and message.

Is the OISC the same as the IAA?

Yes. The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) has operated as the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) since 16 January 2025. Older documents and web addresses still say OISC.

Does a friend or community group need to be registered to help me?

The IAA's immigration assistance practice note says occasional, unpaid advice to immediate family and close friends does not require regulation. A charity or community group giving advice to individuals does need to be regulated, even if it does not charge, unless an exemption applies. General information and signposting to a registered adviser are not regulated.

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 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.
  • 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.
  • Exploited by your sponsor: the October 2026 Skilled Worker change — From October 2026 a new Skilled Worker rule (SW 18.3) lets the Home Office amend the work conditions of a Skilled Worker who has a positive Conclusive Grounds decision from the National Referral Mechanism, so they can do any work for the rest of their permission. It is discretionary, it does not lengthen the visa and it does not give access to public funds.
  • UK visa refused: appeal, administrative review or reapply? — Your refusal letter says whether you can ask for an administrative review (£80; 14 days in the UK, 28 days outside, 7 if detained) or appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (£82 or £144; 14 or 28 days). Appeals are only for refused protection or human rights claims and a few other decision types. Making a new application withdraws a pending administrative review.