OISC immigration adviser certification: what it means

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) no longer exists under that name. In January 2025 it was rebranded as the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), which is the government body that licenses and regulates immigration advisers in the UK. If you are looking for an OISC-certified immigration adviser, you are looking for an adviser regulated by the IAA. You can verify any adviser’s registration through the IAA’s Adviser Register or Adviser Finder, and you should do so before paying for advice. The IAA does not provide advice itself, nor does it recommend or endorse any specific adviser.

Why the OISC became the IAA

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner was established under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and later given additional powers by the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and the Immigration Act 2014. In January 2025, the organisation rebranded as the Immigration Advice Authority. Its legal functions did not change with the name.

The IAA regulates over 3,700 individual immigration advisers and 2,000 organisations. It licenses and regulates people who provide immigration advice to the general public, but not legal professionals such as solicitors and barristers, who are regulated by their own professional bodies. The IAA also oversees the regulation of immigration advice provided by solicitors and barristers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where the legal systems differ.

If you see a reference to OISC certification in an adviser’s marketing, it refers to the same regulatory scheme that the IAA now operates. The IAA’s enforcement powers include limiting or varying the levels of work an adviser may undertake, laying disciplinary charges, applying for restraining orders or injunctions, prosecuting for illegally providing or advertising immigration advice, entering an adviser’s premises, and seizing an adviser’s records.

What certification actually covers

All immigration advisers must be registered with the IAA or be a member of an approved professional body. Registration is not a single blanket qualification. The IAA registers advisers at three levels of competence, and each level determines what kind of work the adviser is permitted to do.

Level	Title	What the adviser can do
Level 1	Advice and Assistance	Straightforward cases, such as extending a business visa when all documentation is in order. Also covers entry clearance, leave to enter, leave to remain, nationality and citizenship, and EU and EEA law.
Level 2	Casework	All Level 1 tasks plus more complex cases, such as preparing applications with additional evidence and support letters. Can assist with family and private life applications, student visas, certain aspects of nationality law, asylum and human rights claims, administrative review, cases where you entered the UK illegally or stayed after your visa expired, and cases where you are being removed or deported. Cannot represent you in court, but may represent you in specific tribunals.
Level 3	Advocacy and Representation	All Level 1 and 2 tasks. Can represent you in immigration tribunal appeals and offer comprehensive support with complex cases, including asylum, human rights, and family reunification.

The level matters because it tells you whether an adviser is authorised to handle your particular matter. A Level 1 adviser is not permitted to take on casework or advocacy. If your case involves an appeal, removal, deportation, or a complex asylum claim, you need an adviser registered at the appropriate level.

How to find a certified adviser

The IAA provides two search tools. The Adviser Finder allows you to search for registered advisers in your area. Advisers are part of organisations, and the results are listed in order of distance from you, with the nearest first. The information provided includes the organisation’s authorisation level, website, and contact details. Note that search results only include organisations that have opted in to be included in this search function.

The Adviser Register is a separate tool that lets you check whether a specific organisation or individual is registered with the IAA. You can search by organisation or individual name or by registration number. If the information matches an entry on the Register, the IAA will confirm it and display the organisation or individual name, the IAA reference number, the level of authorisation, and the website.

The GOV.UK guidance for advice seekers is explicit: check whether the adviser is registered and whether they charge a fee before you use them. Immigration advisers do not make immigration decisions; they help you with most things to do with immigration, including filling in the right forms and representing you at a tribunal.

If you are unsure whether someone needs to be officially registered to help you, the IAA’s Immigration Assistance document explains what kind of support people and organisations can offer, and which types of advice must come from someone regulated by the IAA or another legal body.

What the IAA does not do

The IAA does not provide immigration advice. It does not recommend or endorse any specific immigration adviser. It does not make immigration decisions. Its role is to regulate the people who provide advice, to set standards, to audit advisers, to investigate complaints, and to take enforcement action against those offering immigration advice illegally.

The IAA’s stated priorities include ensuring high-quality and reliable immigration advice is available from regulated professionals, routinely identifying and disrupting illegal advice-giving by unregulated individuals, ensuring advice seekers know how to access regulated advice and understand the risks of seeking advice from unregulated individuals, and transforming the IAA into a high-performing organisation.

If you are looking for legal help beyond an immigration adviser, you can find solicitors who give immigration advice through the Law Society if you live in England or Wales, the Law Society of Scotland, or the Law Society of Northern Ireland. A solicitor can help manage your case and find a barrister. If you are managing your own case but want legal advice or advocacy, you can find a barrister through the Bar Council’s Direct Access scheme in England or Wales, the Faculty of Advocates in Scotland, or the Bar of Northern Ireland.

How to complain about an adviser

You can complain about an immigration adviser if you think you have had a bad service. The IAA accepts complaints about poor service from an adviser registered with the IAA, immigration advice provided by an unregulated adviser, and complaints about the IAA itself.

The IAA says it will explain what it can do, outline processes and timelines, and keep you regularly updated. It will explain the reason for its decisions in writing and publish details on how you can request a review of its complaint decisions. It aims to reply to all queries within five working days to acknowledge receipt and ten working days for a full response. If it cannot assist with your query or complaint, it will try to direct you to an organisation that can.

One point worth noting: you cannot get your money back if an adviser is not regulated. That is a strong reason to check the Adviser Register before you pay anyone for immigration advice.

The IAA also publishes a list of organisations suspended or removed from its scheme, and you can see a list of people who are banned from acting as immigration advisers.

What to do next

Before you instruct anyone, search the IAA Adviser Register for the adviser’s name or registration number. Confirm the level of authorisation matches the work you need done. Check whether they charge a fee and what that fee is. If you are unsure whether a particular type of help requires a regulated adviser, read the IAA’s Immigration Assistance document on the GOV.UK guidance page for advice seekers.

If you have already received poor service, you can submit a complaint through the IAA’s online portal. If you prefer to address your concerns directly with your adviser first, the IAA provides a guide on writing a complaint letter.

The IAA’s contact address is PO Box 567, Dartford, Kent, DA1 9WX, United Kingdom. For non-media enquiries, the IAA asks you to submit your request via its Portal. The press office email is pressoffice@immigrationadviceauthority.gov.uk, but that is only for media enquiries.