The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) is now the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA). The change in name is effective from 16 January 2025. The OISC or now IAA is a government body that regulates immigration advisers and organizations in the UK. It ensures that only qualified advisers give their services to the immigrants seeking adviser’s services. Its duty is to eliminate and prosecute fake unregistered or illegal advisers providing advisory services and making money.

What has changed?

With a change in name, there are some other minor changes from the old Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner system. These changes include:

• There will be a change in leadership structure. However, John Tuckett will continue to be the immigration service commissioner.
• There is a new logo and social media handles.  
• There is a new website https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/immigration-advice-authority
• There may be an increase in number of staff.

Strategic Change

The core objective behind setting up IAA is to help vulnerable migrants, and their family save their valuable time and money from getting poor and fake immigration-related information. The goal is also to keep the reputation of the UK’s immigration system intact by enforcing actions against illegal advisers and illegal advisory services. The focus of the IAA will be on the following main objectives:

• To ensure that registered immigration advisers comply with established standards,
• To stop those giving illegal immigration advice from making a dent in the integrity of the immigration system, and
• To promote best practices to follow by immigration advisers that will strengthen the immigration advice sector. This will be done in partnership with advisers and stakeholders.
• Making IAA’s services more accessible and easy to understand.
• Enhance the quality of the body.

Keeping this in mind there is a strategic shift in the new set up. The IAA will be an evolved entity as a high-performing, outward-focused company with enhanced capabilities and expertise that will help it deal with complex immigration related challenges.
The focus will also be on transforming the IAA into a high-performing organization. It will work on increasing public awareness on matters such as how to access regulated advice and what are the risks associated with unregulated services. This will be achieved by modernizing the IAA’s processes, infrastructure, and culture. To ensure these changes are progressing well in time there will be annual surveys, efficiency assessments, and metrics on enforcement and modernization efforts.

Changes for the immigration advisers

All existing OISC registered advisers will not require a new registration with IAA as their existing registration will remain valid. Registered advisers will continue to receive detailed information on further changes if and when there are any. Measures that will be taken by the IAA to check if immigration advisers remain fit and competent
IAA will take certain measures to keep in check that individual immigration adviser and organizations remain fit and competent for their services:

• It will assess the competence through a formal competence assessment test and based on that register individuals who want to become immigration advisers.
• It will conduct periodic audits of registered advisers to ensure professional standards are upheld.
• It will look into and investigate complaints against immigration advisers.
• Enforcement action against those acting as illegal immigration advisers or a legal adviser giving illegal advice

The IAA does not offer any kind of immigration advice. It also does not recommend or endorse any specific immigration adviser.