Last Updated on October 5, 2026
Immigration advice in the UK may only be given by someone qualified to give it: an adviser registered with the Immigration Advice Authority, the IAA, formerly the OISC, or a lawyer regulated by a body such as the SRA. Giving immigration advice without qualification is a criminal offence. The checks take about two minutes, and this guide walks through them.
Check one: the IAA register
The IAA publishes its register of advisers, searchable by adviser or organisation name. Search the name exactly as it appears on the website or letterhead. A genuine entry shows the organisation, and the level of advice it is registered for. If the name on the website does not appear, ask the firm for the exact registered name before assuming the worst; trading names drift. If they cannot give you a registered name, that is your answer.
What the level means
IAA registration comes in levels 1 to 3, and the level limits the work. Level 1 covers straightforward applications within the rules. Appeals and the most complex casework sit at the higher levels. An adviser taking on work above their level is breaking the rules even though they are registered, so match the level to your matter, not just the name to the register.
Check two: solicitors and other lawyers
Solicitors do not appear on the IAA register; they are regulated by the SRA, and firms can be checked on the SRA’s own records. The same applies to barristers and CILEX lawyers through their regulators. One register entry, either kind, is enough. No entry on any of them is the line that matters.
What a company number does not prove
Plenty of immigration consultancies display a Companies House number and nothing else. Incorporation proves a company exists. It says nothing about whether anyone in it may lawfully give immigration advice. Treat a company number presented as a credential as a reason to check harder, not less.
Warning signs
No registered name offered when asked. A guarantee of a visa outcome, which no honest adviser gives. Fees demanded in cash with no client-care letter. Advice given by someone other than the named adviser. Any of these alongside a missing register entry is a report to the IAA, not a bargain.
If you run a registered practice
Make the check easy: your registered name, your IAA number and level, or your SRA details, in plain text on every page, with a link to the register. The firms that teach the check are the firms that pass it.
ed, and gave a registration number twice. https://whito.co.uk/gas-engineers/research/ai-gas-engineer-recommendations-gas-safe/. Free to quote with a link.Corrections and right of reply
If your business is named in this research and you think we have a fact wrong, email hello@whito.co.uk. We check it against the register, correct it within five working days if we are wrong, and publish your statement alongside if you want us to. Full route: corrections, right of reply and removals.
Questions
Can I trust an AI answer that says a gas engineer is Gas Safe registered?
Treat it as a claim to check. On 3 October 2026, 36 answers from ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode in 12
