Registered advisers
Registered immigration advisers may be
- solicitors,
- barristers,
- immigration advisers registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC),
- immigration practitioners registered with CILEx Regulation.
Learn more: Differences between registered and unregistered advisers
What to expect from your legal adviser
Your legal adviser should
- listen to you,
- be honest with you,
- explain your options clearly,
- involve you in decision making,
- make sure you know your rights,
- get things done on time,
- give you copies of your documents,
- tell you in writing what they will charge you, and
- give you a receipt for anything you pay.
Complaining about your legal adviser
If things go wrong, it's important to know that complaining about your legal adviser will not negatively affect your immigration application with the UK Government (Home Office).
You can choose to complain to the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman can help if your legal adviser
- gives you bad advice,
- doesn't reply to your emails, letters or calls,
- loses your documents,
- overcharges you, or
- doesn't explain things in a way you can understand.
You can report your legal adviser to their regulator. If your legal adviser encourages you to lie in your immigration application or is dishonest in other ways, you should report them:
- Solicitor Regulation Authority for solicitors,
- Bar Standards Board for barristers,
- Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner for immigration advisers (OISC),
- CILEx Regulation for immigration practitioners (CILEx).
You can download a summary of the key information on this page: Immigration solicitors and legal advisers (PDF 71K)