Today's strategic rebrand signifies the organisation's enhanced capabilities and expertise
The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) announced today that it has rebranded as the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA).
Image credit: UK GovernmentThe IAA's website is at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/immigration-advice-authority.
The IAA is a UK Government body that regulates over 3,700 immigration advisers and 2,000 organisations, ensuring only qualified individuals and groups provide advice. It investigates complaints, prosecutes illegal advisers, and promotes high standards for accessible, quality immigration advice.
In a press release issued today about the rebranding of the OISC, the IAA noted: "All existing OISC registrations and arrangements remain valid, and registered advisers will continue to receive detailed information on what this means for them."
The IAA says that its strategic rebrand marks the organisation's evolution into a high-performing, outward-focused entity with enhanced capabilities and expertise, as well as emphasising its expanded role in addressing the complex challenges within the UK's immigration landscape.
The IAA added that its focus will be on three main objectives: ensuring compliance with established standards for registered immigration advisers, disrupting illegal advice-giving activities that threaten the integrity of the immigration system, and promoting best practices by developing the immigration advice sector through collaboration with advisers and stakeholders.
John Tuckett, the Immigration Services Commissioner, commented: "This transformation represents more than just a name change – we are evolving, enhancing and expanding with an ambitious agenda that keeps advice seekers at the heart of everything we do. We are making our services more accessible and understandable. We intend to take a more robust approach to regulation and enforcement while supporting sector development, working closely with our partners. Our mission is clear – to protect vulnerable individuals from unregulated advisers while ensuring the provision of high-quality immigration advice across the UK."
A 20-page corporate plan for 2025 to 2027 was also issued today by the IAA, which can be downloaded here.
The plan's four key aims focus on enhancing the quality, regulation, and accessibility of immigration advice, as well as transforming the IAA into a high-performing organisation. These include ensuring timely and reliable advice from regulated professionals, disrupting and prosecuting illegal advice activities to protect the system's integrity, increasing public awareness of how to access regulated advice and the risks of unregulated services, and implementing a major transformation program to modernise the IAA’s processes, infrastructure, and culture. Progress will be tracked through annual surveys, efficiency assessments, and metrics on enforcement and modernisation efforts.
The plan also includes a key commitment to developing a new funding model for the IAA, which will be pursued in consultation with Ministers and Home Office officials. In the short term, the IAA says it plans to release resources by modernising and automating processes, such as implementing online forms and streamlining business functions, with savings reinvested into staff, services, and new initiatives. In the longer term, the IAA aims to align itself with other regulators by seeking approval to retain fees and charges levied from immigration advisers, replacing the current practice of remitting all fees to the Home Office.