LAST REVIEWED: MAY 2026
TL;DR- The OISC register is published online at oisc.gov.uk.
- It lists every authorised firm and individual with their level and categories.
- Searching the register is free and takes less than a minute.
- SRA-regulated solicitors are exempt and listed separately at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk.
A quick search of the OISC register settles, in under a minute, whether the person quoting for a UK immigration matter is permitted to take it on. This guide explains how the register works, what each field means, and how to combine it with the SRA register for full coverage.
What the OISC Register Is
The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, commonly abbreviated to OISC, is the statutory regulator created by Part V of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Its role is to ensure that anyone giving immigration advice or services in the United Kingdom is competent, qualified, and acting in the client's best interests. The regulator publishes its register, codes of standards, and complaints procedures at oisc.gov.uk.
Under section 84 of the 1999 Act, providing immigration advice for reward without authorisation is a criminal offence. Two categories of person are permitted to act: those authorised by the OISC at a specific level, and those exempt because they belong to a designated professional body such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Bar Standards Board, or CILEx Regulation. The exemption recognises that members of those bodies are already subject to comparable professional oversight.
OISC authorisation is granted at three levels and is restricted to specific work categories. Levels reflect the complexity of casework permitted, while categories cover areas such as immigration, asylum, and protection. Advisers and the firms they work for must display their registration details and only act within the scope of their authorisation.
How to Search the OISC Register
Anyone can search the OISC register at oisc.gov.uk to confirm whether an adviser or firm is authorised. The public search returns the firm name, head-office address, the level and category of authorisation held, and the date authorisation was granted. The same record will show whether authorisation has lapsed or been withdrawn, which is important if a previous adviser's status has changed.
The GOV.UK service at gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser combines OISC-regulated firms with those exempt through a designated professional body, allowing a search by postcode and area of advice. This is the official combined directory and is the recommended starting point when looking for an adviser in a particular city or borough.
For solicitors, the SRA register at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk shows the firm's authorisation, named regulated individuals, and any current restrictions or conditions. A firm appearing on the SRA register does not need a separate OISC registration to give immigration advice, because SRA-regulated solicitors are exempt under section 84(4) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
What Each Field on a Register Entry Means
A register entry shows the firm name as authorised, the head-office address, the registration number, the categories of work covered, and the level of authorisation in each category. The same entry may show multiple branches, each with its own listing where the firm operates from more than one location.
The authorisation date shows when the firm or individual was first authorised. A long-standing entry is not by itself a guarantee of quality, but a very recent entry combined with high-volume marketing is a useful prompt to ask about supervision arrangements and the experience of the named caseworker.
The categories of work are defined by the OISC and currently include immigration, asylum, and protection. A firm may be authorised in immigration but not in asylum, in which case asylum matters fall outside the scope of its OISC permission and must be referred elsewhere.
Combining OISC and SRA Searches
Solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority do not appear on the OISC register because they are exempt under section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. To check a solicitors' firm, use the SRA register at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk, which shows the firm's authorisation, named regulated individuals, and any current restrictions or conditions.
The GOV.UK service at gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser combines both registers and can search by postcode. This is the official combined directory and is the most efficient way to identify all authorised firms in a given area, regardless of which regulator covers them.
For barristers, the Bar Standards Board register lists individual practitioners and their chambers. Direct access work by barristers is permitted in many immigration matters, but most immigration appeals are conducted through a solicitors' firm or an OISC firm that instructs the barrister.
What the Register Does Not Tell You
The register confirms authorisation. It does not confirm specialism within the authorised categories. A firm authorised in immigration may principally handle Skilled Worker matters and have limited experience with family or asylum work. Asking directly about the firm's recent caseload in the specific area of advice is a sensible follow-up.
The register does not show client outcomes. Independent feedback through Trustpilot, Google Reviews, and similar platforms can give a sense of client experience, but should be treated as one input among several. The most weight should be given to the regulator's own published record, which captures formal complaints and disciplinary outcomes.
The register does not show fees. Firms regulated by the SRA must publish pricing information for immigration services under the SRA Transparency Rules. OISC firms are encouraged to publish or provide written fee information on request. Either way, a written quote and client-care letter should be in place before any retainer is agreed.
Common Issues When Using the Register
Trading names sometimes differ from the registered firm name. If the website you are looking at uses a brand or trading name, search for the registered legal name of the firm at the bottom of the website or in the contact-us section. Most regulated firms display the registered name and authorisation number in the footer or on a dedicated regulatory information page.
An adviser may have left the firm shown on the register. The register lists firms and the authorised advisers within them, but the individual you spoke to on the phone may have moved on. Asking for the named OISC-registered adviser handling your case in writing avoids confusion later.
A lapsed authorisation may still be visible in historical search results. The current public register at oisc.gov.uk is authoritative. If a firm appears in an older search snapshot but no longer on the live register, it has either let its authorisation lapse or had it withdrawn, and any current advertising as an OISC firm is misleading.
Reporting Concerns About a Registered Firm
Every client of an immigration adviser has the right to complain. For OISC-regulated firms, the first step is the firm's internal complaints procedure, which it must publish under the OISC Code of Standards. If the response is unsatisfactory, the complaint can be escalated to the OISC complaints scheme, which can investigate professional conduct and impose sanctions ranging from warnings to removal from the register.
For SRA-regulated firms, the equivalent route is the firm's internal procedure, then the Legal Ombudsman for service complaints and the SRA for conduct issues. The Legal Ombudsman publishes complaint decisions and can require firms to pay compensation up to a published limit. Both regulators record outcomes publicly, which can be checked before instructing a firm.
Where a firm appears to be operating without authorisation, the OISC has a dedicated enforcement function and accepts reports through its website. Unauthorised practice can be reported alongside any complaint a client has about service or fees, and reports can be made anonymously where there is a concern about retaliation or intimidation.
Further Reading on UK Immigration Regulation
For readers who want to dig deeper into the regulatory framework, the OISC publishes its Code of Standards, complaints scheme, and annual enforcement statistics on oisc.gov.uk. The Solicitors Regulation Authority publishes the SRA Code of Conduct, the SRA Accounts Rules, and the SRA Transparency Rules on sra.org.uk. The full text of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, including Part V which created the OISC regime, is available on legislation.gov.uk. Reading the source legislation alongside the regulator's published guidance is often the fastest way to understand where the boundaries of authorised practice fall and how each regulator has interpreted its statutory remit.
The Legal Aid Agency publishes its directory of contracted providers on gov.uk and reports annually on legal aid spending, including the volume of immigration and asylum cases supported. The Law Society maintains the Immigration and Asylum Law Accreditation Scheme and publishes the assessment criteria on its website. The Immigration Law Practitioners' Association is a long-established membership body for immigration lawyers and publishes practitioner guidance and policy commentary on ilpa.org.uk. Each of these resources provides a different angle on the immigration adviser market, and together they support a more informed decision when comparing firms or assessing the advice received in a current matter.
For the underlying statistics on immigration decisions, the Home Office publishes quarterly immigration statistics on gov.uk, which include data on visa grants, refusals, appeals, and removals. These statistics provide important context when assessing how often particular categories of application are refused and how often refusals are overturned on appeal. Combined with regulator data on the adviser market, the statistics give a fuller picture of how UK immigration casework operates in practice. The tribunals service also publishes its own statistics covering immigration appeals, including allowance rates by category and average waiting times, which is useful context for any conversation with an adviser about case timetables and realistic expectations.
How Regulator Decisions Are Published and Where to Read Them
The OISC publishes its enforcement and disciplinary outcomes through its website, with annual reports summarising the volume of complaints received, the volume upheld, and the sanctions imposed. The reports also describe the patterns of unauthorised practice the regulator has investigated, which evolves over time as immigration policy and the adviser market change. Reading the most recent annual report alongside the public register gives a sense of both the current state of regulation and the issues the OISC is most actively pursuing.
The SRA publishes disciplinary decisions in its Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal section, with searchable summaries of cases brought against individual solicitors and firms. The Legal Ombudsman publishes service complaint decisions covering all areas of solicitor work, including immigration, and these too are searchable by firm name. Where a firm under consideration has been the subject of recent decisions, the published summaries are a direct and authoritative source of detail about what went wrong and how the regulator or ombudsman saw the issue.
None of these published outcomes is by itself decisive. Most large firms accumulate some complaints over time and the question is whether the pattern indicates a systemic issue or a small number of isolated matters in a high-volume practice. Reading the underlying decisions, rather than relying on aggregate counts, gives a more informed view of how a firm operates in practice and how it responds when something goes wrong.
Disclaimer
The information on this page is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Kaeltripton.com is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or authorised by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner. Always verify an adviser's authorisation status on the official OISC register at oisc.gov.uk before instructing them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is searching the OISC register free?
Yes. The OISC register is a public resource and can be searched without an account or fee at oisc.gov.uk.
Can I search by postcode?
The OISC register itself searches primarily by name and area. For postcode-based searches across both OISC and SRA registers, use the GOV.UK service at gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser.
What if the firm uses a different trading name?
Look for the registered firm name and authorisation number on the firm's website, typically in the footer or on a regulatory information page, and then search the register under that name.
Are solicitors on the OISC register?
No. Solicitors regulated by the SRA are exempt under section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and appear on the SRA register at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk.
How recent is the register data?
The OISC updates the public register as authorisation decisions are made. The live register at oisc.gov.uk is the authoritative source for current status.
Can I see complaints history on the register?
Disciplinary outcomes, including suspensions and removals, are published by the OISC. Individual service complaints handled within a firm's internal process are not on the register, but unresolved complaints can be escalated to the OISC complaints scheme.
How This Was Verified
This article draws on the following primary sources:
