OISC's remit

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) is an independent public body set up under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

It is a criminal offence for anyone to give immigration advice or services in the UK unless they are regulated by the OISC, a regulated solicitor, barrister or legal executive (or European equivalent) or exempted by Ministerial Order.

What we do

• regulate immigration advisers operating in the UK
• promote good practice by setting standards
• accept and investigate complaints about anyone giving immigration advice, regulated or not
• prosecute those who operate illegally
• oversee the regulation of those who give immigration advice and are regulated by a professional body, such as the Law Society of England and Wales or the Law Society of Scotland.

What we don't do

• provide immigration advice
• recommend or endorse a specific adviser