How to check an adviser is registered

In many countries, anyone who gives immigration advice for a fee must be registered or licensed. A registered adviser has shown they know the rules, carries insurance, and is accountable to a regulator for the advice they give you. Checking takes a few minutes and is worth doing before you pay anyone.

Ask for the number

A registered adviser will give you their registration number without hesitating. Ours is at the foot of every page on this website, and each adviser’s own number is on our advisers page. If someone is vague, changes the subject or says a number isn’t needed, treat that as your answer.

Look it up yourself

Search for the number on the regulator’s public register, not on a link the adviser sends you. Check three things: that the name matches the person you are dealing with, that the registration is current, and that it covers the kind of work you need.

Check the business too

Some registers also list the practice an adviser works for. Make sure the business name, address and phone number match what you have been given. A registered adviser lending their number to an unregistered business is a warning sign.

Watch for red flags

Walk away, or at least pause and check again, if you notice any of these:

• A promise that your application will succeed

• Pressure to pay in cash or sign on the spot

• An offer to hold on to your passport or original documents

• Advice to leave information off a form

• A fee that isn’t written down before work starts

If something has gone wrong

If you have already paid someone who turns out not to be registered, keep every receipt and message. Regulators take these reports seriously, and we can help you work out what to do next.