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Complain about an adviser

You can complain to the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) about either:

  • bad service you received from an adviser registered with OISC
  • immigration advice you received from an unregulated person

You can also ask someone to make a complaint on your behalf, for example a friend, solicitor or voluntary organisation.

There’s a different way to complain about a legal adviser registered with a professional body but not regulated by OISC.

What you can and cannot complain about

You can complain about:

  • poor advice or service
  • unreasonable fees
  • an adviser claiming you’ll be successful
  • an adviser charging for work not done
  • an adviser missing deadlines or failing to appear in court
  • an adviser

You cannot make a complaint about:

  • how long your immigration application has taken
  • something that’s already part of an ongoing legal action
  • a refund or compensation
  • Home Office staff
  • a person or organisation outside the UK

You usually cannot make a complaint about something that happened more than 12 months ago - OISC will decide whether or not to investigate depending on the situation.

OISC may refer your complaint elsewhere if you complain about a solicitor or barrister.

Read more about how OISC deals with complaints.

How to complain about an adviser regulated by OISC

The easiest way to complain is to:

  • download and fill in the complaints form
  • include any documents that are relevant with your complaint
  • send the complaints form and documents to [email protected] or by post to the Complaints Team

Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
Complaints Team
OISC
PO Box 567
Dartford
DA1 9XW

The form is available in different languages and your complaint can be translated if needed.

You can get help from OISC staff to fill in the complaints form, but they cannot write your complaint for you.

Complain by letter

You can also make a complaint by sending a letter or email.

You need to provide as much detail as you can about who you’re making the complaint against and what the complaint is about.

Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0345 000 0046
Find out about call charges

Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
Complaints Team
OISC
PO Box 567
Dartford
DA1 9XW

How to complain about an unregulated adviser

You can email OISC to report someone giving immigration advice who is not regulated by either OISC or another approved body.

OISC
[email protected]

Get help with your complaint

You can get support and advice from:

What happens next

You’ll get a letter with a decision on your case within 5 months of making your complaint.

OISC may decide to:

  • take action against the adviser, for example warn the adviser about their conduct
  • refer the complaint, for example if it’s about a solicitor or barrister
View a printable version of the whole guide

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