Immigration advisers and PI: the IAA (formerly OISC) position

Reviewed by Apex Insurance Brokers · Last reviewed 2026-08-05

If you give immigration advice or services for reward in the UK and you are not otherwise exempt, you must be regulated. For many advisers that regulator is the body most people still know as OISC — the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner — which was renamed the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) in 2025. The functions, the statutory basis and the register carried over; the name and branding changed.

A question we are asked repeatedly at Apex is a simple one: does the IAA make me carry professional indemnity insurance, and if so, how much? This page answers that specifically — not with generic PI marketing, but with how the requirement is actually structured for regulated immigration advisers.

From OISC to the IAA: what changed

The regulator of immigration advice was created under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Under that framework it is a criminal offence to provide immigration advice or services unless you are a qualified person — that is, regulated by the IAA, or otherwise authorised (for example, solicitors regulated by the SRA, or barristers via the BSB, who are covered by their own professional indemnity regimes).

In 2025 the organisation rebranded from OISC to the Immigration Advice Authority. This was a change of identity and, over time, remit and resourcing — not a repeal of the underlying law. The statutory offence, the registration scheme, the levels of regulation (advice only, casework, appeals) and the Commissioner's standards all continued. If you were an OISC-registered adviser, you are now an IAA-regulated adviser.

Is PI insurance actually required?

Here is the important distinction. Some UK regulators write a hard number into their rules. The Solicitors Regulation Authority, for instance, sets minimum terms and a fixed minimum sum insured for solicitors' PII. Immigration advice regulation has not historically worked that way. There has been no single statutory PII figure equivalent to the SRA's that every registered adviser must meet.

Instead, professional indemnity cover sits within the regulator's standards and code as an expectation and a matter of good practice: a competent, properly run advice business is expected to hold adequate and appropriate cover for the work it does and the loss a client could suffer if that work goes wrong. Regulatory standards emphasise acting competently, managing risk, and treating clients fairly — and being uninsured against a foreseeable professional error sits uncomfortably with all three.

So the honest framing is this: PI insurance for an IAA-regulated adviser is best understood as an expected professional safeguard rather than a fixed statutory minimum you can tick off at a set number. Because the regulator's published requirements can change — especially through a transition like the OISC-to-IAA move — you should always confirm the current position directly against the IAA's own published guidance and standards before relying on any figure.

How this differs from other regulated professions

It helps to see the immigration position next to regimes advisers often compare it with.

The takeaway: an IAA adviser cannot simply copy the SRA number and assume they are compliant, and equally should not assume that no fixed rule means no cover is needed. The regulatory logic points firmly toward holding sensible cover — the judgement is about how much is adequate for you.

How much cover is "adequate" for an immigration adviser?

Where a requirement is framed around adequacy rather than a set figure, the burden is on you to justify your limit. The right level depends on the harm a mistake could realistically cause. Sensible factors to weigh include:

• The stakes for the client. A missed deadline or defective application can cost a client their status, their right to work, family reunion, or force costly fresh applications — losses that can run well beyond your fee.
• Volume and type of casework. High-volume advice, complex appeals and business immigration carry more exposure than occasional, simple matters.
• Your fee income and client base. Larger, corporate or high-net-worth clients raise the potential quantum of a claim.
• Defence costs. Even a claim you ultimately defeat costs money to see off; PI cover generally responds to those costs, not just settlements.

For many small immigration advice practices, generic limits such as £1m, £2m or £5m are typical starting points to discuss — but these are illustrative options, not a rule. The correct figure is the one that matches your genuine exposure and any minimum the IAA specifies at the time you buy or renew.

An indemnity limit sized to your actual caseload is worth more than a headline number copied from another profession.

Practical steps for IAA-regulated advisers

• Read the IAA's current standards and guidance on insurance before renewal — do not rely on old OISC-era summaries or third-party figures.
• Document how you arrived at your chosen indemnity limit, so you can evidence that you judged it adequate.
• Check whether your policy covers defence costs, run-off (claims made after you stop trading) and the specific immigration work you do.
• Use a broker who understands professional indemnity for regulated advisers, so cover and regulatory expectation line up.

Common questions

Is OISC still the regulator?

The body formerly known as OISC is now the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), renamed in 2025. The statutory framework under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 continues; only the name and branding changed. References to OISC and the IAA point to the same regulatory lineage.

Does the IAA set a fixed minimum PI figure like the SRA?

Historically, no. Immigration advice regulation has not imposed a single fixed statutory PII sum in the way the SRA does for solicitors. Cover is framed as an expectation and good practice — adequate and appropriate for your risk. Confirm the current position in the IAA's published guidance.

If it's only an expectation, can I skip PI insurance?

That would be unwise. Regulatory standards require you to act competently and manage risk, and a single professional error in immigration work can cause serious, uncompensated loss to a client. Going uninsured exposes both your clients and your own business, and sits poorly against your regulatory obligations.

Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 724952). This guide is general information, not advice on a specific policy or a substitute for your policy wording.