The Code of Standards

1. The Code of Standards covers all those who provide immigration advice or immigration services within the UK. The Code of Standards relates to:

• those regulated advisers who provide advice or services without charge and operate on a not-for-profit basis and are exempt from paying the Commissioner an application fee;
• those regulated advisers who charge for advice for profit, who are also governed by the Commissioner's Rules and are registered by the Commissioner; and
• those under Ministerial Orders.

2. The Code of Standards shall apply in its entirety. If an adviser believes that the provision of any policy as outlined in the Code is inappropriate in their given circumstances, they must satisfy the Commissioner as to why.

Regulated advisers

3. Within this Code 'adviser' means both an organisation or an individual providing immigration advice or immigration services in the course of business, whether or not for profit, within the UK, and includes a sole practitioner.

4. All advisers must satisfy the Commissioner that they are fit and competent to provide immigration advice or immigration services and that they continue to be so.

5. All advisers and/or those in actual control of a regulated advice organisation must notify the Commissioner of any significant changes in their personal or business circumstances within ten working days of those changes occurring.

6. Advisers must not operate beyond the level of competence approved by the Commissioner or in categories that have not been approved.

7. An adviser must keep a clear written record of all advice given, all work done, all transactions made on behalf of each client and all fees paid by each client, where fees are taken. Such records should be available for inspection by the Commissioner.

8. An advice organisation's current OISC certificate of regulation must be prominently displayed at the organisation's main business premises. Further, if the organisation also carries out business at branch offices, those offices must also prominently display information as to where the advice organisation's Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) certificate can be viewed.