Continued Registration

Fee charging organisations who wish to continue their registration with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) must re-register every year. This does not apply to Non fee charging (Exempt) organisations.

The OISC notifies fee charging organisations by email several weeks before the Continued Registration Application has to be submitted. Details of the forms to be completed are given below.

Application for Continued Registration

Registered advisers need to download and complete the appropriate application(s) for continued registration for their organisation.

• Organisations that are applying for continued registration who are not adding new advisers or applying to increase their levels, should complete the Application for Continued Registration.     
• Organisations that are applying for continued registration and wish to add new advisers should complete the Application for Continued Registration and, in addition, complete a New Adviser Application and Competence Statement for each new adviser they wish to include as part of their applications. 
• Organisations that wish to apply for Continued Registration and have individual advisers who wish to increase their levels, without affecting the overall level of the organisation, should complete the Repeat Authorisation Application Form and complete an Existing Adviser Raising Levels Competence Statement for each advisr who is seeking to increase their level.
• Organisations applying for Continued Registration that have individual advisers that wish to increase their levels resulting in a change of the organisations levels, should complete the Application Form and Notes for Raising Level and complete an Adviser Raising Levels Competence Statement for each advisr who is seeking to increase their level.

Professional Indemnity Insurance  and why does the OISC require it?

All OISC regulated organisations must have current and adequate Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII). No organisation is allowed entry to, or to remain in the regulatory scheme,  if it does not have PII. Codes 67-69 of the Commissioners Code of Standards explain what is required.

Depending on the policys terms, if the policy is activated the advisers policy provider will cover the compensation payable by the adviser to a client  due to the formers error, negligence, misrepresentation and/or inaccurate advice if this can be shown to have caused, or contributed to, the clients financial or other loss.

Advisers need PII if they:

• provide advice to clients; 
•  handle data belonging to a client or business; 
•  are responsible for a client's intellectual property; or 
•  provide a professional service and could be challenged on their work.

Organisations are obliged to inform their insurance providers if they are aware of   either a potential claim or an actual complaint, as this makes it likely that any claim the adviser may make in respect of that matter on their policy will be accepted by the policy provider.  An organisation that fails this preliminary requirement is in serious danger of failing to comply with their policys conditions and consequently having coverage.

PII and Client Care Letters

If a client is not satisfied with the immigration advice and services provided, they are entitled to raise their concerns with the regulated organisation.  Code 33 requires advisers to include details of their complaint-handling procedure (see Codes 48 -51) in the client care letter they issue to all clients.
The OISC strongly recommends that advisers also include in that letter information about their PII.  The model letter on the OISC website includes the following suggested paragraph:

Professional Indemnity Insurance
The OISC requires us to have Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII).  The purpose of PII is to cover any compensation we may need to pay to correct a mistake or to cover any legal costs due to negligence, misrepresentation and/or inaccurate advice which may cause, or contribute to, financial or other loss to the client.