Immigration Adviser (non-government)

Typical Salary

£20,000 To £40,000

Typical Hours

37 to 39 a week

evenings / weekends as customers demand

How To Become a Immigration Adviser (non-government)

You can get into this job through:

an apprenticeship
applying directly
specialist courses run by professional bodies

College / University

Apprenticeship

You could train to be a legal executive through a chartered legal executive degree apprenticeship, or train to be a solicitor through a solicitor degree apprenticeship.

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

To specialise in immigration as a legal executive, it’ll help if you can find a job with a firm that deals with immigration and asylum issues, whilst training. You can find more information about qualifying from the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.

To specialise in immigration as a barrister or solicitor, it would be useful if you could do some of your training in this area of work. You can find more information about solicitor and barrister training from The Law Society and The Bar Council.

Other Routes

You do not have to have a law degree, or any degree, to give immigration advice regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).

This is generally a quicker route and you can decide which areas of immigration, asylum and nationality law you want to do. The 3 levels of regulation are:

level 1 - basic immigration advice within the Immigration Rules - a minimum of 3 months' or 40 hours' experience gained in the last 2 years
level 2 - more complex work, including applications outside the Immigration Rules - a minimum of 12 months' or 120 hours' experience
level 3 - includes appeals work and a minimum of 24 months' or 240 hours' experience

To register with the OISC, you’ll need to attend training, pass an exam and meet their standards.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
knowledge of public safety and security
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
to be flexible and open to change
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
customer service skills
thinking and reasoning skills
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day duties could include:

finding out the facts of a case
deciding how urgent a case is
making enquiries on behalf of clients
helping with application forms and contacting relevant authorities
explaining options and next steps to clients
drafting grounds for appeal and witness statements
representing clients in tribunals

Working Environment

You could work in an office, in a prison, at a client's home or at a client's business.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.

Career Path & Progression

Career Path & Progression are not listed for this job.

Volunteering Opportunities

Getting experience in an organisation that works with immigrants and asylum seekers will help you when you apply for jobs or training. You may wish to volunteer with organisations like:

Tips & Information

Registration

you'll need to register with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association for professional recognition, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.

Further information

You can find out more about how to get into immigration advice work from the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

pass enhanced background checks