BMA immigration advice service
September 2007
Under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the provision of immigration advice is restricted to those individuals and organisations which are registered, or exempt from registration, with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), an independent public body.
The British Medical Association has been granted exemption to provide basic immigration advice to BMA members in matters relating to their employment in the UK (OISC reference N200100094). It is not authorised to provide advice on cases involving asylum, refusal of leave to enter or remain, deportation, illegal entry, overstaying or nationality. It is allowed to provide advice on applications for leave to enter or remain in the UK, that are within the immigration rules, at Level One (Initial Advice) of the advice activity levels drawn up by the Immigration Services Commissioner. This level includes:
- Diagnosis of the member's need for specific immigration advice
- Provision of one-off advice
- Basic administrative support
Please note that the BMA's immigration advice work is monitored for quality at regular intervals. Case files are reviewed by staff in the BMA International Department and may be audited by representatives of the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner. Details of your case will not be passed to anyone else without your explicit consent.
The Immigration Services Commissioner monitors all organisations and individuals providing immigration advice, and investigates complaints. If you wish to make a complaint about an immigration adviser, you should contact the OISC.
If you have a complex enquiry you can identify an immigration adviser at the appropriate level through the adviser finder facility on the OISC website.