Oversight of the Immigration Advice Sector

Introduction

This paper sets out the response of Citizens Advice to the consultation on Oversight of the Immigration Advice Sector, issued by the UK Border Agency on 14 May 2009.

Citizens Advice is the national body for the 420 Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales.¹  In the financial year 2008-09, these 420 bureaux dealt with just over six million separate advice problems, including a total of 80,726 separate advice problems relating to immigration, asylum or nationality brought by 56,700 individual clients.

In terms of the regulatory regime for immigration advice established by Part V of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999 and administered by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), all 420 Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales are covered by a ‘block exemption’, under section 84(4)(d) of the 1999 Act, to operate at OISC Level 1.  The basis for this ‘block exemption’ is that all Citizens Advice Bureaux are subject to the quality assurance scheme administered and audited by Citizens Advice, which is convergent with the Legal Services Commission’s General Help Level Quality Mark scheme.  In addition, ten CAB specialist advisers holding a Legal Services Commission contract in immigration are exempted to operate at OISC Level 3; their advice work is subject both to the quality assurance scheme administered and audited by Citizens Advice, and to the Specialist Quality Mark scheme administered and audited by the Legal Services Commission.  

^{1.  As of 1 April 2009.  Citizens Advice Bureaux in Scotland and Northern Ireland belong to separate organisations, Citizens Advice Scotland and the Northern Ireland Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux respectively.}

ukba consultation on oisc ( 120kb)