Immigration Advisors
ILEX is a Designated Professional Body under
the Immigration and Asylum Act, which allows certain
of its members to provide immigration and asylum
services. In April 2001 Council set up an Immigration
Practitioners Specialist Register to enable members
registered at that date, who were providing immigration
services, to continue to do so. It was necessary
to contact ILEX to be added to the Register. ILEX
has confirmed registration to everyone who has
notified us that they specialised in immigration
work.
Council has now agreed the Register should be
closed off, with effect from 1 May 2004. Any member
who provides immigration services (and who was
registered with ILEX as at 1 April 2001), who
hasn’t already notified us that they undertake
immigration work, must do so by 1 May 2004. Anyone
who does not notify ILEX by then, will only be
able to provide immigration and asylum services
if they are supervised by someone who is either
on the ILEX register, or is a solicitor or registered
immigration practitioner.
Providing immigration and asylum services without
being properly registered or supervised is a criminal
offence. It is important that members who are
eligible but are not yet on the ILEX register
get in touch before 1 May 2004. To register your
name, contact Baljeet Basra in the Professional
Development and Regulation Department at Kempston
Manor.
ILEX will introduce accreditation criteria in
due course to enable other members to join the
Immigration Practitioners Panel in the future.
Members who have registered with ILEX since 1
April 2001 will not be able to be added to the
register until the accreditation tests are in
place.
Anyone who wishes to provide immigration services,
but is not a member of a designated professional
body or an employee of someone who is, will need
to register with the Office of the Immigration
Service Commissioner. This will include those
ILEX members who are not entered onto the Specialist
Register. Information about the Immigration Service
Commissioner’s regulatory scheme and the
regulation of immigration services generally,
can be found on the OISC web-site: www.oisc.gov.uk.
Follow
this link to view the OISC website
Contact
ILEX members can obtain further information about the
immigration regulations from the Professional Purposes
Department at ILEX on 01234 845706.
Email : bbasra@ilex.org.uk
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