# IAA fees 2026: registration and renewal costs

> UK Immigration Advice Authority fees in 2026: registration and yearly renewal amounts by level and adviser numbers, who pays nothing, and what changed.

Explainer · Immigration compliance · By Syed Husnain Khalid · Published 8 October 2026 · Last checked 8 October 2026
Drafted with AI. Each claim was checked against the primary sources listed below by AI on 8 October 2026; a person has not reviewed it yet.
Canonical: https://vexralabs.com/insights/iaa-fees

Short answer

The UK Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) charges **£733 to £3,023 to register and £733 to £2,698 a year to renew**, by advice level and number of advisers. The amounts have applied since 24 May 2022 and are unchanged in 2026. The fee is waived for not-for-profit organisations that charge clients nothing.

This page is for owners and managers of UK immigration advice organisations who are budgeting for a first registration or the yearly renewal. The law behind the fees changed on 2 February 2026, when a wider fee power in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 came into force. The amounts did not change with it. Each figure below is tied to the statutory instrument or GOV.UK page that states it and the date it applies from. The sections cover the registration fee, the renewal fee, the other applications that carry a fee, the fee waiver, the 2026 change and the costs the IAA’s guidance states beyond its own fees.

## What are IAA fees?

IAA fees are the application fees an organisation pays to the Immigration Services Commissioner to be registered, and to stay registered, as a provider of immigration advice or services in the UK. The Immigration Advice Authority is the name the Commissioner’s office has used since 16 January 2025; before that it was the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC).

The [Immigration Services Commissioner (Application Fee) Order 2011](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/1366) specifies the fees. It sets one fee for an application for registration (article 4) and one for an application for continued registration, which is the yearly renewal (article 5). Paragraph 5 of [Schedule 6 to the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/33/schedule/6) says the Commissioner is not to entertain either application unless the specified fee comes with it, subject to any waiver.

IAA fees are paid to the regulator. They are separate from the fees an adviser charges clients, which Principle 9 of the Code of Standards governs and which our [IAA Code of Standards 2024 guide](https://vexralabs.com/insights/iaa-compliance-guide) covers.

## How much is the IAA registration fee in 2026?

The IAA registration fee is **£733 at Level 1**, and **£2,232, £2,500 or £3,023 at Levels 2 and 3** for 1 to 4, 5 to 9, or 10 or more advisers. The [Immigration and Nationality and Immigration Services Commissioner (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2022](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/296/regulation/2/made) substituted these amounts from 24 May 2022.

The three levels are Level 1 (Advice and Assistance), Level 2 (Casework) and Level 3 (Advocacy and Representation). The fee covers the application for registration. The [IAA’s registration guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/iaa-adviser-registration-explained/iaa-adviser-registration-explained) (section 8.1, last updated 5 October 2026) lists the same four amounts as the initial registration fee.

| Application | Level 1 | Levels 2–3: 1 to 4 advisers | Levels 2–3: 5 to 9 | Levels 2–3: 10 or more | Stated in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registration (new organisation) | £733 | £2,232 | £2,500 | £3,023 | SI 2011/1366 art. 4 and Schedule, column 2 |
| Continued registration (yearly renewal) | £733 | £1,646 | £2,041 | £2,698 | SI 2011/1366 art. 5 and Schedule, column 3 |
| Change of legal entity | £733 | £2,232 | £2,500 | £3,023 | IAA registration explained, section 8.1 |
| Change from non-fee-charging to fee-charging | £733 | £2,232 | £2,500 | £3,023 | IAA registration explained, section 8.1 |
| Raising the organisation's level | £733 | £1,646 | £2,041 | £2,698 | IAA registration explained, section 8.1 |

Amounts are in pounds sterling. The registration and continued registration amounts have applied since 24 May 2022 (SI 2022/296, regulations 1(5) and 2). The other three rows are as the IAA’s guidance stated them on 8 October 2026.

## How much is the IAA renewal fee?

The IAA renewal fee, which the law calls the continued registration fee, is **£733 at Level 1** and **£1,646, £2,041 or £2,698 at Levels 2 and 3** for 1 to 4, 5 to 9, or 10 or more advisers. Article 5 and column 3 of the Schedule to the 2011 Order state the amounts.

Registered organisations are invited to apply for continued registration every year. The IAA’s guidance says the primary contact receives an email invitation nine weeks before the registration expires, and that the organisation must apply before the registration expires. An adviser may keep working under the existing registration until the IAA decides the continued registration application.

At Level 1 the renewal fee equals the registration fee. At Levels 2 and 3 it is lower: £586 lower for 1 to 4 advisers, £459 lower for 5 to 9 and £325 lower for 10 or more.

## Which other IAA applications carry a fee?

The IAA’s guidance lists three more applications that carry a fee: a change of legal entity, a change from non-fee-charging to fee-charging, and raising the organisation’s level of registration.

- **Change of legal entity**, for example from a partnership to a limited company: charged at the same rate as a new application. The organisation receives a new registration number and registration period.
- **Change from non-fee-charging to fee-charging**: the applicable registration fee is payable at the time of application.
- **Raising the organisation’s level**: £733, £1,646, £2,041 or £2,698, the same amounts as continued registration. After a mid-year application to raise its level, an organisation does not need to apply for continued registration for 12 months from the date of approval or refusal.

An application to raise the level made within the nine weeks before continued registration is due must be made as part of the continued registration application.

## How is the fee band worked out?

The fee band depends on the level of advice and, at Levels 2 and 3, on the number of advisers at the date of the application. Article 6 of the 2011 Order fixes the count at that date. A Level 1 organisation pays £733 whatever its size.

An organisation with advisers at different levels is treated as operating at its highest level for fee purposes, according to the [Home Office impact assessment](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-security-asylum-and-immigration-bill-2025-impact-assessment/increased-powers-for-the-immigration-services-commissioner-impact-assessment-accessible) for the 2025 Act (paragraph 70).

The Order and the guidance describe the count differently. Article 3 of the Order counts “relevant advisers” and excludes people who are qualified under section 84(2)(b) to (e) of the 1999 Act, such as a person authorised by a designated professional body, and people to whom section 84(4) applies. The IAA’s guidance (section 2.1) says the fee depends on “the number of advisers, including solicitor advisers”. Confirm the band with the IAA before paying if the organisation sits near the edge of one.

The guidance names two cases where the fee is not refunded: an application refused because it lacks the required information and documents within the requested timeframes (section 5.3), and one refused because an owner or sole trader has less than 18 months’ permission to stay (section 4.4). It states no general refund rule, so assume the fee is not returned.

## Who is exempt from IAA fees?

Article 6A of the 2011 Order says the Commissioner must waive all of the fee where the applicant meets two conditions. The applicant provides immigration advice or services in the course of a business that is not for profit, and it does not charge a fee, directly or indirectly, for that advice or those services.

Both conditions apply. The waiver covers registration and continued registration, and the [Immigration Services Commissioner (Application Fee) (Amendment) Order 2014](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2847/made) inserted it from 17 November 2014.

A charity that charges clients does not qualify. The IAA’s guidance treats any organisation that charges for immigration advice or services as fee-charging, whether it is commercial or non-commercial. It adds that non-commercial organisations charging a cost-recovery fee are treated as fee-charging applicants and must pay an IAA application fee.

The Home Office impact assessment (paragraphs 78 and 81) adds that Citizens Advice organisations are registered under a blanket Level 1 registration and are not subject to regulation fees.

## Did the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 change IAA fees?

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 changed the power to set IAA fees, not the amounts. Schedule 1 to the Act inserted [section 93A into the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/33/section/93A), in force in full since 2 February 2026 under the [Commencement No. 2 Regulations 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/59/made) (SI 2026/59).

Section 93A lets the Secretary of State provide by order for fees to be charged by the Commissioner in respect of the exercise of the Commissioner’s functions. Section 93A(2) lists what such an order may cover, including:

- fees for assessing a person’s competence, including fees for taking examinations;
- fees for registration or continued registration;
- fees for making changes to a registration;
- fees for training, training material, events and accreditation that the Commissioner provides;
- fees for advice the Commissioner provides;
- provision requiring or authorising the Commissioner to waive all or part of a fee.

Section 93A(3) allows a fee to exceed the cost of exercising the function in a particular case. Section 93A(4) limits what the Secretary of State may have regard to when setting such a fee: the costs of that function, or of any other function of the Commissioner.

On 8 October 2026, legislation.gov.uk lists no fees order for the Commissioner later than the 2022 Regulations, and shows the 2011 Order with no outstanding changes. The IAA’s guidance, updated on 5 October 2026, still gives the 2022 amounts. The same Act gives the Commissioner new enforcement powers, which our post on [OISC vs IAA: what changed](https://vexralabs.com/insights/oisc-to-iaa-changes) sets out.

**Diagram: IAA fee law, 2011 to 2026.** 8 July 2011: the Immigration Services Commissioner (Application Fee) Order 2011 comes into force. 17 November 2014: article 6A adds the fee waiver for not-for-profit applicants that charge no fee. 24 May 2022: the current amounts are substituted by SI 2022/296. 6 March 2025: the Home Office publishes its response to the 2024 fees consultation. 2 February 2026: section 93A, the new fee power, is fully in force; no order under it has been published.

*The amounts date from 2022. The power to change them dates from 2026.*

## Are changes to IAA fees proposed?

Changes have been consulted on but none is in force. The Home Office and the OISC consulted on the fee structure from 14 March to 5 June 2024, and the Home Office published its [response](https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/office-of-the-immigration-services-commissioners-fee-structure/outcome/consultation-on-changes-to-the-office-of-the-immigration-services-commissioners-fee-structure-response) on 6 March 2025.

The consultation set out three proposals:

1. New charges applied separately for organisations and individual advisers.
2. Charges for the non-fee-charging sector.
3. Charges at different points or for specific services.

The response records 240 completed responses. It says the present fees do not cover the cost of the regulatory activity, and that the aim is to move the IAA towards recovering the costs of regulation. It gives no new amounts and no start date, and ends: “All Home Office policies are kept under review.”

Section 93A now supplies the power that proposal 3 needed. Any change to an amount still requires an order made under it. Until one is made, budget on the 2022 amounts and check the IAA’s guidance before each application.

## What other costs does the IAA’s guidance state?

The IAA’s registration guidance states one other charge: **£39.60** for a criminal record check through Due Diligence Checking (DDC), the umbrella body the IAA uses, paid directly to DDC. A new adviser needs one unless they already hold a standard disclosure dated within six months or were registered with the IAA in the last six months. The guidance says volunteers are exempt from the £18 Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) fee.

The guidance states no fee for the competence assessment. The IAA [announced on 23 September 2026](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/iaa-announces-changes-to-the-competence-assessment-process) that online assessments are paused while a new assessment contract is put in place, and that it anticipates they will resume from November 2026. The announcement gives no assessment fee.

Professional indemnity insurance is a cost the guidance requires but does not price. Every regulated organisation must hold it under Code 8.2, and the Commissioner recommends minimum cover of £250,000. The premium depends on the insurer.

Registration is the start of the regulated relationship, not the end of the cost. The IAA’s [regulations summary](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulations-that-immigration-advisers-must-follow--2/regulations-that-immigration-advisers-must-follow)(updated 25 October 2024) says it aims to audit all newly regulated organisations within 12 months of approval; the newer registration guidance says audit timing depends on officer availability and the organisation’s circumstances, and our [IAA audit checklist](https://vexralabs.com/insights/iaa-audit-checklist) lists the evidence that audit looks for. Filyst, our case management product, helps keep some of that evidence as work is done, such as supervision sign-off and file history; [software for immigration firms](https://vexralabs.com/immigration-firms) describes what it records.

Not legal advice

This page reports the fees as legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK stated them on 8 October 2026. It is not legal advice. Check the IAA’s registration guidance and the amount shown in the IAA Portal before you pay.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the IAA fee refunded if the application is refused?

Not in the cases the guidance names. The IAA's registration guidance says an application refused for missing information or documents, or because an owner has less than 18 months' permission to stay, gets no refund. It states no general refund policy.

### Is the IAA fee charged per adviser or per organisation?

Per organisation. One fee covers the application, and at Levels 2 and 3 the amount rises in three bands by the number of advisers: 1 to 4, 5 to 9, and 10 or more.

### Do charities pay IAA fees?

Only if they charge clients. The fee is waived for an applicant that is not for profit and charges no fee, directly or indirectly, for immigration advice or services. A non-commercial organisation that charges a cost-recovery fee pays.

### Is there a fee for the IAA competence assessment?

The IAA's registration guidance states none. Section 93A of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 allows an order to set examination fees, but no such order had been published on legislation.gov.uk on 8 October 2026.

### Are IAA fees the same as the old OISC fees?

Yes. The OISC was renamed the Immigration Advice Authority on 16 January 2025, and the amounts set on 24 May 2022 still apply.

## Sources

1. [Immigration Services Commissioner (Application Fee) Order 2011 (SI 2011/1366), as amended](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/1366)
2. [Immigration and Nationality and Immigration Services Commissioner (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 (SI 2022/296), regulation 2](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/296/regulation/2/made)
3. [Immigration Services Commissioner (Application Fee) (Amendment) Order 2014 (SI 2014/2847)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2847/made)
4. [IAA, IAA registration explained (updated 5 October 2026)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/iaa-adviser-registration-explained/iaa-adviser-registration-explained)
5. [IAA, Regulations that immigration advisers must follow (updated 25 October 2024)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulations-that-immigration-advisers-must-follow--2/regulations-that-immigration-advisers-must-follow)
6. [Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, section 93A (Fees)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/33/section/93A)
7. [Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, Schedule 6, paragraph 5](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/33/schedule/6)
8. [Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/59)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/59/made)
9. [Home Office, response to the consultation on the OISC fee structure (6 March 2025)](https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/office-of-the-immigration-services-commissioners-fee-structure/outcome/consultation-on-changes-to-the-office-of-the-immigration-services-commissioners-fee-structure-response)
10. [Home Office, Increased powers for the Immigration Services Commissioner: impact assessment](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-security-asylum-and-immigration-bill-2025-impact-assessment/increased-powers-for-the-immigration-services-commissioner-impact-assessment-accessible)
11. [IAA, IAA announces changes to the competence assessment process (23 September 2026)](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/iaa-announces-changes-to-the-competence-assessment-process)