The newly-branded Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) has published its inaugural Annual Report, covering the 2024/25 financial year and setting out a markedly more assertive stance on immigration-advice regulation. Released on 29 January 2026, the 80-page document highlights a year of transformation under a new Commissioner and details a raft of enforcement statistics – 41 investigations into unregulated advisers, 84 audits and landmark criminal convictions for illegal immigration advice. (gov.uk)
For global mobility managers the report is more than a bookkeeping exercise. The IAA confirms that it will expand proactive audits of corporate immigration-service providers and in-house mobility teams that offer “in-scope” advice to employees. Employers sponsoring Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility migrants can therefore expect closer scrutiny of any internal ‘help-desks’ that guide staff through visa extensions or dependants’ applications. Failure to hold an IAA registration where required could expose firms to criminal sanctions and civil penalties.
Partnering with an experienced visa facilitator can help organisations navigate this heightened regulatory landscape. VisaHQ’s dedicated UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) provides end-to-end visa support, from document vetting to real-time application tracking, giving employers and assignees added confidence that their filings meet evolving IAA and Home Office standards.
![Immigration Advice Authority issues first Annual Report, signals tougher compliance push]()
The Authority is also investing in data-matching with the Home Office’s Atlas case-management system. This will allow real-time flagging of advisers whose clients repeatedly breach visa conditions or overstay, creating a feedback loop that could trigger licence suspensions for repeat offender sponsors. Corporate programmes that outsource visa work to multiple suppliers should review contractual clauses on professional regulation and indemnities in light of the new risk.
A further theme is professional development. The IAA processed 1,029 new adviser applications last year and plans to pilot mandatory continuous professional development (CPD) for all registered advisers from April 2026. Multinationals running internal immigration centres will need to budget time and resources for staff to meet the new CPD hours, or risk falling foul of the competency requirements.
Finally, the report sketches the Authority’s 2026/27 priorities: strengthening whistle-blower channels, publishing public “watch lists” of rogue advisers, and collaborating with HMRC to tackle tax fraud linked to illegal advice. For HR and mobility leaders, the message is clear: immigration compliance is no longer confined to the Home Office – the IAA will be an increasingly influential regulator that must be factored into risk registers and supplier-selection processes.
For global mobility managers the report is more than a bookkeeping exercise. The IAA confirms that it will expand proactive audits of corporate immigration-service providers and in-house mobility teams that offer “in-scope” advice to employees. Employers sponsoring Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility migrants can therefore expect closer scrutiny of any internal ‘help-desks’ that guide staff through visa extensions or dependants’ applications. Failure to hold an IAA registration where required could expose firms to criminal sanctions and civil penalties.
Partnering with an experienced visa facilitator can help organisations navigate this heightened regulatory landscape. VisaHQ’s dedicated UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) provides end-to-end visa support, from document vetting to real-time application tracking, giving employers and assignees added confidence that their filings meet evolving IAA and Home Office standards.
The Authority is also investing in data-matching with the Home Office’s Atlas case-management system. This will allow real-time flagging of advisers whose clients repeatedly breach visa conditions or overstay, creating a feedback loop that could trigger licence suspensions for repeat offender sponsors. Corporate programmes that outsource visa work to multiple suppliers should review contractual clauses on professional regulation and indemnities in light of the new risk.
A further theme is professional development. The IAA processed 1,029 new adviser applications last year and plans to pilot mandatory continuous professional development (CPD) for all registered advisers from April 2026. Multinationals running internal immigration centres will need to budget time and resources for staff to meet the new CPD hours, or risk falling foul of the competency requirements.
Finally, the report sketches the Authority’s 2026/27 priorities: strengthening whistle-blower channels, publishing public “watch lists” of rogue advisers, and collaborating with HMRC to tackle tax fraud linked to illegal advice. For HR and mobility leaders, the message is clear: immigration compliance is no longer confined to the Home Office – the IAA will be an increasingly influential regulator that must be factored into risk registers and supplier-selection processes.
