Immigration Advisory Service

The Immigration Advisory Service refers to two separate entities: a British former charity, in existence from 1993 until 2011; and a private equity-backed phoenix company created after the charity's collapse.

Charity

The former Immigration Advisory Service^[1] was a UK organisation registered as a charity,^[2] providing direct legal assistance to refugees, asylum seekers and others needing advice and guidance around British immigration law. Founded in 1993, it closed after going into administration on 8 July 2011. It was formed out of the former United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service. It was a nationwide charity with many offices throughout the UK. It derived its funding through donations as well as case funding from Legal Aid, which was means tested.

2008 was a particularly good year for the IAS. IAS lawyers succeeded in winning a number of high-profile and far-reaching cases before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and higher courts. Kalvir Kaur of the IAS won the 2008 Immigration Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Award for her work with unaccompanied minors and victims of trafficking.

As of 8 July 2011 IAS went into administration,^[3] blaming government changes to legal aid. The Legal Services Commission said "During recent stewardship activities the LSC raised concerns around financial management and claims irregularities, which prompted IAS trustees to conclude that the organisation was no longer financially viable".^[4] Major changes in legal aid for refugees and asylum seekers were made in 2007^[5] and 2010.^[6]

Trading name

The Immigration Advisory Service is used as a trading name by a commercial organisation based in London's Canary Wharf and Gibraltar. TIAS specialises in immigration into Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.^[7][8] While the IAS provides certain pro bono advice on humanitarian grounds, it remains a private enterprise. It is unclear where the organisation is legally constituted. As of May 2016, the use of the trading name as a web presence had discontinued.^[9]

References

1. "Immigration Advisory Service". Immigration Advisory Service. Archived from the original on 2011-03-05.
2. Charity Commission. Immigration Advisory Service, registered charity no. 1033192.
3. "Immigration Advisory Service (In Administration)". Compass Immigration Law. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
4. The Law Society Gazette, Immigration Advisory Service in administration
5. Legal Services Commission, Immigration and Asylum Graduated Fee Scheme
6. Legal Services Commission, Invitations to Tender for Immigration and Asylum Contracts from 2010
7. "About The Immigration Advisory Service". The Immigration Advisory Service. Archived from the original on 2012-10-08.
8. "News Team". The Immigration Advisory Service. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015.
9. "theimmigrationadvisoryservice.com has expired". Easyspace. Retrieved 1 June 2016.