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Immigration Scams: How to Protect Yourself

Immigration scams target vulnerable people who are navigating a complex and stressful system. This guide helps you identify common scams, verify that advisers are legitimate, and know what to do if you have been targeted.

Checked 25 February 20269 min readWritten by the Rowan Editorial Team
Section
Costs, English & General
Reading time
9 min
Last checked
25 February 2026
Source
The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
Rowan does not
Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.

In short

  • Giving immigration advice without being registered or regulated is a criminal offence under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
  • Check an adviser on the Immigration Advice Authority's Adviser Finder, which GOV.UK links to.
  • The Authority replaced the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner on 16 January 2025.
  • No one can promise an application will be granted. A decision is the Home Office's to make.
  • Report a suspicious email to report@phishing.gov.uk, a suspicious text to 7726 (free).
  • If you have lost money: reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland.

Immigration scams range from phishing emails impersonating the Home Office to unregistered advisers charging for worthless or harmful services. Protect yourself by only using advisers registered with the Immigration Advice Authority or regulated by the SRA, never responding to unsolicited communications asking for payment, and always using official GOV.UK channels for applications.

Common Immigration Scams

  • Phishing emails and texts: Messages claiming to be from the Home Office, UKVI, or HMRC asking you to click a link and provide personal information or make a payment. The Home Office communicates through official channels, not random emails.
  • Fake GOV.UK websites: Websites designed to look like GOV.UK that charge fees for services that are free on the real GOV.UK site. Always check the URL starts with www.gov.uk.
  • Unregistered advisers: People offering immigration advice without being registered or regulated. This is a criminal offence under sections 84 and 91 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and the risk is not only that the money is wasted: a badly made application can create problems of its own.
  • Promises of a guaranteed decision: No adviser can promise that a visa or settlement application will be granted. The decision belongs to the Home Office and is made against the Immigration Rules. A guarantee is not something a regulated adviser is in a position to give.
  • Document fraud: Advisers who suggest submitting false documents or making false claims. This is a serious criminal offence that can result in a ban from the UK.

How to Verify an Immigration Adviser

Before paying anyone for immigration advice:

  • Search the Adviser Finder. GOV.UK’s find an immigration adviser page links to the Immigration Advice Authority’s own Adviser Finder. An adviser who is not on it, and is not a solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive, should not be advising you.
  • Check the professional register instead if they are a lawyer. The same GOV.UK page links to the Law Society for England and Wales, the Law Society of Scotland, the Law Society of Northern Ireland, the Bar Council, the Faculty of Advocates and the Bar of Northern Ireland. Look the person up on the register that fits them, not on a copy of a certificate they send you.
  • Ask for their registration number: Legitimate advisers will readily provide this.
  • Get a written fee agreement: Before engaging any adviser, get a clear written agreement on fees, services, and what is included.

For more on choosing a solicitor, see our solicitor vs DIY guide and our solicitor costs guide.

Red Flags to Watch For

  • Guaranteed visa approval (see our visa refusal guide for legitimate options)
  • Pressure to pay immediately or in cash
  • Requests for payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers
  • Unwillingness to give a registration number you can look up yourself
  • Suggesting you submit false documents or information
  • A fee that is not written down, or that changes after you have paid
  • Being told to leave part of an application form blank, or that the adviser will “fill it in later”
  • No written contract or fee agreement
  • Communication only through social media or WhatsApp. See our citizenship guide for legitimate application processes

Official Channels Only

All UK visa and immigration applications should be made through GOV.UK. The Home Office does not use third-party websites for applications. Fees are paid directly through the GOV.UK payment system. See our visa fees guide for legitimate costs and our eVisa guide for managing your digital status.

If you receive a communication claiming to be from the Home Office and you are unsure if it is genuine, log into your Home Office account directly through GOV.UK to check.

What to Do If You Have Been Scammed

  1. Stop all communication with the scammer immediately.
  2. Report the fraud. GOV.UK says that if you have lost money you can report it online at reportfraud.police.uk, or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, GOV.UK says to report the crime to Police Scotland instead.
  3. Report the message. Forward a suspicious email to report@phishing.gov.uk, which goes to the National Cyber Security Centre, and send a suspicious text message to 7726. Sending to 7726 is free. GOV.UK sets both out on its reporting page.
  4. Report the adviser. The Immigration Advice Authority takes complaints about anyone giving immigration advice, whether or not they are registered with it.
  5. Contact your bank: If you made a payment, contact your bank immediately to try to stop or reverse it.
  6. Monitor your identity: If you shared personal documents, monitor your credit report and accounts for signs of identity fraud.

Getting Legitimate Help

If you need immigration advice, there are legitimate options:

  • Advisers on the Immigration Advice Authority’s register, and solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives on their own professional registers (see our DIY vs solicitor guide)
  • Citizens Advice, for free general guidance
  • Law centres, and the Refugee Council and Scottish Refugee Council, which GOV.UK lists on its find an adviser page
  • Your local MP for help with Home Office delays

Questions and answers

How can I tell if an immigration adviser is legitimate?

Anyone giving immigration advice in the UK must be registered with the Immigration Advice Authority, or be a solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive regulated by their own professional body. The Immigration Advice Authority took over from the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner on 16 January 2025. GOV.UK links to the Authority's own Adviser Finder, which is the register to search.

What are common immigration scam tactics?

Common scams include fake emails or texts claiming to be from the Home Office, advisers who guarantee visa approval, requests for payment through unusual methods (cryptocurrency, gift cards), fake websites mimicking GOV.UK, and advisers who are not registered with any regulatory body.

Does the Home Office send emails asking for payment?

Home Office fees are paid through the application service on GOV.UK. If you are unsure whether a message is genuine, do not follow a link in it: go to GOV.UK yourself and sign in to your UKVI account. A suspicious email can be forwarded to report@phishing.gov.uk and a suspicious text sent to 7726, free of charge.

What should I do if I have been scammed?

GOV.UK says that if you have lost money you can report it online at reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, GOV.UK says to report the crime to Police Scotland instead. Forward a suspicious email to report@phishing.gov.uk and a suspicious text to 7726, which is free. Contact your bank if you paid, and report an unregistered adviser to the Immigration Advice Authority.

This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.

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