Following a recent tender
exercise, the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) is
progressing a new contract for its competence assessment service;
designed to better support advisers and candidates, strengthen
assurance of competence, and improve the overall assessment
experience.
What's changing?
Key changes to the competence assessment process will include:
- assessment questions based on revised syllabuses, ensuring
assessments better reflect the knowledge, skills and competence
required for practice
- an enhanced assessment that includes an additional component
covering the Code of Standards,
ethics and professional behaviours, recognising the importance
of conduct alongside technical competence
- moving the competence assessment to the start of the adviser
application journey
- more frequent assessment opportunities, giving candidates
greater flexibility and reducing waiting times
- a new assessment platform, providing an improved user
experience for candidates
- replacing the resource book with access to approved
whitelisted websites during the assessment
Changes to the application journey
In future, candidates wishing to join an IAA-regulated
organisation as an adviser will be required to complete and pass
the competence assessment before they can be added to that
organisation's application. Individuals seeking to establish
their own immigration advice organisation will be required to
pass the competence assessment before submitting an application
for regulation.
The revised approach will create a clearer and more efficient
application journey, enabling individuals to demonstrate the
required level of competence before investing time in completing
the full application process. Candidates who successfully pass
the assessment will then be able to proceed with greater
confidence and progress more efficiently through registration.
The revised sequencing is intended to reduce delays, provide
earlier certainty for candidates and organisations, and improve
the overall applicant experience.
Timescales
The online competence assessment has been temporarily paused
while the new arrangements are being implemented. Subject to the
completion of the necessary arrangements and a number of
dependencies outside of the IAA's control, assessments are
anticipated to resume from November 2026. Details of upcoming
assessment dates and the timings for the changes to the
application journey will be published on the IAA website as
soon as they are confirmed.
We recognise how important this information is to advisers,
candidates and organisations across the sector, and are working
at pace to finalise the arrangements and confirm details as soon
as possible.
What do candidates need to do?
Candidates planning to take Level 1, Level 2 and/or Level 3
assessments should review the new syllabuses and
familiarise themselves with the revised assessment arrangements,
as all assessments will be delivered under the new arrangements
when they resume. Candidates who have already submitted an
application will be contacted directly about the options
available to them.
Resources and support for advisers and
candidates
The new syllabuses, together with summaries of the key
changes, have been published on the IAA website to clearly
explain the updates and help candidates prepare for the revised
assessment arrangements.
A series of webinars will be held to explain the new process and
answer questions, with dates and registration details to be
announced shortly.
Supporting
information has been published to help advisers and
candidates understand the changes and navigate the new
arrangements.
Further information, including upcoming assessment dates, will be
published shortly.
