An accredited legal practice.
Immigration advice in the United Kingdom is a regulated activity. It is unlawful to give it without authorisation. The same principle of accountability runs through every other credential the firm holds.
Set out below are the authorisations and registrations that govern how we practise, with the relevant numbers and registers so they can be verified independently.
Five credentials, independently verifiable.
The full list of authorisations, registrations and protections that sit behind the advice. Each entry is followed by the reference number and the body that maintains the register.
Immigration Advice Authority, Level 1.
The Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) is the statutory regulator for immigration advisers in England, Scotland and Wales, replacing the OISC on 16 January 2025. Whytecroft Ford is authorised at Level 1, which covers entry clearance, leave to remain, settlement and nationality. Asylum, appeals and judicial review are outside the Level 1 scope and we do not act in those areas.
Professional indemnity cover.
The firm holds professional indemnity insurance at the level required by the IAA Code of Standards for an authorised practice. The cover is in place at all times and is renewed annually. Details of the current policy can be confirmed in writing on request before instruction.
ICO data controller registration.
Whytecroft Ford is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office as a data controller and processes client data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our privacy notice sets out how we collect, hold and use the information you provide.
IAA complaints route, in writing.
The firm operates a written complaints procedure that is provided at the point of instruction. If a complaint cannot be resolved internally, the IAA maintains an independent complaints scheme covering all authorised advisers. The right to that external review is set out in your client care letter.
Verified client review profile.
Public, verified client reviews on independent platforms. Trustpilot and Google profiles are linked to the registered business and reviews are subject to each platform's verification process. The firm carries an excellent standing on both.
Authorisation is the floor of the profession, not the ceiling. It is the test that disqualifies the part of the market a client should never instruct. Everything we do as a firm sits above that floor by some distance.Whytecroft Ford
Why credentials matter to you.
Unauthorised immigration advice is a criminal offence under section 84 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Instructing an authorised firm is the single most reliable protection a client has against the most damaging category of error: advice from someone who is not entitled to give it.
Continue reading.
Instruct an authorised, specialist firm.
If you would like to discuss a matter or to confirm the firm's credentials before instructing, a first call is the simplest way to do so.