OISC and South Africa

WHo is OISC?

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) is an executive nondepartmental public body established by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (the Act) to regulate the provision of immigration advice and services throughout the UK. 

In layman terms, OISC is a UK based governing body. The UK government has set them up to regulate immigration advisors and hold them accountable for their advice.

Most importantly, OISC can only govern operations in the United Kingdom, and OISC has no jurisdiction in foreign countries and has no control or interest in foreign operating entities.

Hence their definition ends with “throughout the UK”. That is the scope of their work and where they place emphasis.

Move Up’s PErspective

Ryan Rennison, the founder of Move Up, believes in the fundamentals of what OISC offers.  

Any firm offering UK immigration advice is held accountable for its actions and understandings, protecting the public from misrepresentation.

However, the complication is that OISC has no legal standing in South Africa. They cannot hold South African based entities accountable, and they cannot enforce any penalties or restrictions on SA based operations.

In an attempt to address this, Ryan Rennison has since met with the UK’s Department of Visas and Immigration head, the Regional Director of Southern Africa, to discuss implementing a recognised governing body. 

Mr Rennison had gone a step further and requested registering a governing body called the “United Kingdom Immigration Authority of South Africa” (UKIASA.org). 

In presenting this intent to the head of UK visas and immigration, they dismissed the notion as unjustifiable. South Africa’s UK immigration numbers do not warrant the cost and energy it would take to set up governing bodies.

Conclusion

While there is a need for OISC regulation for South Africa based UK immigration firms, the reality is that OISC does not govern or control companies that operate in South Africa.

Further, the UK government has stated that setting up SA-based regulation is not feasible based on past immigration numbers.

It is safe to say that when dealing with OISC registered firms, South Africans are dealing with UK based immigration practices. It means using Rands and paying in Pounds.

From this table, we want to highlight the fact that dealing with an OISC registered firm means that South Africans are most likely dealing with a foreign team that does not understand the South African way.

Move Up offers a South African based team, run by South Africans, in South Africa, that helps in the dealings of the UK governments hurdles.

UK firms rarely understand South African Home Affairs and its variations of birth records. How and where to get police clearance certificates and what documents are accessible with SA based institutions.

UK based firms rarely understand how the UK government has set up operations in SA and how the UKVI distribute the decision-making process.

In closing, when it comes to visa representation, the question you have to ask yourself is “do you want to pay more for a foreign team that doesn’t understand your circumstances or do you want to partner with a local firm that has your best interest at heart?”