IAS Services (Immigration Advice Service)

UK immigration lawyers with over 25,000 approved applications

IAS Services, also known as Immigration Advice Service, is an immigration law firm based in the United Kingdom. Its presentation highlights a track record of over 25,000 approved immigration applications and an extensive portfolio of services for both individuals and businesses. The firm operates from several offices in the UK and has an additional presence in the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria.

Advice for individuals: family, work and residency visas

The catalogue aimed at individuals covers a wide spectrum of UK immigration routes. In the family area, the firm handles spouse visas, including applications, extensions, requirements and refusal or curtailment cases; it also manages fiancé(e), unmarried partner, civil partnership and dependent visas, with variants for children and adult dependents. Other family categories covered include the UK ancestry visa and the family member of a resident visa.

In the work area, IAS Services advises on the Skilled Worker visa, its application and extension, as well as on the Health and Care Worker visa. The offering includes temporary worker visas in their various categories: religious, charity, international agreement, government authorised exchange, creative, overseas domestic and seasonal. It also covers the India Young Professionals Scheme visa, the Global Business Mobility visa with its variants (Senior or Specialist Worker, Expansion Worker, Graduate Trainee, Service Supplier and Secondment Worker), the Sportsperson visa, the Minister of Religion visa, the Permitted Paid Engagement visa, the Scale-Up visa, the Representative of an Overseas Business visa, the Youth Mobility visa, the Frontier Worker permit and the High Potential Individual visa. Specific routes are also included, such as the Global Talent visa —with mention of the design industry—, the Turkish Businessperson visa and the Digital Nomad visa.

Residency and citizenship are central to the practice. The firm handles Indefinite Leave to Remain, its requirements and its link to the spouse visa and long residence, as well as British naturalisation, the British passport —application and renewal—, the Life in the UK test and the UKVI IELTS. For European citizens and their family members, it offers services related to permanent residence, the EU Settlement Scheme, the EEA residence card and the Frontier Worker permit, in addition to concessions for Ukrainians. Routes such as Surinder Singh and Zambrano, the Hong Kong BNO visa and the British Protected Person status are also listed.

The visitor and student visa area covers the general visitor, business, child, student, tourist, marriage, family visit, academic, transit and long-term visitor visas. Study visas include the Student visa, Child Student visa, Graduate visa and Student dependent visa.

Resources for businesses: sponsorship, global mobility and compliance

For employers, IAS Services offers corporate immigration services focused on hiring foreign workers. The firm assists with the sponsor licence application, its renewal, obtaining the certificate of sponsorship, the allocation of temporary worker certificates of sponsorship and inclusion on the immigration salary list. It also covers post-licence priority services, licence changes, issues, revocations, expiry, application refusals and mock compliance audits.

The business offering extends to global mobility and employment: corporate immigration lawyers, global mobility, sponsor licence for expansion workers, employment lawyers, business immigration visas, Innovator Founder visa, Global Talent visa, Turkish Businessperson visa, Digital Nomad visa, self-sponsorship visa and business immigration visa renewal for closed routes. Sectors served are mentioned, such as aerospace, aviation, oil and gas, banking and finance, construction, engineering, professional services, financial technology, hospitality, tourism and entertainment, gaming, arts, travel and tourism, sports, industrials, agriculture, military, energy, consumer discretionary, fashion, automotive, healthcare, dental and pharmaceutical.

In the field of global mobility, the firm details international relocation services, personal and corporate, with support for employees in global mobility management, global visa compliance, relocation planning, home sale, rental management, legal exit services, document translation, flight booking, destination services, community integration and orientation, language and cultural training, home search, school search, settling-in services, spouse employment assistance, social security, international tax assistance, moving and logistics, pet shipping and travel planning.

Representation, appeals and complex cases

The firm structures its advice into service packages that include advice, application, fast track and document checking. For cases with an unfavourable decision, it offers appeal packages, administrative review, judicial review and pre-action protocol. It also addresses immigration detention, deportation in the UK, immigration bail, bail packages for detainees, removal and airport detention cases.

In asylum and protection matters, IAS Services handles asylum claims, private asylum, asylum appeals, fresh claims, humanitarian protection, private life route, family reunion —including spouse reunion—, leave outside the rules and discretionary leave to remain. The firm mentions legal aid services and free solicitors for asylum seekers.

Geographic coverage and international presence

The firm's activity is not limited to the United Kingdom. Its catalogue includes immigration services for Europe, with specific routes for the UK, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and France. For Ireland, it details work, residency, family, business, study and visitor visas, as well as Irish immigration stamps. For Portugal, family residency, citizenship, work and study services. For Spain, short-stay, study, work, residency and citizenship visas, family visas and Schengen visa, with a specific guide for Indian nationals. For France, skilled worker, student, investor, digital nomad, transit and retirement visas.

It also offers services for the Americas, with work, family, study, visitor and residency visas for the United States; permanent residence, work visas, citizenship, visitor/entry, business, family and study for Canada. In Africa, it covers Nigeria —with guidance on visiting or moving to the UK, Canada, the United States and Spain— and South Africa, including the corporate visa. The firm mentions global immigration services, citizenship by investment —with specific mention of Saint Kitts and Nevis— and relocations to Europe, the United States or the UK from China, with support in simplified Chinese.

Training, resources and editorial activity

IAS Services develops a training line aimed at professionals and organisations. It delivers IAA and IAAS training courses, at levels 1, 2 and 3, including the intensive level 3 mode, exam preparation for levels 1 and 2, and training for setting up IAA practices. The offering includes training for senior caseworkers in asylum and humanitarian protection, court appeals, detention, deportation, domestic violence and human rights, as well as an introduction to immigration law and family law.

In the corporate field, it offers training and recruitment courses, HR training on sponsor licence and compliance, Home Office audit, right to work, global mobility and High Potential Individual and Scale-Up visas, Skilled Worker visa, Health and Care Worker visa, and Innovator Founder visa. Courses are added on trafficking and modern slavery, non-profit organisations, self-sponsorship and specialist immigration training: Appendix FM, naturalisation, student visas and other routes, domestic violence to obtain indefinite leave to remain, British citizenship for minors, EU Settlement Scheme, first-time supervisor, private life route and applications, general grounds of refusal, sole responsibility and double descent.

The firm also provides training in Irish immigration, professional development for supporting vulnerable clients, introduction to family law and children's law, as well as webinars on immigration case law, eVisa and UK account, English language tests, Life in the UK, fixed-term contracts, gig economy, agency workers, handling misconduct, difficult conversations, grievances and complaints, bullying and discrimination, investigations and disciplinaries, and managing redundancies. In the UK employment field, it covers employment law for managers, preventing sexual harassment, employment tribunals and workplace mediation.

The firm also maintains a library of free resources that includes a learning centre, guides and news, a business immigration PDF guide, a Home Office compliance audit checklist, free webinars and an ILR calculator. It offers ESOL English training at levels 1, 2 and 3, and provides private training for organisations.

Offices and contact

IAS Services has offices in the United Kingdom —Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Oldham and Sheffield— and additional offices in the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria. The firm is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 20:00 and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00.

Location and contact

Ashwood House, Ellen Street, Oldham, OL9 6QR, UK