How to apply

Our Immigration and Asylum Law Accreditation is a recognised quality standard for practitioners providing advice under a legal aid contract.

To apply for accreditation, you’ll need to:

• meet the eligibility requirements
• submit a detailed application
• pass the relevant examination

Step 1: Read the guidance

Before you begin your application, you must read the:

• general scheme application criteria and guidance (PDF 325 KB)

You must also read the Immigration and Asylum Law Accreditation:

• application guidance notes (PDF 233 KB)
• candidates' guidance (PDF 314 KB)
• examination rules (PDF 231 KB)

Step 2: Complete the mandatory exam

Before you apply for each stage of the accreditation, you must complete and pass the relevant mandatory exam. The exams are administered by the Law Society.

Bookings are now open.

Book your place on Law Society Learning

Exam dates

Dates may be cancelled or postponed in the event of insufficient demand or events outside our control.

You should sit the exam for the next stage accreditation before your existing accreditation expires.

However, as an interim measure, you'll retain your accreditation as long as you sit the exam on the first date that the exam is available after your existing accreditation expires, unless you fail the exam.

The new syllabi as set out in the Candidate’s Guidance will be examinable from the December 2022 examinations.

Fees

Registration for the exam costs £51. The fee payable for each exam is set out below:

The registration and exam fees are payable when booking your exam.

Exam format

The format for each exam is as follows:

• trainee casework assistant applicants must complete a multiple choice test
• casework assistant and senior caseworker applicants must complete a written assessment
• supervising senior caseworker applicants must complete a timed assessment