About the exam
IAA Level 1 Exam structure
An independent UK study guide mapped to the current IAA Level 1 Immigration syllabus, Advice and Assistance competence boundary, 2024 Code of Standards and current two-section online assessment.
Issuer and path
IAA Level 1 Immigration Study Guide is administered through Immigration Advice Authority (IAA). Check official resources before booking, retesting, or relying on a stale requirement.
Immigration Law and the Immigration Rules
0 scored + 0 pretest
Current legal framework, routes, requirements, applications, evidence, status and decisions. The 50% figure is a local practice allocation, not an IAA weighting.
Asylum and Protection Awareness
0 scored + 0 pretest
Refugee and human-rights awareness, procedure and support, with the Level 1 referral boundary. The 8% figure is a local practice allocation.
Nationality
0 scored + 0 pretest
Acquisition, registration and naturalisation, including children born in the UK. The 10% figure is a local practice allocation.
Appeals, Administrative Review and Reconsideration
0 scored + 0 pretest
Awareness of statutory appeals and the limited review routes a Level 1 adviser may identify or handle. The 8% figure is a local practice allocation.
Ethics, Scope and the Code of Standards
0 scored + 0 pretest
Level 1 competence boundaries, referral, client care and the current nine-principle Code. The 12% figure is a local practice allocation.
Essential Advice and Communication Skills
0 scored + 0 pretest
Fact finding, analysis, evidence, plain written English, interpreters, vulnerability, urgency and use of resources. The 12% figure is a local practice allocation.
Before accepting an assessment date
Recheck your Portal invitation, the current 75-minute format, identity and remote-proctoring requirements, reasonable-adjustment deadline, current resource-book edition and law-control date, and the experience and training evidence attached to your application.
Official Outline Coverage Map
Coverage is mapped to official outline item counts so content depth can be checked without hard-coding a single exam.
| Topic | Official outline items | Your questions | Your flashcards | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law, Sources, Rules and Immigration Control | 0 | 100 | 6 | Priority |
| Routes, Requirements and Key Definitions | 0 | 100 | 6 | Priority |
| Applications, Evidence, Status and Decisions | 0 | 100 | 6 | Priority |
| Asylum, Human Rights, Support and Referral | 0 | 50 | 6 | Priority |
| British Nationality, Registration and Naturalisation | 0 | 60 | 6 | Good |
| Appeals, Administrative Review and Reconsideration | 0 | 50 | 6 | Priority |
| Level 1 Scope, Complexity and Referral | 0 | 35 | 6 | Priority |
| Code of Standards, Client Care and Ethics | 0 | 35 | 6 | Priority |
| Fact Finding, Analysis and Written Advice | 0 | 36 | 6 | Priority |
| Evidence, Interpreters, Vulnerability and Resources | 0 | 35 | 6 | Priority |
How to use this guide
How to prepare for the IAA Level 1 assessment
Learn the current legal source and date, apply straightforward criteria to client facts, communicate concise advice, and stop whenever complexity requires higher-level referral.
1. Establish client, facts and date
Confirm identity, authority, objective, location, status chronology, material facts, missing information and the legally relevant date.
2. Select source, route and requirements
Use current law and Rules to test validity, suitability, eligibility, definitions, evidence, fee, form and deadline.
3. Check competence and ethics
Identify complexity, protection or appeal issues, conflicts, confidentiality, vulnerability, urgency and the Level 1 referral boundary.
4. Give reasoned next steps
Explain the available options, evidence, risk, cost, timing, consequences and referral or action in clear written English.
Law, Sources, Rules and Immigration Control
The legal framework and sources of control, right of abode, permission, entry clearance, visa-national rules, Immigration Rules structure and current policy guidance.
Key rules
Rule 1
Immigration control draws on primary and secondary legislation, the Immigration Rules, case law and published policy, each with a distinct legal role.
Exam cue: Identify the person's present location, status and objective before selecting the controlling source.
Rule 2
Right of abode, entry clearance, permission to enter and permission to stay answer different status and control questions.
Exam cue: Separate a legal requirement in legislation or the Rules from explanatory Home Office policy.
Rule 3
The Rules are organised through Parts and Appendices and can change; the operative provision and date must be verified for the client matter.
Exam cue: Record the version and effective date of every rule or policy used.
Common traps
Treating guidance as if it could override legislation or the Immigration Rules.
Prevention: Recheck the live provision and effective date; a remembered or historical rule is not enough.
Using entry clearance, leave and permission as interchangeable without checking context.
Prevention: Do not infer authority from the route label: assess the actual facts, complexity and authorisation category.
Relying on a remembered Appendix after the Rules or route has changed.
Prevention: Recheck the live provision and effective date; a remembered or historical rule is not enough.
Memory anchors
Source Ladder
Statute, regulations, Rules, case law and policy have different authority and must not be collapsed.
Place–Status–Aim
Start with location, current status and the client's intended outcome.
ROA
Right of abode concerns freedom from immigration control, not simply possession of a British document.
Enter or Stay
Permission to enter and permission to stay answer different procedural questions.
Part + Appendix
Navigate the relevant Part and Appendix together with definitions and suitability provisions.
Date Controls
Verify the provision in force on the legally relevant date.
Next best moves
Quick check-up
Use a short quiz to confirm the rule pattern is actually sticking.
Check-up Questions
A policy instruction appears to conflict with the Immigration Rules. Which source controls the legal requirement?
Leila remembers a route rule from last year. What should she check before advising?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Open another topic next
Official resources
Verify the details with the official sources
Use these links for eligibility, scheduling, handbook rules, and issuer updates. Our guide helps you study; official sources tell you what the testing partner currently requires.
IAA adviser registration explained
Consolidated current registration, experience, training, scope, assessment, pass, attempt, materials, results and authorisation guidance, updated 28 July 2026.
Level 1 Immigration syllabus
Current GOV.UK publication page for the 2025 syllabus covering immigration law, protection awareness, nationality, appeals, ethics and essential skills.
Level 1 Immigration syllabus attachment
The current syllabus attachment linked from the updated publication page; the page's current 2025 status controls despite the attachment filename.
Level 1 exam resource book
The live source for the assessment resource book; the current May 2026 edition states a law-control date of 30 April 2026.
General marking scheme for Level 1 assessments
Published Section 1 and Section 2 pass thresholds, typical written-section marks and moderation information.
Level 1 Immigration model paper
January 2024 historical model answers and task-style illustration; its section timing is superseded by the current consolidated guide.
IAA competence guidance
Published competence framework and Level 1 Advice and Assistance boundary; read its scope content with the current registration guide and 2024 Code.
IAA Code of Standards 2024
The current Code, effective 1 September 2024, with nine regulatory principles and their supporting Codes.
IAA competence assessment dates
Current online assessment dates and booking information; the applicant's invitation and Portal record control.
FAQ
Common IAA Level 1 questions
Is this an official IAA course or question bank?
No. This is an independent syllabus-mapped study guide. The live IAA registration guide, assessment communications, syllabus, resource book, Code and the conditions attached to your application control.
What is the current Level 1 assessment structure?
It is one 75-minute online proctored paper with no break. Section 1 has 20 single-answer multiple-choice questions. Section 2 has scenario-based questions requiring typed written answers.
Why does the January 2024 model paper show more time?
That historical model paper gave separate 75-minute instructions for its sections. It remains useful for illustrating task style, but the consolidated IAA guidance updated 28 July 2026 controls the current format: both sections sit inside one 75-minute assessment.
How is the assessment passed?
You must achieve at least 60% in both sections in the same attempt. The published general marking scheme gives 12 of 20 as the Section 1 threshold and 60% for the scenario-writing section.
Can I resit after failing?
Not within the same application. IAA states that a failure leads to refusal on competence grounds. A new application may be made after the current minimum waiting period and should evidence further training or experience.
What may I use in this open-book assessment?
You may use hard-copy books and notes kept in camera view. Internet use is prohibited apart from the official IAA resource book made available digitally in the examination environment.
Which law date should I study?
The current May 2026 Level 1 resource book states that it contains the law as at 30 April 2026. Recheck the live resource-book page and your assessment instructions because the edition and law-control date can change.
What does Level 1 Advice and Assistance permit?
It covers basic one-off applications that turn on straightforward facts meeting published criteria, including suitable immigration and nationality work within the Rules. The actual facts, not merely the route name, determine whether the work remains Level 1.
What must be referred above Level 1?
Cases involving discretion, concessions, substantial legal argument, adverse immigration history, human-rights grounds, contested evidence, refusal complexity or work otherwise outside the authorised category should be referred promptly.
Is asylum tested or permitted at Level 1?
The Immigration syllabus tests awareness of refugee, human-rights, procedure and support issues so candidates can recognise and refer them. IAA does not offer a Level 1 Asylum and Protection assessment, and substantive asylum applications or appeals are not Level 1 work.
What is the competence statement or application-evidence requirement?
The current public initial route uses a Portal new-adviser application supported by relevant experience and up-to-date training evidence. That evidence review is separate from the examination. Older public process pages have been consolidated into the July 2026 guide.
What experience and training does the current guide expect?
The current guide normally expects at least three months' full-time-equivalent UK immigration advice/services experience or six months' other relevant advice-giving experience, plus current training covering every area applied for, normally from the previous 12 months.
Does passing the assessment authorise immigration advice?
No. Passing is one factor in the application. A person must receive formal IAA registration and authorisation at the correct level and category before providing regulated immigration advice.
Are the six section percentages official IAA weights?
No. IAA publishes the two assessment sections but no scored allocation across the six syllabus areas. Percentages in this guide are Pass Harbor study-planning shares only, and the planned 601 items remain unreleased.
How should I use the 2021 competence guidance?
Use it for the Level 1 straightforward-work and referral boundary, but read it with the current consolidated registration guide and the 2024 Code of Standards. The 2021 document itself warns that its older Code references are not current.