Supervision practices
Direct supervision protects clients, supports good advice, and helps people trust the immigration advice system.
The importance of direct supervision
The Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) has recently seen an increase in complaints involving provisional licence holders. In these complaints, supervision has been treated as an afterthought or a simple tick-box exercise. This often results in passive and informal supervision.
Competency Standards 6.1, 6.6 and 6.8 require advisers to act professionally and ethically, and to have quality checks in place. Direct supervision is a key part of this.
When supervision is done well, it helps new advisers build good habits, improves decision-making, and makes it more likely that clients get accurate and lawful advice.
Good supervision is about:
- quality assurance
- mentoring, and
- accountability.
It helps identify risks early, supports sound decisions, and reduces the chance of complaints.
What provisional licence holders can do
Provisional licence holders play an active role in making sure supervision is meaningful and effective.
- Always work according to your approved supervision agreement.
- Ask for guidance early, especially when a matter is complex or deadlines are tight.
- Keep accurate, up-to-date records of advice given and supervision discussions.
- Use checklists or templates created with the help of your supervisor to make sure key steps are not missed.
- Pause work if supervision is not available, until an approved alternative is in place.
What supervisors can do
Supervisors share responsibility for the quality of advice provided under their supervision. Effective supervision is active, structured, and clearly documented.
- Have a clear agenda for each supervision meeting to get the most out of this time.
- Review draft advice, applications, and key correspondence in a timely manner, giving appropriate feedback where needed.
- Set expectations for your availability so supervision stays meaningful and consistent.
- Support your provisional licence holder’s skill development with regular reviews of their professional development plan.
- Seek advice from colleagues when supervising an immigration matter that you are less experienced or familiar with.