5 things I won’t miss about being an immigration adviser

By Weronika Prazmo

In November 2022, I joined RMJ as a trainee and have since qualified as an IAA Level 3 immigration adviser. For the past five years I have been helping people facing homelessness and destitution in securing, evidencing and preserving their immigration status.

As I move on from immigration advice, I've been reflecting on the parts of the job I definitely won't miss...

1.      The ever-changing law

In 2025 alone, the Home Office introduced five major Statements of Changes, published an immigration white paper and increased d visa fees. Each of those changes has real consequences for our clients.

There is nothing harder than trying to logically explain to a client that their application has been refused because the rules changed while it had already been sitting with the Home Office for months, sometimes over a year.

2.      The feeling of helplessness

Working with people who have endured homelessness, trauma, and mistreatment takes a heavy emotional toll. But what hurts most is the utter helplessness.

Without immigration status, many people cannot access homelessness assistance, financial support, or mental health services. When someone turns to you hoping for help, there are times when all you can honestly say is, "I’m sorry, there is nothing we can do."

You go to bed thinking about a vulnerable client forced to sleep on the street in torrential rain. You go out on the weekend with a lingering sense of guilt for enjoying your life, while others are left in a perpetual limbo.

3.      Being unable to answer simplest question: ‘How long will this take?’

Even after years of working as an immigration adviser, I still cannot tell my clients how long the Home Office will take to process their applications. Will it be three weeks? Three months? Three years? No one knows, and it is almost impossible to predict.

4.      The scavenger hunt to prove someone’s existence

Imagine trying to track down documents to prove you have lived in the UK for the last five, ten, or twenty years. Now imagine doing that when you have been homeless for most of that time.

It means contacting every single organisation you might have crossed paths with over decades. Closed a bank account more than five years ago? Your records are long gone. Need your flight history?  You’ll be asked for account numbers, booking numbers and details of every passport you’ve ever held. Trying to prove you were previously granted Indefinite Leave to Remain?  The Home Office might have a copy - assuming they haven't lost it.

5.      Mountains of paperwork

Oh, the paperwork! It means wading through thousands of pages of Home Office files, medical records, and endless bank statements where you have to justify every single transaction made.

Once you finally gather everything, the upload process is another battle. File size over 5MB? Rejected. Want to upload them one by one? Good luck, there is a strict 10-document limit. You are left constantly second-guessing: Is it the right format? Did I submit enough? Did I submit too much?

And after all that meticulous preparation, the Home Office will often ignore it all anyway, writing back to demand the exact document you absolutely made sure to include.

Despite all the bureaucratic and emotional challenges, being an immigration adviser has been incredibly rewarding.

Some of the strongest relationships are built through supporting people during the hardest moments of their lives. I am profoundly grateful to RMJ and my wonderful colleagues who made even the most difficult days feel manageable.

Despite the challenges, there's nowhere I'd rather have built my career. If you're inspired to do the same, keep an eye on our vacancies page for future opportunities to join RMJ.