Can and should you use AI for immigration advice?
For better or worse, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is slowly integrating into our daily lives and with immigration rules changing rapidly and becoming increasingly complex, it can be tempting to use generative AI like ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot for immigration advice. Afterall, you can receive an almost immediate response and save money by receiving assistance from AI rather than instructing a solicitor. However, it is important to understand not only the benefit but also the risks of using AI for this purpose.
Inaccuracies and misinterpretation of Immigration Rules
The accuracy of results provided by AI is dependant not only on its training data but also the prompt provided by the user. Without having an understanding of the Immigration Rules, it can be difficult to know what questions you should ask and more specifically how you should ask them to receive accurate results. You may input a generic question such as “What do I need to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain” and AI may provide a list in a way that appears convincing but is not entirely accurate or appropriate for your circumstances. Even if you specify your circumstances, the results provided can still be inaccurate as AI may attempt to simplify the information and in turn miss nuance circumstances such as complex immigration history or rely on outdated Immigration Rules.
Relying on this information and subsequently submitting incorrect evidence to the Home Office can at the least result in unnecessarily delayed decisions and at most result in a refusal or the Home Office finding deception if the information provided by AI has been entirely inaccurate such as if it has suggested to apply for a Fee Waiver application in circumstances where this is not applicable.
AI “hallucinations”
When AI provides results, it will include references and links to show where it has found the information. This can feel reassuring and further build your confidence in the answer provided being accurate, however AI is known to invent references and information which is referred to as a “hallucination”. Relying solely on the output of AI without checking the references can be dangerous as the references can be entirely non-existent or the AI may have misinterpreted the information solely to add to the point it is trying to make. This risk has been highlighted particularly within the legal space by Dame Victoria Sharp:
“Such tools can produce apparently coherent and plausible responses to prompts, but those coherent and plausible responses may turn out to be entirely incorrect. The responses may make confident assertions that are simply untrue. They may cite sources that do not exist. They may purport to quote passages from a genuine source that do not appear in that source” (https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Ayinde-v-London-Borough-of-Haringey-and-Al-Haroun-v-Qatar-National-Bank.pdf)
Privacy and data protection concerns
With AI becoming an integral part of a lot of people’s daily lives, it can be easy to forget or overlook the fact that AI is not designed to securely handle sensitive data. Even paid tools cannot be considered entirely private or protected. Although not every AI tool stores your conversations in real-time, they may still be used for the its improvement. This means that AI may use the information that you have provided in generating a response to another user’s enquiry which could include your personal information.
Not only is there a risk of AI sharing your information, but you should also be careful of cybercriminals that may be looking to access your account and in turn obtain your information. If you are looking for advice regarding your immigration status or an application you wish to submit, you will likely share quite substantive personal data such as your name, address, date of birth, passport number and much more. In the wrong hands, this information can be used for things like identity theft and phishing. This puts you in a viscous cycle as if your prompt is too generic, you will likely not receive advice that is completely accurate to your circumstances however if you provide more detailed information, you increase the risk to your personal data.
So, can and should you use AI for immigration advice?
Although you certainly can use AI for generic immigration information, given the complexity of Immigration Rules, potential consequences and AI “hallucinations” you should not rely solely on the information provided by AI. This can be a useful start and of course with the ever-increasing Home Office fees it can be tempting to cut costs where possible however it is crucial to seek advice from an immigration adviser to ensure you have the most accurate and up to date information specifically regarding your circumstances.
How OTB Legal can help you:
Our highly experienced solicitors and legal advisors provide clear, practical guidance to help you understand the consistently changing Immigration Rules and how they specifically apply in your circumstances.
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