The problem
Each application needs a list of documents the client must gather, and the lists are rebuilt from the latest guidance each time. If you open 12 applications a month and a tailored list takes 25 minutes, that's 300 minutes, 5 hours a month.
What the AI does
You give ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini the route and the relevant public guidance text, with no client names, and ask for a plain-English checklist of evidence for the client to gather, with a column for what each document proves. You then check it against the current Immigration Rules and Home Office guidance on gov.uk, and add the client's name and circumstances in your case system. A regulated immigration adviser is responsible for what the client is told.
A worked example
An immigration firm in Birmingham opens about 12 applications a month. A solicitor keeps one checklist per route in her assistant's saved instructions, builds each draft from the public guidance, and checks it against gov.uk before it goes to the client.
Before
25 minutes to build and tailor each checklist: 5 hours a month
After
About 10 minutes to adjust and check each: 2 hours a month
What it's worth
About 3 hours a month saved (15 minutes x 12 applications = 180 minutes), worth around £180 if solicitor time is worth £60 an hour. Plans run from free to about £20 a month for one person.
How to set it up
- Paste the current official guidance for the route into the assistant yourself, so it works from the text in front of it.
- Ask for a client checklist in plain English with a note of what each document proves.
- Check it against the current Immigration Rules and gov.uk guidance, including fees and evidence rules.
- Add the client's name and circumstances in your case system, never in the assistant.
- Date the checklist and review each route's list whenever the rules change.
What goes wrong
- Immigration rules change often. An assistant can quote an old rule with confidence; always check the current text.
- Do not put passport numbers, Home Office references or immigration history into a consumer AI plan. They are sensitive personal data.
- A checklist is not a view on the merits. Whether the client qualifies is for the adviser.
- Free plans have usage limits, so keep your master checklists saved elsewhere.