How to Join ILPA or Learn About Its Objectives and History

ILPA (the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association) is a professional association and registered charity founded in 1984 by leading practitioners in the field. To learn about its objectives and history, start with the Who We Are and Objectives and History sections on ilpa.org.uk. To join, use the Become a Member entry point on the same site. Membership is the gateway to ILPA's training programme, its online resource archive, and the member forum.

Learning about ILPA's objectives and history

The homepage presents ILPA as a professional association and registered charity, founded in 1984 by leading practitioners in the field. Three navigation entries lead to background material:

• Who We Are — organisational identity and purpose
• Objectives and History — the association's aims and its development since 1984
• Become a Member — the membership route

If you need primary material rather than an overview, the site also provides a Search all resources function, which lets you locate ILPA documents and statements directly. Recent examples of published material include ILPA's statement in response to the 24-week statutory framework coming into force (11 Aug 2026) and an invitation to tender for external evaluations of the Strategic Legal Fund and the Strategic Legal Advice Committee (11 Aug 2026).

Joining ILPA and what membership opens up

The Become a Member entry is the starting point for joining. The site describes the following member benefits:

Note that the resource archive, regular updates and the member forum are described as member access, so plan on joining before relying on them. The site does not state membership fees, eligibility criteria or application deadlines on the pages summarised here — check the Become a Member section for current terms.

Training and events

ILPA runs a comprehensive training programme covering all aspects of immigration, asylum and nationality law, and lists upcoming events and training on the homepage. Examples from the current listing:

• ILPA Sponsorship Law Conference — Thursday 15 October, 10:00 AM, offered both in person (Friends House) and online
• ILPA Courts and Tribunals — Thursday 15 October, 10:00 AM

Each listing has an Event details link for the full programme and booking information. If you are deciding whether to join, these events are the most concrete way to sample ILPA's output before committing.

Blog and resources: what the content covers

The ILPA Monthly Blog publishes analysis and thought leadership. A current example is a four-part series by Bernard Ryan of the University of Leicester on the Government's earned settlement plan, described as "a policy without precedent":

• Part 3 — The Earned Settlement Plan: Partners and Children (12 Aug 2026)
• Part 4 — Access to Settlement from International Protection (25 Aug 2026)

Alongside the blog, ILPA publishes formal documents such as statements and tender invitations. Both are reachable through Search all resources, which is the most reliable route when you are looking for a specific paper rather than browsing.

Practical next steps

1. Read Who We Are and Objectives and History to confirm the association's scope matches your work.
2. Check the Upcoming events and training listings and open an Event details page to see the format and level of the programme.
3. Go to Become a Member to review the current joining process and terms.
4. Once a member, use the Member Forum to post questions and the Resources archive for updates and reference material.
5. Use Search all resources when you need a specific ILPA document, statement or blog post.