GMIAU Register of Legal Services Providers
An offline database for interpreters, experts, and barristers used in asylum and immigration casework. All data is stored inside this HTML file — nothing is sent to any server.
Version
🔍 Searching for Interpreters
1
Click the 🗣️ Interpreters tab. The list defaults to Qualified interpreters.
2
Search by name or language — type in the search bar to find by name, language, email, address, or notes.
3
Filter by language — use the language dropdown. If no individual interpreter is found, companies/agencies that cover the language are shown automatically. If none exist, contact an administrator.
4
Filter by type — defaults to Qualified. If you select Rare Language or Non-Qualified, a warning banner appears reminding you of the authorisation requirements.
5
Filter by service mode — Face-to-face, Remote, or Translation / Written.
6
Click any card to view full details — contact details, qualifications, attached documents, and action buttons.
🔍 Searching for Experts
1
Click the 🔬 Experts tab.
2
Use the filter chips to narrow by type: 🌍 Country, 🏥 Medico-Legal, 🧬 DNA, 👥 Social Worker, ⭐ Specialist.
3
If you filter by Country and no expert is found, a direct link to the EIN Expert Directory appears automatically.
4
Use the search bar for keyword search across all expert fields (name, area, country, organisation, notes).
5
✓ HO Approved indicates a DNA expert is on the Home Office approved list. Always verify before instructing.
🔍 Searching for Barristers
1
Click the ⚖️ Barristers tab.
2
Search by name, chambers, LAA reference, or any other field.
3
Click a card to see full contact details including clerks email, chambers number, sitting judge status, and LAA reference.
📋 Generating a Job Card (Interpreters only)
1
Find the interpreter and click their card to open the detail view, then click 📋 Job Card.
2
Enter the client name and GMIAU reference — the register remembers recent client/reference pairs and will suggest them as you type.
3
Select the caseworker from the dropdown. The booking reference is auto-generated as
GMIAU-[Initials]-[GMIAU Ref]-[Booking Date]-[Appt Date].4
Set the date, time, duration, and service type. Selecting Face-to-face defaults location to GMIAU M8 4QS; Remote defaults to the platform/link selector.
5
Click 📋 Generate Job Card — a print-ready document opens in a new tab. Use Print → Save as PDF. Click 📅 iCal to download a calendar invite for Outlook or Google Calendar.
💰 Generating an Invoice (Interpreters only)
1
From the interpreter's detail view, click 💰 Invoice.
2
Select the invoice type — Face-to-face, Remote, Telephone, or Translation. The form adapts automatically.
3
Enter the start and finish times — the total duration and cost are calculated automatically using LAA rates.
4
For face-to-face appointments, enter travel time (minutes) and mileage — travel costs are calculated at LAA rates (£0.30/min, £0.45/mile).
5
Tick the appropriate payment authority categories and the Disbursement on AdvicePro box.
6
Click 💰 Generate Invoice to open the print-ready invoice. Use Print → Save as PDF.
7
Experts and barristers supply their own invoices — no invoice is generated for them here.
⚠ Interpreter Warnings
⚠ Rare Language — appears when filtering for or adding a rare language interpreter. It is important to provide a justification for use.
🚫 Non-Qualified — appears when filtering for or adding a non-qualified interpreter. Do not use unless authorised by the Head of Legal.
✉️ Requesting a Database Update
⚠ Caseworkers cannot add, edit, or delete entries. All updates must go through an administrator.
1
Email [email protected] with the full details of the person or company to be added, updated, or removed.
2
Include: full name, type (interpreter / expert / barrister), languages or specialism, all contact details, address, qualifications, and any relevant notes.
3
An administrator will update the database and re-issue the updated file to all members of staff.
🔑 Entering Admin Mode
1
Click the 🔒 lock icon in the top-right header.
2
Enter the admin password (default:
gmiau). Change it immediately in 🎨 Settings on first use.3
The 🔒 icon changes to a red 🔓. Use the 🔒 Admin tab to access ＋ Add Entry, ⬆ Import, 💾 Save File, 🌐 Export, and Manage Keys; use the ⚙️ Configuration tab for offices, locations, caseworkers, and contact categories. Edit/delete buttons also appear on cards.
4
Click the red 🔓 when done to return to caseworker view. Admin mode does not persist across browser refreshes.
＋ Adding Entries
1
Log into admin mode, switch to the 🔒 Admin tab, and click ＋ Add Entry. The form defaults to the type matching the previously-active tab.
2
All entry types share: Name, Mobile, Landline, Email (Work & Personal), Fax, Website, Address, Comments, and Notes.
3
Additional fields appear for each type — languages/service modes/rates for interpreters; area, EIN link, and self-grantable for country experts; HO Approved for DNA experts; chambers details for barristers.
4
After saving, click 💾 Save File and distribute the updated file to all staff.
⬆ Bulk Import
1
In admin mode, switch to the 🔒 Admin tab and click ⬆ Smart Import. Use the File Upload tab for
.xlsx / .csv files, or Paste Text for CSV, JSON, or plain text.2
Download a correctly formatted template from 🎨 Settings → Excel Import Template.
3
Click 🔍 Parse & Preview to review all detected records before confirming. Set the Default type for any rows missing a type column.
4
After importing, click 💾 Save File and distribute to all staff.
✎ Editing & 📦 Archiving Entries
Both require admin mode. Edit/delete buttons appear on cards and in the detail view only when admin mode is active.
| ✎ Edit | Opens the full entry form pre-filled. All changes are logged in the amendment history with a field-by-field diff. |
| 📦 Archive | Hides an entry from the main register. Requires selecting a reason (out of area, no longer active, conflict of interest, deceased, retired, etc.). The archive date is recorded. Toggle 📦 Show Archived to view archived entries. Click Restore to reinstate. |
| 🔒 Delete | Permanently removes the entry. Cannot be undone. Requires the admin password again as a second confirmation. |
💾 Save File & Version Control
!
All data is stored inside the HTML file itself. After any change (add, edit, import, delete, archive), you must click 💾 Save File to download an updated copy.
!
Replace the existing
gmiau-expert-register.html on your shared drive with the downloaded file, then redistribute to all staff.!
The current version is shown in the header subtitle. The version number follows the format
YYYYMMDD (e.g. 2026-04-05). This is set by the developer and identifies the software release, not the save date.!
The Last updated timestamp in the header reflects the most recent 💾 Save File action, so staff can always tell how current their copy is.
!
The flashing orange dot on the 💾 button means there are unsaved changes. Never close the browser without saving first.
🎨 Settings
| 🔒 Password | Change the default gmiau admin password. The password is stored in the browser's local storage — it will reset to default on a new device or browser. |
| 🏢 Offices | The three GMIAU offices used in invoice addressing and default booking locations. Add or remove as needed. |
| 📍 Locations | All venues in the Job Card location dropdown — courts, IACs, prisons, and other venues. Add new venues or remove unused ones. |
| 👤 Caseworkers | The caseworker dropdown list used in bookings and invoices. Add new caseworkers or remove those who have left. Sorted alphabetically by surname. |
| ⬇ Template | Download a blank Excel template with correct headers for bulk import. |
| ⚠ Clear All Data | Permanently deletes all entries. Requires password confirmation. Cannot be undone. |
⬇ Exporting Data
| ⬇ Export (controls bar) | Exports all active records in the current tab as Excel (.xlsx), CSV, or JSON. |
| ⬇ Export (detail view) | Exports a single entry as Excel, CSV, or JSON. |
| 📋 Export History | Exports the amendment history for one entry as CSV — every edit with field-level diffs, dates, and action types. |
No entries found
Add an entry or adjust your filters.
💷 Rates & Fees
Log in as Admin to edit rates.
💳 Immigration Application Fees — Current Period
Loading…
📋 Smart Paste — Immigration Fees
Go to the Home Office immigration fees page, select and copy the fee table rows, then paste below.
📐 Smart Paste — LAA Billing Rates
Go to legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/422/schedules, copy the rate table rows for the relevant table (e.g. Table 7(aa), 8(c)), then paste below. The parser reads the Non-London column automatically.
📊 Current LAA Billing Rates
No LAA rates loaded. Use Smart Paste above or import a database that contains rates.
⚖ Solicitors Guideline Hourly Rates
National 2 — Manchester (Outer)
| Band | Grade | Fee Earner | Per Hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | A | Solicitors & legal execs, 8+ yrs | £255.00 |
| 1B | B | Solicitors & legal execs, 4+ yrs | £218.00 |
| 1C | C | Other solicitors & equivalent | £177.00 |
| 1D | D | Trainee solicitors & paralegals | £126.00 |
🚗 Travel & Advanced Rates
| Type | Rate |
|---|---|
| Rep — Travel Time (CLR prep) | £65.35/hr |
| Interpreter — Travel Time | £8.00/hr |
| Mileage (all travel) | £0.45/mile |
Advanced Caseworker (+5%) — Non-London · Effective 22.12.2025
| Category | Standard | Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| LH Prep/Att/Advocacy | £65.35 | £68.618 |
| LH Travel & Waiting | £32.70 | £34.335 |
| LH Letters/Calls | £5.20 | £5.460 |
| CLR Prep & Att | £65.35 | £68.618 |
| CLR Advocacy (HR) | £68.90 | £72.345 |
App font
Persists across sessions in localStorage under the canonical keys gmiau_app_font_family and gmiau_app_font_size. The same keys are read by every other GMIAU Shell tool, so when you're at gmiau-tools.local your choice carries across.
App appearance
Dracula themes are dark-only — switching Mode to Light keeps the page on GMIAU Light. Settings sync across other GMIAU Shell tabs on the same origin via the canonical keys gmiau_mode_pref + gmiau_dark_family.
Device trust
Set this to Safe only on a private device. This browser then stores the database's decryption key locally, so the file opens straight into Edit mode here with no password prompt — but the saved .gmiau-db.html file itself stays encrypted, so a colleague who opens it elsewhere still needs the password. To turn it on you must first open the database with your password (or recovery mnemonic) in this session. Anyone who can use this browser profile gets the data without the password; reinstalling the OS / clearing this browser forgets it, and rotating the admin key forgets it too. Stored under gmiau_db_trust in localStorage.
Editable in ✏️ Edit mode only. These lists drive the dropdowns in entries, bookings, invoices, and contacts. Changes persist on 💾 Save File (Admin tab).
💾 Config backup
Export the lists below (offices, locations, caseworkers, supervisors, contact categories, and the auto-reference setting) to a small JSON file you can stash in Nextcloud — or import one into another copy of the database. The 🏢 Offices and 📍 Locations can also be pulled out as CSV (name + full address).
⬆ Apply pending additions
The
cms database CLI can't re-encrypt this file, so its add / rates import commands append suggestions to a <name>.pending.json queue. Apply that file here to fold the queued interpreters / experts / barristers and rate updates into the database, then 💾 Save File (register additions need Admin). Delete the queue file afterwards.🏢 GMIAU Offices
Used in the Invoice "To" field and as default booking locations for your own offices.
📍 Booking Locations
All venues available in the Job Card booking form. Editable below.
👤 Caseworkers
Caseworkers available in the booking and invoice dropdown menus. A 🛡 badge marks those flagged as supervisors below.
🛡 Supervisors
Caseworkers with supervisory sign-off authority. Should be a subset of the caseworkers above; referenced by LAA Self-Grant (the supervisor who signs the grant).
🏷 Contact Categories
Categories used to classify entries in the Contacts tab.
🔢 Reference Number Generation
When enabled, booking references (job cards) and invoice numbers are auto-generated from the appointment date and GMIAU reference. Disable to leave both fields editable for manual entry or to omit them entirely.
Available in ✏️ Edit mode only. Click the 👁 View mode button in the header to switch.
⚡ Actions
🔒 Change Admin Password
Default:
gmiau🔐 Change Import / Export Password
Secondary password required for all import and export operations. Default:
gmiau📋 Excel Import Template
📍 Travel Data — Bulk Import
Upload a spreadsheet to set travel times and distances from an interpreter's address to each booking location. Each row should have: Interpreter Name, an Address, then one column per location with either minutes or miles. Rows are matched to interpreters by name; if the name doesn't match, it falls back to the row's postcode (exact postcode first, then the postcode area). Or download and fill the travel template.
💾 Save File
Data and configuration are embedded in this HTML file. Click 💾 Save File in the Actions sub-tab to download an updated copy with all current data.
🔑 Manage Keys
Add or remove caseworker recipients from this database. Each recipient gets a 24-word recovery mnemonic on first add — write it down then. The list of current recipients opens in a dialog.
⚠ Danger Zone
Permanently deletes all records.