What’s involved
There are a few steps involved in the complaints process, including what to expect after submitting a complaint. To help you navigate each stage we have created a video guide, as well as timeline of the process.
Register
The first step is to register on our complaint’s portal. You will be directed to an eligibility check. You will then be prompted to register on the complaint’s portal via an email address.
Login
The next step is to login to the complaints portal via a link provided in an email from the IMA. You can login at any time during the complaints process to add or amend information.
Submit
Once you have created your login page, the portal will prompt you on how to submit your complaint. If you can’t submit the complaint on your own, a friend or advocacy group like the3Million can submit the complaint on your behalf.
Give us as much detail as you can about your complaint, including:
- what has happened?
- who is involved?
- who you have already complained to?
Review
The IMA will now assess your complaint to see if it is in scope. You will receive a response from us either way. If your complaint is in scope it may be used as part of a wider inquiry. Your complaint needs to relate to one of your rights under the Withdrawal Agreement and must hold a public body accountable. For example, it is unlikely a complaint about a specific airline will be in scope, but a complaint about the Department for Transport could be in scope.
Investigate
All the complaints we receive help us gather evidence and establish what action we should take. We may use your complaint along with wider intelligence to establish any large-scale issues that could have the potential to affect many people.
At this stage we might ask you for more information. We could also issue a call for evidence to gather as much information as possible.
Outcome
Individual complaints to the IMA should result in an outcome that benefits many people affected by similar issues. It is unlikely that we will resolve an individual complaint. Our aim is to create a fair system for everyone. If you need help with a specific or unique issue, then we can signpost you to the most appropriate organisation.
What's Involved?
Once you have completed the eligibility check and submitted your complaint via the portal, the IMA will begin reviewing the details. To be within scope your complaint will need to highlight a potential issue with how public bodies in the UK and Gibraltar are not upholding your rights as an EU or EEA EFTA citizen (or a member of your family).
You will be informed of the IMA’s decision about whether your complaints is ‘in scope’ or ‘out of scope’
We will keep the website updated with details of inquiries we are conducting. Keep an eye on the publications section of our website and follow us on social media to find out how things are progressing.
We use the complaints reported to build up a picture of where there are common, wide-reaching, or systemic issues with how public bodies in the UK and Gibraltar are operating. Most importantly, your complaints help the IMA to understand where change is needed.
Your complaint may be used as part of a wider inquiry if it:
- is similar to others we have received; and/or
- shows us there could be a larger problem with policies, systems or processes
All the complaints we receive help us gather evidence of what is happening so that we can look into it further and take action.
Although the IMA cannot offer a specific resolution to your individual complaint, if a public body in the UK or Gibraltar has failed in its implementation of the citizens’ rights agreement, the IMA can use its powers of inquiry to hold them to account. This could result in the IMA taking legal action which can indirectly lead not only to a resolution of your complaint, but it could also enact change that could help many others.
