2019 Migrant survey results
Survey of New Zealand visa applicants who have used an Immigration Adviser 2018/2019. Conducted for the Immigration Advisers Authority by Premium Research.
Presentation of results
Introduction
Since 2009, the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) has surveyed clients who have used a licensed immigration adviser. The aim of this research is to monitor licensed adviser performance and provide information that will assist IAA to regulate and support licensed advisers.
The survey is undertaken using an online methodology. A selected sample of applicants who have received a decision on their application and recorded by Immigration New Zealand as having used a licensed adviser (and with a personal email addresses on record) are invited to participate. The questionnaire is provided in English and Simplified Chinese. Participation in the survey is voluntary and does not affect their application.
The survey is run by an independent research company, and all responses are confidential. The Immigration Advisors Authority does not know who has completed the survey.
A summary of the key findings of the surveys conducted in the 2018/2019 financial year (based on visa applications decided between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2019) is provided below.
The next survey is being conducted in April – July 2021, and a summary for 2021 will be available later.
Summary
The 2018/2019 survey results show satisfaction with the service provided by licensed advisers remains high and stable over time. More than eight in ten clients were satisfied with the overall service they received (86%) and were willing to recommend their licensed adviser to friends and family (91%).
Positively, dissatisfaction remains low, with less than one in ten dissatisfied with the overall service they received. Primary reasons for dissatisfaction were because the process was too slow, the adviser was not knowledgeable and the cost was too high.
Adviser performance measures remain high, and show mostly small gains. Ratings for the 34 attributes measured in the survey ranged from a high of 96% to a low of 77%. Six measures have increased from 2016/2017 and five show slow improvement over time.
Adviser performance on compliance aspects also shows small gains. No attributes were rated lower than in 2016/2017.
Overall, the visa application process remains somewhat difficult for many clients, with a higher proportion in 2018/2019 saying the effort required was more than they expected. The key areas of difficulty continue to be the amount of documentation required and the overall perceived complexity of the process.