August 2018 newsletter
Registrar update
Welcome to the August IAA newsletter.
If you’re an experienced adviser, and enjoy teaching and mentoring then we encourage you to consider becoming an IAA supervisor. Last month we had a new cohort of students completing their Graduate diploma on New Zealand Immigration Advice and a number of these students will be looking for a supervisor. It’s rewarding work and will give you a chance to impart your skills as a Registered Immigration Adviser. Below I talk further about how to become a supervisor.
Also a reminder that we have a webinar on client engagement and initial assessments at the end of the month. Details on how to register for this webinar is in this newsletter.
What can you do to reduce the use of unlawful advice?
The IAA is working hard to reduce the use of unlawful immigration advice. This year we are actively creating greater awareness of the risks of unlicensed advice in vulnerable communities worldwide, while we continue our work to educate and prosecute offenders.
What can licensed advisers do to help this effort?
The most effective thing you can do on a day-to-day basis is promote the fact that you are licensed:
- Use the Licensed Advisers Trademark.
- Make sure every client you talk to knows you are licensed.
- Show them your wallet card.
- Send them a link to your register listing.
- When you are advertising your services, let people know you are licensed.
The most common way for people to hear about the licensing regime is through word of mouth. You can help create a culture where your licensed status is prominent. The more people you reach with the licensing message, the greater our collective impact will be.
2018 mandatory CPD
As part of your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) the IAA requires all New Zealand licensed advisers, including those who are Registered Migration Agents in Australia, to attend one webinar run by the IAA in 2018, by 31 December 2018.
This year, our webinars will focus on client engagement and initial assessments. Many complaints arise because client engagement processes have not been followed or because an adviser’s initial advice is not recorded in writing. Ensuring you have good engagement processes in place goes a long way to establishing a good client relationship and avoiding mismatched expectations.
Future IAA webinars for 2018 are scheduled as follows:
Client engagement and initial assessments
- Wednesday 29 August 3pm – 4pm NZST - Register here(external link).
- Tuesday 30 October 4pm – 5pm NZST - Register here(external link).
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to join the webinar.
If you are not able to attend one of these webinars at the scheduled time you will be able to watch a video of the webinar after it is delivered.
You can play recordings of the following webinars that have already taken place.
Supervision – Play webinar(external link).
Client engagement and initial assessments – Play webinar(external link)
To view a webinar that has already taken place, you are required to register your name and email address. Please take a screenshot of your completed registration page for your CPD record before you click “submit”. We are able to verify that you have viewed the recording once you register.
All advisers need to understand their CPD obligations and we strongly encourage you to refresh your understanding by re-reading our CPD Toolkit.
Looking to be a supervisor?
In July there was a new cohort of students completing either the full or half of the Graduate Diploma in New Zealand Immigration Advice qualification. A number of these people will be looking to find a supervisor and get their provisional immigration adviser licence.
If you are an experienced full licence holder who enjoys teaching and mentoring, we encourage you consider becoming a supervisor. If you are interested in becoming a supervisor, you can advertise directly to Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology’s students.
Advertisements must contain the following information:
- name and contact details of your company or organisation (on company letterhead)
- name and details of the contact person
- description of the supervision being offered (including location)
- description of the level of student required for supervision
- dates e.g. when advertisement posted, when applications close, potential start date (optional).
This type of advertisement will be posted on Toi Ohomai’s student programme page.
Email appley.boyd@toiohomai.ac.nz to list your advertisement
Did you know...? Backup supervisor
While you don’t have to seek approval for a new supervision agreement in the event your supervisor is unavailable, it is strongly recommended that your supervision agreement includes an alternative full licence holder to act in the supervision role, in the absence of the primary supervisor. You will need to specify their name and licence number in your agreement.
Tribunal decisions
Reading Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal decisions, or discussing them in your study group, will help develop your understanding of your professional responsibilities.
