March 2020 Newsletter

Tēnā koutou

I will be foregoing the usual newsletter format and will keep my message short considering the circumstances we all find ourselves in with COVID-19. These are unprecedented times, and I know the situation is unsettling for many.

With the increase in the COVID-19 alert to Level 4, all Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) services are currently at reduced capacity. The IAA’s office is closed, and all of our team are working remotely. There are some key suppliers now offline, but we anticipate that the public register will remain accurate and up-to-date. The team is making licensing a priority, however, please expect delays to processing times for all services including licensing applications.

I have already received a number of queries about particular matters in the industry and we have attempted to address them in a COVID-19 FAQs page, which can be found in the news section on our website.

If you have any further queries regarding the IAA’s operation or your licence during this time please email us at info@iaa.govt.nz and we will respond to you as soon as practicable.

Please refer to the Ministry of Health(external link) for health-related information and www.covid19.govt.nz(external link) for all other COVID-19 information from the government.

If over the following days and weeks you feel you are not coping, it’s important to seek help and professional support. Your family doctor is a good starting point.

For support with grief, anxiety, distress or mental wellbeing, you can also call or text the 'Need to talk?' service on 1737. This service is free, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and gives you the chance to talk with a trained counsellor.

Kia kaha.