November 2016 newsletter
Registrar update
You may be aware of ongoing immigration scams this year where scammers will call a person, claim to be from Immigration New Zealand and threaten that they will be deported if they do not pay large sums of money. On some occasions we have seen scammers claiming to be licensed advisers. Please be alert to these types of scams and make sure your clients are aware not to pay any money if they are targeted.
In October I cancelled an adviser’s licence for making a false declaration in a fast-track renewal application. This is an important reminder that it is an offence to provide false or misleading information to the Authority with a licence application form, and I am required to cancel your licence if you do.
Our recent Facebook campaign in India and Sri Lanka directing people to the register of licensed advisers was a great success with ads shown to over 390,000 people and over 45,000 clicks through to our website.
Finally, our transitional year for the new CPD requirements comes to an end on 26 November and everyone should be following the new requirements from that point. We have seen that many of you are now engaging in more meaningful and valuable CPD activities. Please remember to make sure you understand the new CPD requirements as set out in our Toolkit.
Catherine Albiston
Registrar of Immigration Advisers
Immigration scam warning
Be careful - there have been immigration scams going on, which target migrants in New Zealand.
Scammers will call the person, claim to be from Immigration New Zealand and threaten that they will be deported if they do not pay large sums of money.
The scammers may ask the person to go to a local supermarket and buy Apple iTunes vouchers.
This is a scam. Your clients should not pay the caller any money. They should hang up immediately and report it by visiting the Scamwatch website(external link).
Please remind your clients that only a licensed immigration adviser or exempt person can provide them with New Zealand immigration advice. Licensed advisers, or any New Zealand government agency, will not make these types of calls.
For more information on how to protect yourself and your clients from scams, visit the Consumer Protection website(external link).
Transitional arrangements end for CPD
All advisers must have met the new CPD requirements for any renewal from 26 November 2016. There are no advisers eligible for transitional arrangements from that date.
As a licensed adviser, you are required to understand your CPD obligations which are set out in the Authority’s CPD toolkit. Our CPD Toolkit sets out all our requirements as well as extra guidance.
You can also view our webinar on the CPD Toolkit as a video from our website.
You can log-in at iaa.govt.nz to start or update your CPD plan for the year and record activities you complete. If this is the first time you are logging in, you will need your activation code. Please contact us if you don’t have it.
Are your secondary business details up-to-date?
When you apply for and renew your licence you are required to provide us with the details of any secondary businesses you work for.
It is a requirement under section 26 of the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act that you keep these details up-to-date and inform the Authority of any changes within 10 working days.
You can update your secondary business addresses at any time on our portal at iaa.govt.nz.
Raising awareness of licensed immigration advisers
Over the last month the Authority ran a Facebook campaign in India and Sri Lanka directing people to the register of licensed advisers. The advertisements were targeted to Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab and Sri Lanka.
The campaign was a huge success in terms of getting our ads in front of a large amount of people and having them click through to the IAA website for more information. The ads were shown to over 390,000 people an average of 5.31 times per person. The ads generated over 45,000 clicks through to the website.
The campaign resulted in an 85 percent increase in traffic to our website during the campaign and a 382 percent increase in traffic from India.
Three ads targeted males and females ages 18-40, who can speak English and have expressed an interest in New Zealand or moving to New Zealand. The ads were targeted towards areas where we believe there is demand for immigration advice and unlicensed advisers operating.
In October the Authority ran a stall at the Migrant Action Trust’s Diversity Job Fair at AUT in Auckland. We spoke to a large number of international students at the event, raising awareness of the importance of using a licensed adviser or exempt person.
We also attended three Small Business Roadshows in Auckland to increase awareness among employers.
Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology | Tauranga
In October the Waiariki Bay of Plenty Polytechnic formally changed its name to Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology. This follows the merger of Waiariki Institute of Technology and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic in May 2016.
All our references to the Waiariki Bay of Plenty Polytechnic will be updated over time to reflect the new name.
Looking to become a supervisor?
Supervisors who are looking for a provisional licence applicant to supervise can advertise directly to the Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology’s students. This is your last chance to directly contact all those students who are graduating in December 2016.
Advertisements must contain the following information:
- name and contact details of the company or organisation (on company letterhead)
- name and details of the contact person
- description of the supervision being offered (including location)
- description of the type of person required
- dates e.g. when posted, when applications close, potential start date (optional).
This type of advertisement will be posted on Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology’s student programme page.
If you are interested in supervising a new provisional licence holder, please email this information to catherine.demonchy@boppoly.ac.nz
Did you know...?
Immigration New Zealand published an Internal Administration Circular (IAC) in May 2016 on best practice for dealing with immigration advisers. This includes how INZ expects its staff to deal with unlicensed employers, recruiters, education providers and travel agents.
New Tribunal decisions
There are a number of new decisions available from the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal.
Reading Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal decisions will help develop your understanding of the standards expected of licensed immigration advisers.
