Upcoming changes to Immigration Advisers Licensing Act (2007)

The Bill includes several changes to the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 (the Act). These changes align with the intent of the Act, which is to promote and protect the interests of people receiving immigration advice and to enhance the reputation of New Zealand as a migrant destination.

Key changes to be aware of include:

• the removal of the 12-month standdown prohibiting immigration officers or refugee and protection officers (as defined in the Immigration Act 2009) from becoming licensed
• that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) can refuse to accept or decline an application prepared by an unlicensed or non-exempt immigration adviser.  No refund will be given in these cases
• that complainants are no longer required to identify the grounds of complaint and can simply provide details of their complaint
• the appeal rights for parties to a complaint have been extended to include the right to appeal the determination of a complaint 
• the sanction provisions available to the Tribunal include the power to downgrade a full licence to a limited or provisional licence
• the Registrar can consider wider matters relevant to determining a person’s fitness to be licensed
• the Registrar can cancel a licence where fitness issues relating to sections 16 or 17 of Act are relevant. The cancellation process set out in section 28 of the Act will still be followed.

The Bill had its Third Reading on 25 March 2025 and is expected to receive Royal Assent shortly. The proposed amendments will come into force the next day. You can stay up to date by checking our News page.

News

We will be updating any relevant forms and webpages to reflect the changes coming into force.

You can find out more about the Bill.

Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill(external link) — New Zealand Parliament