Working with a licensed immigration adviser

Why you should use a licensed immigration adviser for New Zealand

Licensed immigration advisers have been issued a licence by the Immigration Advisers Authority. They have specialist expertise, have met the competency standards and follow a professional code of conduct.

The code requires advisers to:

• be honest, professional and respectful
• enter into a written agreement with you that sets out clearly what services they will provide you and what they will cost
• provide you with ongoing timely updates
• charge fees that are fair and reasonable.

Licensed advisers can help you:

• explore all your visa options and choose the right visa
• prepare your visa application
• settle in New Zealand
• assess whether you can appeal a declined visa
• assess your options if you are in New Zealand unlawfully.

Types of licensed immigration advisers

There are three different types of immigration adviser licence.

Full

Can provide you with advice on all immigration matters

Provisional

Can provide you with advice on a full range of immigration matters but must be supervised by a full licence holder

Limited

Can only provide you with advice on certain immigration matters

What does a current licence look like?

Your adviser must have a current licence. Licences are valid for one year. To check, you can:

• search for your adviser’s name in the online register of licensed immigration advisers
• ask to see your adviser’s certificate
• ask to see your adviser’s wallet card.

The name and licence number of the licensed adviser must be displayed next to the Trademark in all cases. Companies cannot be licensed.

Non-current licence

There are several reasons why an adviser’s licence may not be current. The licence status may be expired, surrendered, refused, suspended or cancelled. 

Find out what these terms mean

How must an immigration adviser behave?

Your adviser must follow a set of ethical and professional standards when dealing with you. The full standards are set out in the Licensed Immigration Advisers Code of Conduct.

The code of conduct ensures that your licensed immigration adviser will:

• show you evidence that they are licensed
• be honest, professional, diligent and respectful
• conduct themselves with due care and in a timely manner
• provide you with objective advice
• declare any conflicts of interest, including any commission they will receive, and seek your approval to continue to act for you
• provide you with a written agreement for you to sign before any work is started which sets out the services to be provided and the fees
• charge fees that are fair and reasonable
• provide you with invoices with full descriptions of what the fees relate to
• let you know when your application has been lodged and provide you with on-going timely updates
• keep your personal documents safe and return them to you in a secure manner.

Problems with your adviser

Firstly, discuss your problem with your adviser. Explain your concerns clearly, and suggest how your adviser can resolve them. Your adviser must follow their internal complaints procedure to help fix the problem.

Make a complaint to the Immigration Advisers Authority if you cannot resolve the problem with your adviser or it is not appropriate to deal with your adviser directly.