Getting the right New Zealand immigration advice

New Zealand is a popular destination for Filipino migrants to visit, work, live or study. Filipinos feature in the top five nationalities with approved visas across three categories. In 2016 Immigration New Zealand approved over 17,000 visitors visas, 14,300 work visas and 3,800 student visas from the Philippines.

I warmly welcome the news that Philippine Airlines will commence a non-stop four-weekly service to Auckland from December this year.  That will further boost person-to-person contact and facilitate tourism flows in both directions. These linkages are already growing steadily.

It is timely to offer some advice to would-be travellers to New Zealand.

The New Zealand visa application process is relatively straightforward, but if you need some advice while completing your visa application it is important that you get it from the right person.

People looking to travel to New Zealand from the Philippines should be aware that if they need advice when applying for a visa, they must use a New Zealand-licensed immigration adviser or someone who is “exempt.” Exempt persons include Immigration New Zealand staff and New Zealand lawyers. There is no requirement to use an immigration adviser; however, if a person needs help then only a licensed immigration adviser or exempt person such as a New Zealand lawyer can assist.

Catherine Albiston, the Registrar for the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA), is traveling to the Philippines in October to raise awareness about the importance of using licensed advisers or someone who is exempt when seeking New Zealand immigration advice. Ms Albiston will be meeting in Manila with travel and education agents and Philippines Overseas Employment Administration agencies.

On 6 October Ms Albiston will travel to Cebu to participate in a NZ Inc event with Tourism New Zealand, Education New Zealand, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and myself. She will also meet stakeholders and media.  The event is an initiative by the Embassy to raise New Zealand’s profile in Cebu.

The IAA was established to promote and protect the interests of people receiving immigration advice.  Its aim is to ensure that people submitting visa applications to New Zealand get honest and reliable advice. The IAA is responsible for issuing licences to advisers and handles complaints about poor immigration advice.  It does not provide immigration advice.

Unfortunately there are people who operate unlawfully and are unlicensed. With the amount of information available in today’s world, it can be difficult deciphering who to trust.

That is why the IAA offers a free register of licensed advisers on its website.  I would urge anyone seeking New Zealand immigration advice to use only a licensed adviser or exempt person.

Licensed advisers have specialist expertise and have met competency standards. They follow a code of conduct that requires them to be honest and respectful.

New Zealand is proud of its reputation as one of the least corrupt nations in the world.  We are one of three countries that does not have a written constitution. But we have robust checks and balances and accountability mechanisms. The IAA, which is independent from Immigration New Zealand, is an important feature in the oversight of New Zealand’s immigration procedures. It also helps facilitate a customer-friendly approach that maximises transparency and has safeguards against malpractice.

For more information on the IAA or to find a licensed immigration adviser, go to www.IAA.govt.nz

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(David Strachan is the Ambassador of New Zealand.)