Employers, recruiters, educators & travel sellers
Questions
What are my options if I am an employer or recruiter?
Recruiting skilled staff overseas is critical to the operation of most modern businesses.
Providing timely and informed advice on how to best manage the transfer to a new and usually distant home is something most businesses now do as a matter of course. Helping new staff through the immigration process is part and parcel of being a good employer.
Some provisions of the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act could affect the type of immigration advice you can provide prospective employees with.
For many employers, having a licensed immigration adviser in house would not be cost effective. However, having a designated employee who has experience in immigration matters licensed by the Authority is a matter many employers who routinely recruit overseas workers may wish to seriously consider. Not only will this be a requirement if employers wish to provide immigration advice to the overseas employees ‘in house’, but it offers the opportunity for employers to build their capacity in offering specialist advice and services to their overseas employees.
While the main objective of the licensing regime is to protect consumers, the requirements have benefits for organisations, too. From a commercial perspective, licensed advisers may use their status as a marketing tool to demonstrate that they meet the New Zealand government’s quality standards. This will be to the benefit not only of the employer and employees concerned, but also to the reputation of New Zealand as a high quality migrant destination.
What are my options if I am based overseas and I employ or recruit people to work in New Zealand?
see Further information for employers and recruiters
What are my options if I am an educator (or an education agent) dealing with international students?
There is an exemption in the Act for people providing immigration advice offshore relating to student visas and student permits only. These people, including education providers and/or their agents, may continue to give this type of immigration advice without a licence.
Within New Zealand and overseas, people who work in the education sector engage with students in a wide variety of ways. Some of this engagement may constitute providing 'immigration advice'.
Further information for educators and education agents
What are my options if I am a travel seller and deal with people who want to travel to New Zealand?
Travel sellers, including ‘accredited’ sellers operating under the ADS (Approved Destination Status) scheme and the Kiwi Specialist programme generally arrange New Zealand holidays for people and promote New Zealand as a travel destination. Their function is not to give immigration advice. People do not require a licence to provide travel and holiday advice and information. However, some travel sellers may make applications to Immigration New Zealand on behalf of travellers, and may be crossing the line into giving immigration advice.