Get immigration advice

Key elements of immigration advice

Assistance or direction tailored to the particular circumstances of an individual.

Guidance to an individual based on the adviser’s knowledge and experience in immigration.

Offering an opinion or suggestions about possible entitlements or avenues an individual might take.

Whether a person is providing publicly available information or performing clerical work (these don’t require a licence), or giving “immigration advice” (which does) will depend on the facts of each particular case. Contact us to find out more, or if you need help to figure this out.

Consumer Guide

Considerations when hiring an immigration adviser

Start by checking our online register.

The register allows you to find your nearest adviser but also to check if your adviser has had their licence cancelled or suspended.

Anyone giving immigration advice must be licensed by us, unless exempt. If you choose a licensed immigration adviser, you are more likely to be able to get your money back and/or compensation if you receive poor immigration advice or services.

Cost of hiring an adviser

How much does an immigration consultant, adviser or agent cost?

Fees charged by advisers vary for a number of reasons including adviser experience, complexity of application, level of personal service provided and current market rates.

Below is the average and median adviser fee between June 2010 – May 2011*

We publish both to give migrants the most accurate picture of market rates. The average is calculated by dividing the total fees by the number of advisers. The median is the middle number of the average fee.

If the median is lower than the average this means there are some very high fees at the top end which has inflated the average.

Temporary Entry

	Median $	Average $
Student	500	748
Visitor	500	689
Work	1150	1328

Residence

	Median $	Average $
Skilled migrant	3500	3764
Family (Parent)	2500	2728
Family (Partner)	2600	2736
Family (Other)	2668	2839
Returning Residents Visa	500	1291
Residence to Work	3000	2907

Business

	Median $	Average $
Entrepreneur	5000	5886
Investor	8944	9618
Long Term Business Visa	7600	8315

*Charges can also be made for expenses such as photocopying, phone calls and couriers. These charges are not included in the above figures.

Adviser’s duty to client

Licensed immigration advisers must:

permanently display their current licence in a prominent position at their place of business
carry a wallet licence card with photo identification
supply you with a code of conduct and explain it to you
supply you with a written agreement
supply you with details of their complaints process

You can recognise a licensed immigration adviser by this trademark.

Complaining about poor immigration advice or services

If you are dissatisfied with the advice or services provided by your licensed immigration adviser, you can make a complaint [pdf, 14 pages, 666kB] to the Authority. You should consider discussing the problem with your adviser.

You can also talk to the Authority about your complaint. Licensed immigration advisers are required by the code of conduct to have an internal complaints process and must take steps to resolve the problem.

You should also send your licensed immigration adviser a letter or email that clearly explains the problem. It’s a good idea to write the word “complaint” on the top of the correspondence and include any reference numbers that the adviser may have given you.

It’s important to keep copies of all the correspondence.

If you're still not satisfied or don’t get a response, you should contact the Authority. This service is free. After your complaint is investigated, it may be referred to the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal

If you think a person is providing immigration advice and not licensed, you can report them (link) to the Authority. We take enforcement action against agents that are not licensed. Penalties include a maximum of seven years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to NZ$100,000.