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Newsletter #5

5 June 2008

Jenny Lin and Jay Typoco

As the Authority completes its first month of operation I am pleased to welcome to the team Jay Typoco, our Business Manager. Jay has a background in operations management, having spent 10 years in the meat and livestock industry.

He has also worked with a regulatory team in local government, and is eager to apply his business skills and experience in his new role. Jay will be working closely with Jenny Lin (pictured with Jay), our Administration Officer.

INZ Adviser Activity Record

To apply for a licence you will require your Immigration New Zealand (INZ) Adviser Activity Record (as detailed on page 23 of the Immigration Advisers Authority Application book).

To obtain this from INZ you will need to provide your client code. If you don’t know your code you should contact your local INZ office. The “INZ Client Code” is the number which uniquely identifies you to INZ.

First Licence Application

We received our first application for a licence just a week after the Authority’s official business start date of May 5. The Authority’s performance requirement is for new licence applications are to be processed within 40 working days of receiving a full application.

Business Management: Why the need for separate bank accounts?

The Code of Conduct’s “Business Management” section clearly states that licensed Advisers must manage finances, records, documents, staff, and contracts to a high level of professionalism.

This includes a requirement to keep a separate clients’ bank account, track all transactions and make all records available to the Authority upon request. This account is for all client fees paid in advance and/or disbursements. You will only draw funds held on behalf of clients as payments or fees fall due. While some of the bigger businesses might currently have software packages that achieve this, the approach adopted in the Code of Conduct will work for businesses of any size.

For immigration advice to become a respected, professional industry, it is crucial that Advisers adhere to good business practices.

New website information

Our immigration advice policy will shortly be available in the Policy Guidelines link “What is Immigration Advice?” under the Key Information tab on the Authority’s website. We have also updated questions on the Not for Profit sector in our Frequently Asked Questions section.

Contact us

As always, please feel free to contact us on info@iaa.govt.nz, freephone 0508 IAA IAA (0508 422 422 — New Zealand only) or write to us at PO Box 6222, Auckland 1141, New Zealand. Or you can visit us at: www.iaa.govt.nz

Barry Smedts
Registrar of Immigration Advisers

Licensed professionals = Protected migrants