News

Media enquiries

Newsletter #11

November 2008

Circle this date

Top Tips for Applicants  

Before you lodge your application, please allow sufficient time for:

  1. The police certificate (criminal record history), which will take 20 working days to process. You can contact us to obtain a Priv/F2 form signed by The Authority at info@iaa.govt.nz.
  2. Obtaining your activity records from Immigration New Zealand.
  3. Processing your client files, particularly the reference from your client.
  4. Organising your professional reference, and if necessary, completing your IELTS test.

When you lodge your application, please:

  1. Don’t send any original documents with your client files, as the Authority will not be returning any documentation submitted by applicants. All documents need to be translated into English.  
  2. Don’t staple your passport photo to the application form.
  3. Consult the client file ‘checklist’ (page 33) to make sure you’ve included all the necessary documents.
     

The Authority in the News

YTN Korea TV, a 24-hour news channel in Koreafeatured an item on the impact of the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act on Korean citizens. New Zealand-based reporter James Park told viewers that New Zealand was a popular destination for Koreans, having attracted around 19,000 Koreans in the past 10 years.  Park interviewed Seong Sik (Michael) Yoon, the first Korean immigration adviser to be granted a licence. The news item also featured interviews with The Authority and potential migrants. With the one year's grace period due to run out in May 2009, the message is timely. As one potential migrant said: “I am now preparing my application as a result of this law, I feel more comfortable in approaching immigration matters and have more trust in my adviser.” YTN’s worldwide satellite broadcasts to an estimated 10 million Koreans.

Making immigration advisers a recognised and regulated profession is timely and has been supported by the industry, immigration adviser Richard Howard wrote in the October edition of the Waikato Business News. Chairman of the New Zealand Association for Migration & Investment Inc and managing director of Pathways to New Zealand Ltd, Howard is one of the first advisers to be licensed in New Zealand. He told the business newspaper that the new regulations would “result in a more defined, professional and knowledgeable immigration advisory industry and provide migrants with confidence that they will get correct, appropriate and timely advice”.

Book your IELTS tests now

Just like immigration authorities in Canada and Australia, New Zealand immigration advisers are required to have a high standard of English. If you need to sit an IELTS test, book your place now at a test centre near you, click on www.ielts.org and select “New Zealand”.

Education and Continuing Professional Development

The Authority has been working on plans for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for licensed immigration advisers.  However, we need your feedback before finalising our policy. We need time to develop an implementation plan which is fair to everyone, so we have postponed the publication of a discussion document until November. We’ll let you know when the discussion document is available, so you’ll have plenty of time to give us your feedback.

If you are preparing an application, the current CPD requirements are outlined in the Application Booklet (page 11). You need to list activities that you have participated in over the last 12 months that are relevant to the provision of immigration advice.  Relevant activities include attending an NZAMI seminar or reading the INZ operations manual.

Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement

The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement makes it easier for advisers licensed with the Immigration Advisers Authority in New Zealand to gain a licence to operate in Australia. The same arrangement applies if you are an agent registered with the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) in Australia and want to operate in New Zealand. The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 recognises the regulatory standards adopted in Australia regarding equivalent-registered occupations.  Providing that advisers licensed with the Authority – and MARA-registered migration agents – meet all the requirements, the legislation will help streamline the registration process. You can download an application form here.

Last month, I spoke at the annual conference of the Migration Institute of Australia. My discussions centred on the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act and the impacts of moving to evidence-based licensing and the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (see below for details). The Authority has received its first application under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement and looks forward to receiving more. The conference highlighted the fact that while our legislation and regulatory framework differ from Australia, we are facing the same issues and challenges.

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