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Newsletter #13

February 2009

Registrar’s consultation on Continuing Professional Development

Thank you to everyone who made a submission on the consultation on continuing professional development. The team really appreciates the time and effort taken. All of your feedback will be taken into account.

We received 26 submissions in response to the consultation, including eight submissions from offshore. All of the submissions were either fully or broadly in support of the Registrar’s proposal to introduce a compulsory CPD programme in May 2010.

Until the compulsory CPD programme is implemented, the current competency standards continue to apply. This means that a licensed adviser must participate actively in relevant CPD activities. We will be publishing a renewal policy shortly. We will also publish guidance to assist you in planning your own professional development this year and determining what is relevant.

Although the formal consultation period has closed, we welcome feedback on aspects of CPD that you have found useful to your everyday practice. We also welcome your suggestions for education or topics and activities that would benefit the licensed adviser community. The consultation process revealed a clear message: you want as many opportunities as possible to network with and learn from each other. We agree and hope that our CPD proposals help you to continue to develop your own community of practice.

Authority Operational Update

Last year, the team communicated with 470 immigration advisers through workshops. In the past six months alone, we have dealt with more than 1100 telephone enquiries. From May 2008 to 31st January 2009, I have approved 76 applications and have another 54 in the assessment process. Two people have been refused a licence to operate as immigration advisers and their names are listed on the Register. Time is ticking for advisers to be licensed. Remember, all onshore immigration advisers must be licensed after 4 May 2009 (unless exempt). After 4 May 2009, Immigration NZ is required to refuse to accept applications or requests from unlicensed advisers, unless exempt. Licensing for overseas advisers is mandatory from 4 May 2010.

Internal Complaints Procedure

The Code of Conduct requires all licensed Immigration Advisers to have an internal procedure in place to deal with complaints from their clients. Remember, an internal complaints procedure allows for transparency in all dealings and ultimately protects you and your client. In the event that you are unable to resolve the complaint, you must advise your client that they have a right to complain to the Registrar.

Upgrading your licence

As you are aware, there are three types of licence: full, limited and provisional. It is possible to upgrade your licence; the prescribed fee is $535. However, some of the details and procedures for upgrading are still to be finalised. We are currently working on an upgrade policy and will inform you shortly about a publication date.

Renewing your Licence

The Authority’s policy for the first year of renewals will be available on this website in March 2009. The Renewals Policy will set out the process for renewing your licence and conveys the Authority’s expectations with respect to applications for renewal. Information will also be available in the FAQ section of this website shortly. Advisers should be aware that participation in continuing professional development (CPD) will be a focus of the assessment of applications for renewal. You should therefore continue to meet your CPD goals and keep records of your participation in CPD activities. Remember that you are required to advise the Authority of any changes in your circumstances, including your email and physical addresses, within 10 working days. We need your correct details to ensure a smooth process at the time your licence is due for renewal.

Employer Guideline

We have published a guideline for those involved in attracting, advising, recruiting or hiring migrants. There are several options available, which are explained in this guideline. The guideline basically seeks to respond to employer and recruitment sector concerns about whether they are giving advice or not. Most of these people are likely to be referring migrants to publicly available information and/or doing clerical work, and not giving immigration advice.

Changes to IELTS testing

Effective from 5 January 2009 the Registrar will accept evidence of IELTS test scores achieved in more than one sitting if both the following criteria are met:

AND

Website Upgrade

We are in the process of developing a new website that will be more functional and informative for advisers, migrants and employers, recruiters and educators. Our revamped website will be more accessible, and will include multi-media content to download. We are committed to creating a website that works for you and we welcome any suggestions. Please email info@iaa.govt.nz.

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