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Newsletter #14

March 2009

Get Licensed or risk Penalties

Time is running out if you want to continue to practice as an immigration adviser. There are only eight weeks remaining before all immigration advisers must be licensed in New Zealand. If you provide immigration advice without a licence (unless you are exempt) after 4 May, you could face a fine of up to NZ$10,000 and/or seven years imprisonment. Submit your application now.

English Language Testing

In December 2008, we made one minor change to the evidence requirements for English language. We now accept IELTS scores accumulated in two tests, if certain requirements are met. It’s important that you fully understand the evidence requirements as outlined in the policy guideline Competency Standard 5: English Language on our website.

Congratulations to first Samoan Adviser

Congratulations to first Samoan Adviser

Taavao Vole (centre) has become the first Samoan adviser to be licensed by the Authority. He was honoured in a ceremony in Samoa last month, which was attended by Samoa’s Deputy Prime Minister Misa Telefoni Retzlaff (right). Auckland-based Taavao established Telestial General Consultancy Services Limited in 2007, in partnership with Maiava Visekota Peteru (left), a lawyer based in Samoa.

New faces at IAA

Kristy Davis and Jason Chand are the latest members to join the Authority team. Kristy has an extensive investigation background with multiple agencies and joins the investigation team headed by Sonette de Koster.

Jason Chand has a law degree and previously worked in law and information technology. He has been appointed Licensing Assessor for the Assessment team headed by Melissa England.


LATEST NEWS FROM IMMIGRATION NEW ZEALAND

Impact of the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 on INZ’s immigration systems, processes and policies

From 4 May 2009, section 9 of the Act requires Immigration New Zealand (INZ) to refuse to accept applications from unlicensed onshore advisers. To meet this requirement, Immigration New Zealand is about to introduce changes to processes, operational policy, and systems (including the Expression of Interest and Working Holiday Schemes Online) to enable all immigration branches to identify unlicensed onshore advisers from 4 May 2009.

The first change will be the release of new immigration forms in March 2009. The new forms require all immigration advisers (licensed, exempt or offshore) to provide details about their adviser status and whether they are ordinarily resident in New Zealand.

System, policy and process changes “Go Live” on 4 May 2009. This release will include an Amendment Circular, Internal Administration Circular and Questions and Answers.

From 4 May 2009, if an onshore adviser acting on behalf of an immigration client is not on the Register (or not exempt), their application will be returned failed lodgement and Immigration New Zealand will advise the Registrar of the Immigration Advisers Authority (the Authority). Advisers who are awaiting a licensing decision from the Registrar are considered unlicensed.

INZ issues advice about submitting an application on behalf of your client from 4 May 2009

INZ has produced the following advice: “If you submit an application on a new form with your adviser details completed, your application should be accepted for assessment (assuming that the application meets all other mandatory lodgement requirements).

If you submit an old form (non-IAL version), then your application will be put on hold at lodgement stage while we seek your licence details.

You can prevent this processing delay by supplying your Immigration Adviser details on the new Immigration Advisers Details form, which will be released in March 2009.”


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