Make a complaint
We are responsible for receiving complaints about licensed immigration advisers and anyone giving immigration advice unlawfully without a licence.
Anyone can make a complaint. You do not need to be the person who received the immigration advice.
If you make a complaint to us at the Immigration Advisers Authority:
- there is no cost for making a complaint to us
- it will not affect any immigration matters you may have before Immigration New Zealand
- we cannot influence your immigration status.
Providing New Zealand immigration advice when neither licensed nor exempt is an offence under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act. Anyone found breaking the law can face seven years in prison and a fine of up to NZ$100,000. You can help stop illegal immigration advisers by reporting them to us.
Complaints against licensed immigration advisers can be made on a number of grounds including:
- dishonest or misleading behaviour
- negligence
- incompetence
- incapacity
- breaching the Code of Conduct.
Find out if the person in question has a licence by checking the online register or if they are exempt by checking our list of exempt persons.
If you are unsure about making a complaint, contact us.
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PDF, 469 KB
Complaint form
Use the form to lodge a complaint against a licensed or unlicensed immigration adviser
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PDF, 447 KB
Complaint process flowchart - A4
What happens when the authority receives a complaint about a licensed adviser?
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PDF, 607 KB
Complaint process flowchart - A3
What happens when the authority receives a complaint about a licensed adviser?