Immigration Adviser’s licence cancelled — ordered to pay $58,500 in compensation
Licensed Immigration Adviser Tzu-Tong Jane Ma has had her licence cancelled after serious breaches of the law. She has also been ordered to pay $58,500 in compensation to two migrants and a $10,000 penalty.
The Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal has banned Ms Ma from applying for a new licence for 2 years.
In the most recent case, Ms Ma helped 2 migrants apply for work visas sponsored by a building company owned by her husband. The jobs did not exist, and she did not tell anyone about the conflict of interest.
When the migrants arrived in New Zealand, they found there was no work available and were left without income for weeks, causing them significant stress.
This case follows earlier findings where Ms Ma was found to have breached her professional obligations 51 times across 5 other complaints. These included giving false information to Immigration New Zealand and failing to follow the Licensed Immigration Advisers Code of Conduct.
Ms Ma has previously been fined $17,000, ordered to pay $19,061 in compensation to another client, and told to complete further training. She gave incorrect advice, did not communicate properly with clients, and misrepresented their situations to Immigration New Zealand.
Registrar Duncan Connor said seeking the cancellation of a licence is a last resort, but necessary to protect the public and maintain high professional standards. Given the seriousness of complaints and pattern of behaviour the Authority also sought an earlier suspension of Ms Ma's licence which was granted by the Tribunal pending the outcome of the final Tribunal decision.
Tribunal Chair DJ Plunkett said Ms Ma’s behaviour showed a clear pattern of serious misconduct, including dishonesty and a failure to admit any wrongdoing.
If you’re looking for a licensed immigration adviser, you can search the official register on our website:
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If you’re concerned about advice you’ve received, you can contact the Immigration Advisers Authority to make a complaint:
Providing immigration advice without a licence is illegal and can lead to fines of up to $100,000 or up to 7 years in prison.