How to Work as an Immigration Adviser in New Zealand

Calling yourself an immigration adviser, a visa consultant or a migration agent makes no legal difference in New Zealand. If you give immigration advice for a living, you must hold a licence from the Immigration Advisers Authority, unless you fall into one of the small exempt groups set out in law.

This guide covers both sides of the job: how to become a licensed adviser, step by step, and how anyone looking for help with a visa can find an adviser and check they are properly licensed before paying them anything.

Quick answer

To work as an immigration adviser in New Zealand, complete the Graduate Diploma in New Zealand Immigration Advice (Level 7), arrange supervision with a fully licensed adviser, and apply to the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) for a provisional licence. You then work under supervision for two years before you can upgrade to a full licence. Licences last 12 months, must be renewed each year, and require 20 hours of continuing professional development in each licensing period.

If you are looking for an adviser, use the IAA public register. Search the person’s name, confirm the licence is current, and ask to see their digital licence certificate. Only individuals can be licensed. A company name on a website proves nothing.

What counts as immigration advice?

The Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 defines immigration advice broadly: using knowledge of, or experience in, immigration matters to advise, direct, assist or represent another person on a New Zealand immigration matter. It does not matter whether you charge for it, or whether you do it directly or through someone else.

Telling a client which visa they qualify for is advice. So is suggesting how they should answer a question on an application form, writing a covering letter for their application, or recommending what extra evidence to include.

Some help is not advice, and anyone can give it. You can pass on publicly available information, point someone to Immigration New Zealand, the IAA or a licensed adviser, and provide translation, interpreting, settlement support or basic clerical work under direction. Crossing the line into advice without a licence is a criminal offence, not a paperwork issue.

Who must be licensed, and who is exempt?

Anyone providing New Zealand immigration advice, in New Zealand or overseas, must be licensed by the IAA unless exempt. Section 11 of the Act lists the exempt groups:

• People giving advice only in an informal or family context, provided the advice is not given systematically and no fee is charged
• Members of Parliament and their staff, when acting within the scope of their employment agreement
• Foreign diplomats and consular staff with protection under the relevant diplomatic and consular Acts
• Public service employees giving advice within the scope of their employment agreement
• Lawyers who hold a current New Zealand practising certificate as a barrister, or as a barrister and solicitor
• People employed by, or volunteering for, a community law centre, where a lawyer is involved in the governing body or in a supervisory role
• People employed by, or volunteering for, a Citizens Advice Bureau
• People based offshore who advise only on student visa applications

That last exemption catches people out. An education agent overseas can advise on student visas only. The same agent cannot advise on work, visitor or residence matters, and an agent based in New Zealand gets no student visa exemption at all. Note on lawyers: only a lawyer with a current New Zealand practising certificate gets the exemption. A law graduate, paralegal, or overseas lawyer without one does not.

The qualification you need

There is one approved study route for new advisers: the Graduate Diploma in New Zealand Immigration Advice (Level 7). Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology is the only provider in the country offering it, and the course was developed with the IAA and the industry to meet licensing requirements.

Key facts about the diploma, from Toi Ohomai:

• Level 7, 120 credits, made up of eight papers studied in sequence
• Delivered fully online, with tutorials at set times, so it can be studied from anywhere in the world
• One year full time, with part time study also available
• Indicative fee of $6,304 for domestic students, as listed by Toi Ohomai at the time of writing. Fees change, so check the course page before you budget
• Next intake listed as February 2027, with a further start in July 2027

The first four papers cover the industry and professional responsibilities, immigration law and decision making, temporary entry, and residence. You must pass those four before the final four: professional practice, specialist areas, managing client cases, and compliance, unlawful status and deportation.

Entry requirements are strict

This is not an open entry course. You generally need an undergraduate degree completed in New Zealand, or an overseas qualification recognised as equivalent, either through Immigration New Zealand’s list of qualifications exempt from assessment or through an NZQA International Qualification Assessment. Without a degree, you can ask for special admission based on experience equivalent to a degree. Toi Ohomai gives three years or more of relevant professional experience, involving analysis and problem solving, as an example.

English requirements mirror the IAA Competency Standards and are set high. If you cannot show the required schooling history in English, you need a recent test result. For IELTS Academic, the minimums are 7.0 for writing, 6.5 each for reading, listening and speaking, and 7.0 overall. TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic options are also listed on the course page. Toi Ohomai states it cannot accept other evidence or make exceptions, and home based online test versions are not accepted.

Before you enrol, read section 15 of the Act. Some people are prohibited from holding a licence, and there is little point completing a diploma if your history will stop you being licensed at the end of it.

Step by step: from student to licensed adviser

Step 1: Complete the first four papers

You do not need to finish the whole diploma before starting licensed work. Once you have completed the first four papers, you can apply for a provisional licence, subject to the IAA timing rules: an approved qualification or entry course completed within the 12 months before you apply, or an approved refresher course within that window if you qualified earlier. Plan your application around your study dates.

Step 2: Find a supervisor

A provisional licence is a supervised licence. Before you apply, you need a supervision arrangement with a supervisor who holds a full licence, evidenced by a completed Form 101A and a signed supervision agreement. Good supervisors are in demand, so start these conversations early. Many students line up supervision through an employer in an immigration practice.

Step 3: Apply to the IAA for a provisional licence

Applications are made online through the IAA portal. For an initial application you will need:

• A digital passport quality photograph
• A certified copy of your personal identification
• A police certificate or criminal history record for each country you have lived in for 12 months or more during the last 10 years, covering all names you are or have been known by. Our guide to getting a police check in NZ explains how police records and vetting work here
• Form 101A and your signed supervision agreement
• Any documents relevant to your fitness to be licensed, if applicable
• A credit or debit card for the application fee, or an IAA letter confirming not for profit status

The Registrar assesses whether you meet the Immigration Adviser Competency Standards and whether you are fit to be licensed. Fitness is a real test. Criminal convictions, immigration offences and bankruptcy can all be considered.

The IAA aims to process fully complete initial applications within 15 working days. If approved in principle, you pay the levy online within 20 working days. Miss that window and the Registrar may refuse the application, with the refusal recorded on the register. Once the levy is paid, your details go on the public register, you can start giving advice, and you can download your digital licence. If refused, you will be told in writing, the refusal will appear on the register, and you can appeal to the District Court.

Step 4: Work two years on a provisional licence, then upgrade

While you hold a provisional licence you must be supervised by a fully licensed adviser for two years before you can upgrade. You can advise clients during this period, but your supervisor oversees your work. Think of it as a structured apprenticeship inside a regulated profession.

After you have completed all eight papers, been awarded the qualification, and finished two years under supervision, you can apply to upgrade to a full licence. A full licence holder can advise on all immigration matters without supervision. There is also a third licence type, a limited licence, which allows advice only on specific matters recorded on the licence. It is less common for new entrants, whose normal path is provisional, then full.

The Australian route

Current Australian registered migration agents have a separate pathway under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997. They can apply for a New Zealand licence based on their Australian registration and can be granted a full licence without having previously held a New Zealand one. They must still comply with the New Zealand code of conduct and competency standards.

What it costs to get licensed

The IAA charges two amounts for an initial licence: an application fee when you apply, and a levy once you are approved in principle. Fees cover processing and assessment. Levies help fund the IAA’s other functions and the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal.

Current initial licence costs published by the IAA are:

Cost	Ordinarily resident in NZ (including GST)	Not ordinarily resident in NZ
Application fee	$909.78	$791.11
Levy	$1,129.55	$982.22
Total	$2,039.33	$1,773.33

Ordinarily resident, for this purpose, means you have spent more than 183 days in New Zealand in the previous 12 months and are not unlawfully in New Zealand. Payments are in New Zealand dollars only, made online by Visa or Mastercard.

Add the diploma fee on top. Licensing is not a one off cost either: licences run for 12 months and renewal is annual.

One exception: if you will act on a not for profit basis, or work or volunteer for a not for profit organisation, you may be entitled to a fee waiver. Not for profit status must be obtained before you apply, and the IAA asks for that application at least two months before your licence application.

Staying licensed: renewal, CPD and the code of conduct

Licences are issued for 12 months and expire at 11.59pm NZT on the date shown on the register. Your renewal application must be in on or before that date. Let it lapse and you must stop giving advice.

CPD is compulsory: 20 hours of continuing professional development in each licensing period, with a CPD plan and record that the IAA may inspect at renewal. Treat it as part of the job from day one.

Every adviser must also follow the Licensed Immigration Advisers Code of Conduct. In practice it requires advisers to, among other things:

• Show clients evidence that they are licensed
• Be honest, professional, diligent and respectful, and act with due care and in a timely way
• Give objective advice and declare conflicts of interest, including any commission they will receive
• Put a written agreement in place before work starts, setting out the services and the fees
• Charge fees that are fair and reasonable, and invoice with full descriptions
• Tell clients when an application has been lodged and give ongoing, timely updates
• Keep client documents safe and return them securely

Your licence is now digital. The IAA no longer issues plastic wallet cards or paper certificates. You download it from the IAA portal, and clients verify it via the QR code, which links to your register profile. Do not let anyone else use your licence. It is personal to you.

Finding and checking an adviser, if you need one

Plenty of readers do not want the job. They want help with their own application, perhaps a resident visa or a parent resident visa, and have searched for an immigration adviser or visa consultant near them. These checks take a few minutes and are worth doing before you hand over money or documents.

Use the public register

The IAA maintains an online register of licensed immigration advisers. Search the person’s name and open their public profile. Check three things: that there is a profile at all, that the licence is current rather than expired, surrendered, refused, suspended or cancelled, and whether the licence is full, provisional or limited. A provisional adviser must be supervised by a full licence holder. A limited adviser can only advise on the matters recorded on their licence.

Ask to see the digital licence, and check the person, not the firm

Ask the adviser to show their digital licence certificate, then scan the QR code yourself. It should lead to that same person’s register profile. If the name or photo does not match, walk away. Only individuals hold licences, so a company website or trading name proves nothing. Find the named individual who will advise you, and check that person.

Know what good practice looks like

Before any work starts, a licensed adviser must give you a written agreement setting out services and fees. Fees must be fair and reasonable, you should get proper invoices, and you should be told when your application is lodged. Guaranteeing a visa outcome, asking you to sign blank forms, or suggesting you leave information off an application are serious warning signs. Immigration New Zealand will not accept an application put forward for you by an unlicensed adviser who is not exempt, so using one can damage the application itself.

If something goes wrong

Raise the problem with your adviser first, using their internal complaints process. If that does not resolve it, you can complain to the IAA, which also investigates unlicensed advice. The IAA is separate from Immigration New Zealand: it cannot give immigration advice or influence a visa outcome.

You can browse more guides in our immigration category if you are still working out which visa route fits your situation.

Penalties for giving unlicensed advice

The Act backs the licensing system with heavy penalties. A person convicted of providing immigration advice without a licence or exemption can face up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. That applies even if no fee was charged. There are separate offences around employing or contracting an unlicensed, non exempt person as an adviser. Licensed advisers who breach the code of conduct can have complaints referred to the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal, which can impose sanctions including cancelling a licence.

For clients, the practical risk is just as real. Money paid to an unlicensed operator may be gone, documents may not be returned, and a badly or dishonestly prepared application can affect future visas. A two minute register check is cheap insurance.

FAQs

Is a visa consultant the same as a licensed immigration adviser?

No. Visa consultant is a job title anyone can use, with no legal status. What matters is whether the individual holds a current IAA licence, or is exempt, for example a New Zealand lawyer with a current practising certificate. Check the person, not the title.

Can I give immigration advice without a licence if I do not charge?

No. The offence covers advice given whether or not it is for gain or reward. Genuine informal help within a family, not given systematically and not for a fee, is exempt.

How long does it take to become a fully licensed adviser?

Allow at least three years in most cases: one year full time for the diploma (longer part time), with a provisional licence available after the first four papers, then two years supervised before upgrading to a full licence.

Can I study the diploma from overseas?

Yes. The course is fully online and can be studied from anywhere in the world. Licensing is not limited to people in New Zealand, although IAA fees differ by ordinary residence.

How much does an immigration adviser charge clients?

The IAA does not set client fees. The code of conduct requires fees to be fair and reasonable, set out in a written agreement before work begins, and invoiced with full descriptions.

Sources

• Immigration Advisers Authority, How to apply for an initial licence: https://iaa.govt.nz/become-a-licensed-adviser/how-to-apply-for-an-initial-licence/
• Immigration Advisers Authority, Working with a licensed immigration adviser: https://iaa.govt.nz/for-migrants/working-with-a-licensed-immigration-adviser/
• Immigration Advisers Authority, For migrants: https://iaa.govt.nz/for-migrants/
• Immigration Advisers Authority, Apply for an initial licence (Licensing Toolkit): https://iaa.govt.nz/for-advisers/adviser-tools/licensing-toolkit/apply-for-an-initial-licence/
• Immigration Advisers Authority, Information for education agents: https://iaa.govt.nz/can-i-give-advice/information-for-education-agents/
• Immigration Advisers Authority, Licence identification (digital licences): https://iaa.govt.nz/for-advisers/your-licence/licence-identification/
• Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, via New Zealand Legislation: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2007/15/en/2014-01-01.pdf
• Immigration New Zealand, Operational Manual, advisers acting for applicants: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual-archive/18530.HTM
• Toi Ohomai, Graduate Diploma in New Zealand Immigration Advice (Level 7): https://www.toiohomai.ac.nz/study/course/graduate-diploma-new-zealand-immigration-advice-level-7

Disclaimer

This article is general information about working as an immigration adviser in New Zealand, and about finding one. It is not immigration, legal or career advice for your individual situation. Rules, course details and fees change, so confirm current requirements with the IAA and Toi Ohomai before applying or enrolling. For advice on a visa application, use a licensed adviser or an exempt person, such as a New Zealand lawyer with a current practising certificate.