How to Complain About an Immigration Adviser in New Zealand
Complaints about a licensed immigration adviser go to the Registrar of Immigration Advisers, who may refer them to the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal. The Tribunal can cancel a licence and order an adviser to refund their fees. Where the person was never licensed, it is a criminal matter for the Immigration Advisers Authority instead.
Quick Facts
| Check first | Whether they are on the IAA register: app.mbieregisters.govt.nz, from www.iaa.govt.nz. Free |
| Licensed adviser — who receives the complaint | The Registrar of Immigration Advisers |
| Where it can be referred | The Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal |
| What the Tribunal can order | Cancelling an adviser's licence; ordering an adviser to refund their fees |
| Who administers the Tribunal | The Ministry of Justice, alongside the Immigration and Protection Tribunal |
| Never licensed — who deals with it | The Immigration Advisers Authority, which prosecutes |
| Unlicensed advice | Up to NZ$100,000 and/or 7 years' imprisonment, paid or unpaid |
| Lawyers | Not regulated by the IAA. Complaints go to the New Zealand Law Society |
| Past decisions | The IAA publishes judicial and tribunal decisions — they are searchable before you engage anyone |
| Timeframes and fees | Not published in our sources. Confirm on the Ministry of Justice page before relying on any deadline |
| Checked | August 2026 |
Step 1: Establish whether they were licensed
Everything downstream depends on this, and it takes a minute.
Search the person's name on the Immigration Advisers Authority public register at https://app.mbieregisters.govt.nz/iaa/ui/start/searchForAnOccupationalRegistration, reached from www.iaa.govt.nz. Search the individual rather than the firm, since licences are held by people. Detail on reading the result is in how to check an immigration adviser's licence.
| What you find | Which route applies |
|---|---|
| On the register | Code of Conduct complaint — Registrar of Immigration Advisers, possibly referred to the Tribunal |
| Not on the register, but a New Zealand lawyer with a current practising certificate | New Zealand Law Society — lawyers are exempt from IAA licensing and are regulated separately |
| Not on the register and not a lawyer | Criminal matter — Immigration Advisers Authority, which prosecutes unlicensed advice |
The middle row catches people out. A lawyer's absence from the IAA register is normal, not a red flag. See who is exempt from immigration adviser licensing.
Step 2: Identify what obligation was breached
A complaint is stronger when it points at a specific duty rather than describing a bad experience. Licensed advisers must:
- be honest, professional and respectful
- provide ongoing, timely updates
- charge fees that are fair and reasonable
- meet the IAA's competency standards and follow its Code of Conduct
Those are enforceable obligations, not aspirations. In practice, the most common complaints map onto them directly:
| What happened | The obligation it engages |
|---|---|
| Months of silence; unanswered emails; no idea what stage the application is at | Ongoing, timely updates |
| A fee far beyond what the work involved, or charges that were never explained | Fees that are fair and reasonable |
| Being told an outcome was guaranteed, or that processing could be sped up | Honesty — and note that no paid fast lane exists at all |
| Information submitted to INZ that you never provided or agreed to | Honesty; competency; potentially far more serious consequences for you |
| Documents or your file withheld after you ended the engagement | Professional conduct |
| Work done by an unlicensed staff member while a licensed adviser's name was on the file | Goes to the licensing regime itself |
Step 3: Gather the record before you write anything
Collect, in date order:
- the written agreement, engagement letter or terms, if there was one
- every invoice and receipt, and proof of what you actually paid
- the full message history — email, WhatsApp, text
- the application reference and any correspondence from INZ
- what you were told and when, particularly any promise about timing or outcome
- screenshots of the adviser's website or advertising, especially anything claiming a licence or promising speed
Screenshots matter more than people expect. Websites change, and a page that promised something in March may say something different by the time a complaint is heard.
Step 4: Lodge with the right body
For a licensed adviser. The Registrar of Immigration Advisers makes licensing decisions and handles complaints. Complaints that meet the threshold are referred to the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal, which sits under the Ministry of Justice and hears both referred complaints and licensing appeals.
Lodge through the Immigration Advisers Authority at www.iaa.govt.nz, following its complaints process. Use the official site rather than a link supplied by anyone else.
For someone who was never licensed. There is no Code of Conduct to breach, because the Code does not apply to them. What applies is the criminal offence in the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 — providing immigration advice without a licence, carrying up to NZ$100,000 and/or seven years' imprisonment, whether or not the person charged for it. Report it to the Immigration Advisers Authority, which prosecutes.
Two related offences are worth naming in a report if they fit: falsely claiming to be a licensed immigration adviser, and employing an unlicensed adviser, each carrying up to NZ$10,000 and/or two years. The second one applies to employers, recruiters and education agents in their own right. See the penalties for giving unlicensed immigration advice.
What the Tribunal can actually do
This is the part worth knowing before you decide whether it is worth your time.
The Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal "can make decisions like cancelling an adviser's licence or ordering an adviser to refund their fees."
Two things follow from that sentence.
The refund power is real, and it is unusual. Most consumer complaint processes end with a finding and no money. The Tribunal can order fees repaid. That is the single strongest reason to pursue a complaint against a licensed adviser rather than writing the loss off.
It only exists for licensed advisers. If the person was never licensed, this power does not reach them. A prosecution may follow, but a criminal penalty is a fine paid to the state, not compensation paid to you. Recovery in that situation runs through your payment provider and the fraud reporting agencies instead — see you've paid an immigration scammer: what to do now.
What we cannot tell you: deadlines and fees
The Tribunal's process, deadlines and any fees were not established from a primary source in our research, and we will not guess at them.
This is not caution for its own sake. A missed statutory deadline can end a right permanently, and a wrong number published confidently is worse than no number at all. Confirm the current process, any time limit and any fee directly from the Ministry of Justice page for the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal at justice.govt.nz, and from the Immigration Advisers Authority at www.iaa.govt.nz.
If you are anywhere near a deadline, treat it as urgent and confirm it today rather than relying on any third-party page — including this one.
Check the decisions before you engage anyone
The IAA publishes judicial and tribunal decisions alongside the register, the Code of Conduct, the competency standards and its enforcement policy.
That means findings against a named adviser are public. Anyone can read them before handing over money — and almost nobody does. If you are choosing an adviser now, this is a free five-minute check that no amount of website testimonials can substitute for. See how to find a licensed immigration adviser.
Two tribunals, two different jobs
People send complaints to the wrong one constantly, and it costs weeks.
| Body | What it deals with |
|---|---|
| Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal | The conduct of licensed immigration advisers. Can cancel a licence, can order a fee refund |
| Immigration and Protection Tribunal | Appeals against INZ decisions — residence class visa declines, refugee and protection matters, deportation liability |
If your complaint is about how your adviser behaved, it is the first. If it is about the decision INZ made on your application, it is the second — see Immigration and Protection Tribunal appeals. Both are administered by the Ministry of Justice, which is why the names blur.
What a complaint will not do
Being clear about this saves disappointment.
A complaint against an adviser is not an appeal against INZ. It does not reverse a visa decision, it does not restart processing, and it does not extend any INZ deadline. Those are separate processes with separate rules.
It also cannot make anything faster. INZ operates no expedited or premium channel at any price, so no complaint, escalation or intervention shortens a queue — see can you pay to speed up a New Zealand visa.
If your application itself is in trouble, that is its own problem and it runs on its own clock. Where the situation needs advice on your specific facts, that is work for a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer. This site publishes general information and does not assess individual cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I complain about an immigration adviser in New Zealand?
If they are on the IAA register, complain to the Registrar of Immigration Advisers through www.iaa.govt.nz. The complaint may be referred to the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal. If they are not licensed, report them to the Immigration Advisers Authority, which prosecutes unlicensed advice.
Can I get my adviser's fees refunded?
The Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal can order a licensed adviser to refund their fees. That power exists only for licensed advisers — there is no equivalent where the person was never licensed.
What is the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal?
A Ministry of Justice tribunal that hears complaints referred to it about licensed immigration advisers, and licensing appeals. It can cancel an adviser's licence and order a refund of fees. It is a different body from the Immigration and Protection Tribunal, which hears appeals against INZ decisions.
How long do I have to complain about an immigration adviser?
We could not verify a timeframe from a primary source and will not publish one. Confirm the current position directly with the Immigration Advisers Authority at www.iaa.govt.nz and the Ministry of Justice at justice.govt.nz, and do it promptly.
What if the person was never licensed at all?
Then the Code of Conduct does not apply and it is not a conduct complaint. Giving immigration advice without a licence is a criminal offence carrying up to NZ$100,000 and/or seven years' imprisonment, and the Immigration Advisers Authority is the body that prosecutes.
Can I complain about an immigration lawyer to the IAA?
No. New Zealand lawyers holding a current practising certificate are exempt from IAA licensing and are regulated by the New Zealand Law Society, which handles complaints about them.
Will complaining about my adviser affect my visa application?
A complaint about an adviser's conduct is a separate process from your application and does not reverse an INZ decision or change a processing queue. If your application itself is affected — for example because an unlicensed person is named on it — that is a different problem requiring advice on your own facts.
