How to Find a Licensed Immigration Adviser for New Zealand
Start at the Immigration Advisers Authority public register — it is the only authoritative list of who may legally advise on New Zealand immigration. Search there first, then approach firms, not the other way round. New Zealand lawyers with a current practising certificate may also act, and will not appear on that register.
Quick Facts
| The authoritative list | The IAA public register: app.mbieregisters.govt.nz, reached from www.iaa.govt.nz |
| Cost to search | Free |
| Also allowed to act | New Zealand lawyers with a current practising certificate — they do not appear on the IAA register |
| Offshore agents | Exempt for student visa applications only. Work, visitor and residence advice requires a New Zealand licence wherever they are based |
| Do you need an adviser? | No. There is no requirement to use one for any New Zealand visa |
| Published fee scale | None. Advisers set their own fees |
| Code obligations | Honest, professional, respectful; ongoing timely updates; fees that are fair and reasonable |
| Disciplinary history | Public. The IAA publishes judicial and tribunal decisions |
| If you name an unlicensed adviser | INZ will refuse to accept or will decline the application |
| Nobody can offer | Faster processing. INZ operates no expedited or premium channel at any price |
| Checked | August 2026 |
Search the register first, not the web
Most people do this backwards. They search for "best immigration adviser New Zealand", find a firm with a good-looking website, and then try to verify it.
That order fails for a practical reason. Across roughly thirteen New Zealand adviser firms surveyed in August 2026, many did not name their individual advisers or licence numbers anywhere on their own homepages. So the site you are looking at often cannot be verified from itself. And marketing language — "immigration experts", "registered consultants", "approved agents" — carries no legal meaning at all. The only status that matters is being on the register, or being a lawyer.
Working from the register outward avoids all of that. Whoever you find there is licensed by definition.
Step 1: Open the IAA public register
Go to www.iaa.govt.nz, the Immigration Advisers Authority site, and follow its link to the Licensed Immigration Adviser Register. The register is hosted at:
https://app.mbieregisters.govt.nz/iaa/ui/start/searchForAnOccupationalRegistration
Type the address rather than following a link supplied by a firm you are considering. Older addresses for this register are still widely circulated online and no longer work; if a link fails, return to www.iaa.govt.nz and navigate from there.
Search by name if you have one, or browse to build a shortlist. Licences are held by individuals, so the name you want is the name of the person who will handle your file — not the trading name of the company.
Step 2: Read their disciplinary record
Alongside the register, the IAA publishes the Code of Conduct, competency standards, an enforcement policy, and judicial and tribunal decisions.
Decisions of the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal are public. Search each name on your shortlist. A previous finding — failing to keep clients informed, charging fees found not to be fair and reasonable — is exactly the information no website will volunteer, and it is free to read.
Step 3: Ask five questions before you pay anything
Ask these by email, so you have the answers in writing.
1. What is your licence number, and what name is it held under? A licensed adviser answers immediately. Any hesitation here has already told you something.
2. Who will actually do the work on my file? Firms employ unlicensed staff lawfully — clerical work, filing and data entry need no licence. But the person giving advice must be licensed. Get their name, and check it.
3. What is the total fee, what does it cover, and what is excluded? The Code requires fees that are fair and reasonable, and there is no published scale, so the only meaningful comparison is between written quotes for the same defined scope. See what immigration advisers charge in New Zealand.
4. Are INZ's own fees included or additional? Application fees, the immigration levy and the International Visitor Levy are paid to INZ and no adviser can reduce them. A Visitor Visa's NZ$441, for example, is NZ$300 + NZ$41 + NZ$100. Those go to the government, not to the adviser.
5. How and how often will you update me? "Ongoing, timely updates" is a Code obligation. Agree what it means in practice at the start, because failure to communicate is one of the most common complaints made against advisers.
Step 4: Get it in writing before you engage
Ask for a written agreement setting out the scope of work, the total fee, what triggers additional charges, and how the engagement ends. Read it before you pay.
The reason is enforcement. The Tribunal can order an adviser to refund their fees — and both the "fair and reasonable" test and any refund argument are far easier to make when there is a document describing what was agreed. A verbal quote is worth very little a year later.
Step 5: Confirm how they will access your application
Licensed advisers, lawyers, education agents, education providers, employers and travel agents lodge on other people's behalf through Immigration Online, each using their own account and RealMe login. Applicants can also share an application with an adviser using a unique sharing ID.
Nobody legitimate needs your personal RealMe credentials. See applying for a visa on behalf of someone else.
The offshore exemption is much narrower than people think
This is the single most misunderstood rule in this area, and it matters enormously if you are applying from India, the Philippines, China, Nigeria or anywhere else outside New Zealand.
The exemption for offshore advisers covers student visa applications only.
An agent based overseas may give immigration advice about student visa applications without a New Zealand licence. That is the whole exemption. For work, visitor or residence applications, an offshore agent must hold a New Zealand licence exactly like an adviser in Wellington. A great deal of material aimed at education and migration agents still describes this exemption as broader than it is.
So an overseas "migration consultant" advising you on a work visa or a residence application must appear on the IAA register. If they do not, and they are not a New Zealand lawyer, then naming them on your application means INZ will refuse to accept or will decline it. The full exempt list is in who is exempt from immigration adviser licensing.
Lawyers are a legitimate alternative
New Zealand lawyers holding a current practising certificate — as a barrister, or as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand — are exempt from IAA licensing. So are employees of lawyers and of incorporated law firms.
They will not appear on the IAA register, and that absence is normal. Check them instead through the New Zealand Law Society. Lawyers are the natural choice where a matter may end up in front of the Immigration and Protection Tribunal or the courts. The comparison is set out in immigration adviser or immigration lawyer.
Free and low-cost options
Not every question needs a paid engagement, and two exempt groups exist precisely for this.
| Source | What they can do |
|---|---|
| Citizens Advice Bureau | Employees and volunteers of a New Zealand CAB are exempt and may give immigration advice. Free |
| Community Law Centres | Employees and volunteers are exempt where one or more lawyers sit on the employing body or supervise its work. Free or low cost |
| Immigration New Zealand | Publishes the rules, criteria and fees. Its contact channels are on immigration.govt.nz |
None of these is a substitute for representation on a complex matter, but for a straightforward question they are real, lawful and free.
What no adviser can do for you
Worth knowing before you interpret a sales pitch.
- Make a decision faster. INZ publishes no expedited, premium or paid fast-track channel, and none appears in its fee guide. Nobody sells access to a lane that does not exist. See can you pay to speed up a New Zealand visa.
- Reduce INZ's fees or levies. Those are fixed by INZ and identical whoever lodges.
- Guarantee an outcome. No adviser controls an immigration officer's assessment.
- Get you a job offer. Employment supporting a visa must be genuine and not offered as a result of payment.
Any of those four in a pitch is a reason to look at the next name on your shortlist.
Do you need an adviser at all?
There is no requirement to use one for any New Zealand visa. Most applications are lodged by applicants themselves through Immigration Online.
Whether your situation warrants professional help depends on your own circumstances, and we are not able to assess that — doing so would be immigration advice, which this site does not give. What we can say is that an adviser's value is highest where a matter turns on judgement rather than form-filling: character or medical issues, a previous decline, a relationship that is hard to evidence, an appeal, or a complicated employment history. Those are the situations where the register is worth using.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find a licensed immigration adviser for New Zealand?
Search the Immigration Advisers Authority public register at app.mbieregisters.govt.nz, reached from www.iaa.govt.nz. It is the only authoritative list of who may legally advise on New Zealand immigration, and it is free to search.
Can an agent in India or the Philippines handle my New Zealand visa?
Only within the exemptions. The offshore exemption covers student visa applications only. For a work, visitor or residence application, an offshore agent must hold a New Zealand licence and appear on the IAA register.
Is there an official list of New Zealand immigration advisers?
Yes — the IAA public register. Any other "list of approved agents" is a marketing page. Note that New Zealand lawyers with a current practising certificate may also act and will not be on that register.
How do I choose between immigration advisers?
Start from the register rather than from advertising, read the published tribunal decisions for each name, ask who will personally handle the file and what their licence number is, and compare written quotes for the same defined scope of work.
Do I need an immigration adviser to apply for a New Zealand visa?
No. There is no requirement to use one for any New Zealand visa, and most applications are lodged by applicants themselves through Immigration Online.
What if the adviser I want is not on the register?
Unless they are a New Zealand lawyer with a current practising certificate or fall into another exempt category, they may not legally advise you — and naming them on an application means INZ will refuse to accept or will decline it.
Can an immigration adviser guarantee my visa will be approved?
No. No adviser controls the outcome of an assessment, and a guarantee of approval is not something any licensed adviser can properly offer.
