What Immigration Advisers Charge in New Zealand
Neither Immigration New Zealand nor the Immigration Advisers Authority publishes an adviser fee scale, and in an August 2026 survey of roughly thirteen New Zealand adviser firms, none published its prices. The Code of Conduct requires fees to be fair and reasonable, and the Tribunal can order a refund — but there is no benchmark rate.
Quick Facts
| Official fee scale | None. Neither INZ nor the IAA publishes one |
| Published by advisers | Of roughly thirteen New Zealand firms surveyed in August 2026, none published fees openly |
| The legal standard | Fees must be fair and reasonable under the IAA Code of Conduct |
| Who enforces it | The Registrar of Immigration Advisers, and the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal |
| Tribunal powers | Can order an adviser to refund their fees, and can cancel a licence |
| INZ fees are separate | The application fee, immigration levy and International Visitor Levy are paid to INZ. No adviser can reduce them |
| Example INZ costs | Visitor Visa NZ$441 · AEWV NZ$1,540 · Skilled Residence NZ$6,450 · NZeTA NZ$17–23 + NZ$100 levy |
| Last general INZ fee rise | 1 October 2024. No general increase in 2025 or 2026 |
| What you should get | A written agreement setting out scope, total fee and exclusions |
| Checked | August 2026 |
Why this page has no price range
It would be easy to write "expect NZ$2,000 to NZ$6,000" and that sentence would rank well. We are not going to, because we could not verify it.
Here is what we could verify. Neither INZ nor the IAA publishes an adviser fee schedule or a recommended rate. And of roughly thirteen New Zealand adviser firms surveyed in August 2026, none published its fees openly — the question "how much does an immigration adviser cost in New Zealand?" appears verbatim as a heading on adviser websites, and the pages under those headings explain that it depends.
So any published range you find, including on sites that state one confidently, is either an estimate, an average of a handful of quotes, or invented. Quoting a number we cannot stand behind would make this page worse than useless: it would give you a false anchor to negotiate against.
What we can do instead is explain the rules that apply to the fee, what drives it, and how to test a quote.
The one rule that governs every fee
The IAA Code of Conduct requires licensed advisers to charge fees that are fair and reasonable.
That is not a suggestion, and it is not decorative. It is the standard applied when a complaint is assessed, and 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 consequences follow.
There is no cap and no floor. "Fair and reasonable" is measured against the work actually done, not against a published number. A high fee for complex work can be entirely proper. A modest fee for nothing can be a breach.
The written agreement is what makes it enforceable. A fee is easiest to test against a document describing what was to be done. Without one, both you and the Tribunal are working from memory. That is why the practical advice on this page is about documentation rather than about price.
The complaint route is set out in how to complain about an immigration adviser.
What drives the cost
Advisers price on the work involved, and the work varies enormously between applications that look similar from outside.
| Factor | Why it changes the fee |
|---|---|
| Type of application | A visitor visa and a residence application are not comparable pieces of work. Residence involves far more evidence, more assessment and a longer engagement |
| Number of people | Partners and dependent children add documents, and sometimes separate assessments |
| Complexity of your history | Character issues, medical issues, gaps in employment, previous declines and multiple countries of residence all add work |
| Whether there has already been a decline | A second attempt or a reconsideration requires understanding why the first failed |
| How complete your documents are | Chasing missing evidence is time |
| Whether an employer is involved | Employer accreditation and Job Check work sits on the employer's side and may be priced separately |
| Whether it may go to a tribunal | Appeal work is a different activity from application preparation |
| Scope | "Prepare and lodge" is not the same product as "handle everything until a decision" |
That last row causes most disputes. Two quotes that differ by a factor of two are often quotes for different work.
What a written agreement should contain
Ask for these in writing before any money moves. None of them is unusual to request.
- The scope of work — exactly which application, for whom, and what steps are included.
- The total fee, and whether it includes GST.
- What is excluded, and what would trigger an additional charge. Responses to a request for further information are the common example.
- The payment schedule — what is due when, and what happens to money already paid if the engagement ends early.
- Whether INZ's own fees are included or separate, and who pays them directly.
- Third-party costs — medicals, police certificates, translations, qualification assessments. These are real costs that are not the adviser's fee.
- How and how often you will be updated, which is a Code obligation in its own right.
- How the engagement ends, on either side, and what happens to your file.
If a firm will not put the scope and the total in writing, that is information about the firm.
INZ's fees are not the adviser's fees
This distinction gets blurred in conversation and it matters, because one part of the total is fixed by the government and identical whoever lodges.
| Paid to INZ | Paid to the adviser |
|---|---|
| Application fee | Professional fee for their work |
| Immigration levy | |
| International Visitor Levy, where it applies |
Some published INZ totals, so you know what portion is not negotiable:
| Application | INZ cost |
|---|---|
| NZeTA | NZ$17 (app) or NZ$23 (website) + NZ$100 levy |
| Visitor Visa | NZ$441 — NZ$300 fee + NZ$41 levy + NZ$100 levy |
| Accredited Employer Work Visa | NZ$1,540 |
| Working Holiday Visa | NZ$770 — NZ$215 + NZ$455 + NZ$100 |
| Skilled Residence | NZ$6,450 — NZ$2,880 + NZ$3,570 |
| Employer accreditation, standard | NZ$775 |
| Job Check | NZ$735 |
| Reconsideration of a declined temporary visa | NZ$220 |
No adviser can reduce any of these, and INZ does not refund them once an application has been processed, even where it is declined. The International Visitor Levy is never refunded. There has been no general INZ fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026 — INZ's fee page still reads "as of 1 October 2024" — so a quote citing an imminent fee rise as a reason to hurry is citing something that has not happened. The full schedule is in New Zealand visa fees.
Step 1: Define the work before you ask for a price
Write down which application, for how many people, and whether you want preparation only or representation through to a decision. Send the same description to everyone you approach.
Quotes for undefined work are not comparable, and this is the single most useful thing you can do to make them comparable.
Step 2: Get at least three written quotes
Because prices are effectively private in this market, comparison is the only benchmark available. Three written quotes for one defined scope will tell you more about the going rate than any published range could — including a range on this page.
Ask each to state the total, the exclusions, and whether INZ's fees are included.
Step 3: Check the adviser before you compare the price
A cheap quote from someone who is not on the register is not a saving. If an application names an adviser who is not licensed, INZ will refuse to accept or will decline it — so you would lose the application fee, the levies and the time as well as the fee you paid.
Search the name on the IAA public register at app.mbieregisters.govt.nz, reached from www.iaa.govt.nz. Free, and it takes a minute. See how to check an immigration adviser's licence.
Step 4: Test the quote against what is actually possible
Some things cannot be bought at any price, and a quote that includes them is priced on a promise that cannot be kept:
- Faster processing. INZ publishes no expedited or premium channel, and no such charge appears in its fee guide. See can you pay to speed up a New Zealand visa.
- A guaranteed outcome. No adviser controls an immigration officer's assessment.
- A job offer. Employment supporting a visa must be genuine and not offered as a result of payment.
- Reduced INZ fees. They are fixed.
What about lawyers?
New Zealand lawyers with a current practising certificate may also act on immigration matters and are exempt from IAA licensing. They set their own fees too, and there is no published scale for them either. Lawyers commonly bill by the hour where advisers more often quote fixed fees for defined work, but that is a general pattern rather than a rule, and it varies by firm.
Where a matter may reach the Immigration and Protection Tribunal or the courts, a lawyer is the natural choice. The comparison is in immigration adviser or immigration lawyer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an immigration adviser cost in New Zealand?
There is no published answer. Neither INZ nor the IAA publishes a fee scale, and in an August 2026 survey none of roughly thirteen New Zealand adviser firms published its prices. The only reliable method is to get several written quotes for the same defined scope of work.
Is there an official fee scale for New Zealand immigration advisers?
No. The Code of Conduct requires fees to be fair and reasonable, but sets no amounts. There is no recommended rate from INZ or the Immigration Advisers Authority.
Can I get an adviser's fees refunded if the service was poor?
The Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal can order a licensed adviser to refund their fees. That power applies only to licensed advisers, which is one more reason to check the register before you engage anyone.
Do adviser fees include Immigration New Zealand's fees?
Not necessarily — always ask. INZ's application fee, immigration levy and International Visitor Levy are separate charges paid to the government, and no adviser can reduce them.
Are immigration lawyers more expensive than advisers in New Zealand?
There is no published data either way. Both set their own fees, and neither profession has a published scale. Lawyers more often bill hourly and advisers more often quote fixed fees, but that varies by firm and by matter.
What should be in an immigration adviser's written agreement?
The scope of work, the total fee and whether it includes GST, what is excluded and what triggers extra charges, the payment schedule, third-party costs such as medicals and police certificates, how you will be updated, and how the engagement can end.
Why do adviser quotes vary so much for the same visa?
Usually because they are quotes for different work. "Prepare and lodge" and "represent through to a decision, including responses to any information requests" are different products. Define the scope yourself and send the same description to everyone.
