Why do I need an Immigration Advisor?
You don’t have to have an immigration advisor to lodge your application for a visa. You can certainly try to lodge your own application. BUT, if the outcome is important to you there is a great deal of benefit to having a licensed, skilled and seasoned immigration advisor taking care of every step of your application. A successful visa application is life changing and not just for you but for your entire family.
The reality of our immigration process
When reading the INZ web site, it appears that the process for visa applications is a clear cut, logical progression of document submissions and approvals. Behind the scenes there is a maze of regulations, laws, interpretations, definitions and precedents that can contort even the most straight forward of applications.
INZ is comprised of many immigration offices who interpret an almost 1000 page manual of detailed, complex immigration policy. The immigration act was introduced in 1987. Then came the immigration regulations in 1991. Both were followed by many amendments. Each case reviewed by the immigration officers may influence future policy. New interpretations are a constant and are circulated by INZ to both the immigrations officers; Who then adjust their approach to approvals, and immigration advisors; Who then adjust their approach to preparing visa applications for their clients. There are many other boards and authorities involved whose every decision may impact immigration policy.
Therefore, the successful preparation of an immigration application requires far more than the completion and submission of forms. It requires a comprehensive and up to date knowledge of immigration law, policy interpretation and decision precedents. The INZ and other informative web sites may give the reader simple descriptions of policy but it does little to convey the reality of how an individual case may interact with policy and how that interaction may impact the outcome in the granting of a visa.
Any person may lodge his or her own application without the assistance of a professional advisor. Persons considering doing so should, however, be aware that there are many risks involved. Consider first that under New Zealand government policy that in lodging your own application you are then obligated to meet all of the requirements of policy, including providing full details of all relevant matters, whether previously requested or not AND whether you understand that obligation or not. Applications which do not meet the requirement are, quite simply declined.
Your immigration consultant has the experience to identify the information which will best support your application. It is the responsibility of your consultant to identify the information required and to exclude that which could compromise the application. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is not an advisory body and neither does it have any obligation to help applicants. The INZ officer will not help you with your application. He/she will fulfill their role and decide cases on the basis of information given to it, and according to policy and the law.
• Do you know the strict requirements on the age of some documents at date of lodgment?
• Do you know which qualifications have NZ equivalency?
• Do you know what work experience is relevant?
• Do you know how to accurately calculate your points under the point system?
• Do you know if any of the “approved” or “not approved” lists will apply to your application?
More importantly, do you know that approximately 70% of the applications that have been lodged by applicants directly have been declined? (those people all believed they were eligible). Worse still consider that the Residence Appeal Authority overturned approximately 50% of those decisions on appeal.
Remember, your licensed immigration advisor is trained to ensure that your application meets the criteria for your chosen visa category. They can advocate for you with INZ where special circumstances exist. They can respond to prejudicial charges during the immigration process and assist you in meeting the many requests for information from INZ.
If your new life in New Zealand really matters to you, don’t be an immigration rejection statistic.
Let an immigration advisor make you a New Zealand migrant success story. Visa Eligibility Assessment