Tag Archives: Immigration information

How to prepare for your appointment with an immigration lawyer

How to prepare for your appointment with a New Zealand immigration lawyerIf you’ve booked or are planning to book an appointment with an immigration lawyer in New Zealand, it can be hard to know what the process is, and what you need to bring.

Firstly, if you are yet to book your appointment, it’s best to check that you really do need an immigration lawyer. If you’re unsure, check out our article: immigration adviser vs immigration lawyer – whose help do you need?

We understand that immigration cases and New Zealand visa applications are expensive.

We want to make sure you get cost-effective and timely advice during your appointment. We’ve compiled a list of what you need to prepare before your appointment with a New Zealand immigration lawyer to make sure you get the most out of it.

Preparing for an immigration law appointment

For all appointments, bring:

  • Your visa (a photocopy is fine)
  • The date of your last police clearance check
  • The date you supplied your medical and x-ray certificates to Immigration New Zealand.

We strongly recommend preparing a list of any questions you might like to ask on the day. It is also helpful if you write a brief summary of your situation covering everything you think we may need to know. It is in your best interest to be honest and upfront about your situation with your immigration lawyer so that missed information doesn’t trip you up later on.

How to prepare for your appointment with a New Zealand immigration lawyer

You are welcome to bring a support person(s) and/or a translator if you struggle with English. Please keep in mind, however, that you will be discussing highly personal matters, so you need to trust this person to keep your information confidential.

There is no need to arrive early before your appointment, but do arrive on time. If you need tp change your appointment or are running late, please let us know as early as possible.

Other documentation required for your appointment is dependent on your reasons for going to an immigration lawyer in New Zealand.

How to prepare for your appointment with a New Zealand immigration lawyer

If you are applying for a New Zealand residence or New Zealand work visa, you will need to bring:

  • Photocopies of your offer of employment and, if possible, contract and job description
  • Background information about your employer, including:
    • The size of the company
    • How many employees it has
    • Whether it has supported work/residence visas in the past
  • Photocopies of any qualifications
  • Work experience references, and/or details of your prior work experience including dates of employment and descriptions of the tasks you performed
  • Copies of any correspondence from Immigration New Zealand relating to previous applications.

If you are wishing for help or intervention on a case you have filed, you need to bring:

  • A timeline of events, and any evidence to support this
  • A copy of the application documentation (especially in the case of an unsuccessful New Zealand visa application)

Copies of letters from Immigration New Zealand that detail the problems with the case.How to prepare for your appointment with a New Zealand immigration lawyer

Perhaps you have prepared your own case or visa application and just want:

  • A review of your application to ensure you have everything covered
  • A review of your documentation to ensure it meets the right visa criteria, and that you have everything you need
  • An assessment of whether your case is strong enough.

In this case, we recommend our 90-minute immigration clinic appointment. This appointment has a set fee and is the most cost-effective way to ensure your application is as strong as it can be, saving you the risk of spending time and money on an unsuccessful application.

You can book or find out more about our 90-minute immigration clinic appointment here.

How to prepare for your appointment with a New Zealand immigration lawyer

If you are an employer in the process of hiring a migrant employee(s), you must bring:

  • Copies of any advertisements for the position
  • A draft of the employment agreement and job description.

For more information about hiring migrant employees, check out our Employer Resources section, and our Employer Checklist. You can also view more about our business services here.

How to prepare for your appointment with a New Zealand immigration lawyer

If you are a migrant and already have an employment or skilled migrant visa, but feel you are being exploited by your employer, you will need to bring:

  • A copy of your contract
  • Evidence of exploitation. If this is on your phone (i.e., text messages or voice mail) you are welcome to simply bring that. If you don’t have evidence, please write a detailed timeline of the events that took place.

We understand that this is a very difficult situation, as your New Zealand visa can depend on your employer complying with New Zealand law. We take these situations very seriously, and we are legally required to keep your information private, so you can be sure that anything discussed with us won’t be shared. If you are unsure whether you are being exploited in your place of work, you can find out more about your rights as an employee here.

How to prepare for your appointment with a New Zealand immigration lawyer

After your first appointment, you can expect to have gained:

  • An understanding of your current legal position
  • An understanding of the application process and your chances of securing the type of visa you want
  • An understanding of any weaknesses in your case and whether they can be strengthened
  • A strategy for your application to ensure best chance of success.

We will provide you with a written Terms of Engagement that will map out the work we intend to undertake, as well as an estimate of fees, how long it is likely to take to receive a decision, and, finally, our terms and conditions.

As each case is hugely different from the next, we do not charge a set rate for case appointments (except for our 90-minute immigration clinic appointment). However, the first half hour of the initial appointment is free, which should give us enough time understand the situation and estimate costs, and allow you to decide whether you wish to proceed.

Find out more about our process here.

Aaron Martin, principal lawyer of NZIL, has been working as an immigration lawyer in New Zealand for over 20 years. In this time he has worked with many clients with a wide range of situations – from New Zealand visa applications to deportation. If you’d like to hear some of our client’s success stories, check out our client testimonials here.

If you have any other questions about your specific case, or what you may need to do to prepare for your case, please do not hesitate to contact the office either through our website, or by emailing questions@nzil.co.nz, or calling +64 (0) 9 869 2952.

New Electronic Transport Authority: A recipe for chaos and confusion?

New Zealand ETA Visa - A Recipe for Chaos and Confusion

On February 25th, the details of the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) were confirmed by the New Zealand Government. The ETA, as described by Immigration New Zealand (INZ), is a “security and facilitation measure that will help speed things up at the border”.

Travellers who are required to hold an ETA before they travel to New Zealand will include:

• Travellers from visa waiver countries
• Australian permanent residents (with the exception of Australian passport holders)
• All cruise ship passengers, regardless of nationality
• Air and cruise crew

People in these groups will be able to apply for the ETA from next month, with the authority becoming mandatory to those wishing to enter the country from October 1st.

Applications for the ETA will vary in cost, from NZD $9.00 (if done via a mobile application) to NZD $12.00 (if done via the website). The decision process will take up to 72 hours (except in the case of emergency, which will require a different process and cost) and isn’t to replace any existing immigration requirements.

The initial application fees are said to cover the cost of running the systems, which will exceed $14 million per annum. The government will also implement a Tourism and Conservation Levy of $35 per person, which will go towards conservation and infrastructure costs. The levy, which exempts Australian Permanent Residents, will last for the same duration as the ETA.

The short timeframe between the introduction of the ETA and the date it becomes mandatory – which happens to fall in the middle of the official “China New Zealand Year of Tourism”–  will result in serious complications at the border. This raises the question: why can’t the government just slow down and do it properly?

The obvious answer? Revenue and possibly to keep pace with other partners in the international security network that have introduced the same thing.

While the initial application costs seem somewhat modest, there’s no doubt that $12 for every visa waiver visitor annually covers more than just implementation and admin costs. There is also no doubt that, like any tax or revenue-gathering exercise, this fee will soon increase.

Despite INZ’s claim that the authority is set to “speed things up at the border”, the rushed implementation of the system – and resulting lack of awareness for ill-informed travellers – will simply create chaos and confusion.

What will happen if someone fails to obtain an ETA in advance of trying to get on their flight? Will they be prevented from boarding? Or, if they are allowed to travel but arrive in New Zealand without an ETA, what will happen then? Are they stuck in the airport having to apply for the ETA before they pass through the border? As well as the 72-hour turnaround on applications the government has specified there must be an additional 72 hours’ gap between obtaining the authority and travelling. Are the travellers expected to wait out these six days at the airport?

This issue is especially concerning for visa waiver travellers who have already purchased tickets to travel prior to the implementation of the ETA. Because they have the waiver, these travellers have no reason to look at the INZ website and discover these changes. And, as they already have their tickets, there’ll be no opportunity for travel agents to warn them either.

Another major issue is cruise ship passengers. Kevin O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of the NZ Cruise Association, fears passengers will simply be turned away from the country. He’s advised that boarding 3500 passengers onto a ship already takes a considerable amount of time – anything that slows this down further could be detrimental for cruise liners.

A recent Cabinet paper suggests the tourism industry will see visitor numbers decrease by about 15,000 by 2021 – along with a $51 million hit to visitor spending – simply due to the introduction and associated fees of the Tourism and Conservation Levy. Throw in the costs and complications, waiting times, chaos, and confusion of the Electronic Travel Authority, and one can only wonder what blow the industry is about to take.

 

For more information on travelling to New Zealand, check out our article What You Should Know Before You Visit New Zealand

Parent Visa delay: a cynical political tactic to win votes…

Parent Visa delay: A cynical political tactic to win votes… Recently, Immigration Minister Iain Lees Galloway, refused to shed any further light on when the future of the Parent Visa Category will be decided – leaving over 5,000 parents of migrants and their New Zealand based families stuck in limbo for two years.

Aaron Martin shares his thoughts regarding the lack of closure, and his belief that this is merely a manipulation tactic to steer migrant votes at the end of the term.

In January we wrote an article regarding the Parent Visa category and the benefits it could bring to the country. The article was written in response to circulating headlines, hinting that a decision to the previously frozen category was close to being made.

Four months later, we are no further ahead.

Migrants are often used unfairly in political point scoring by both sides of the political spectrum, either to scare voters to oppose migration or in areas of high migrant communities to win votes.

Yesterday, it was reported that Immigration Minister, Iain Lees Galloway, refuses to shed any more light on when this decision might be made – leaving over 5,000 parents of migrants and their New Zealand based families stuck in limbo for two years.

Galloway did however say that the decision would be made before the end of the current government term – the final months of next year.

The visa category, which allows parents of migrants with 3+ years permanent New Zealand residency to also reside in the country, was put under a moratorium by the previous government in October 2016.

On Wednesday, the Education and Workforce Select Committee was advised that there were more than 5000 “expressions of interest” from parents wishing to reunite with their New Zealand based families. A single application could represent both parents, meaning the numbers of those in limbo would be significantly higher. Many of them would have already been well on their way through what was certain to be a successful application, before the moratorium was placed, pulling the rug from under their feet.

This does not show the “empathetic Government”, as promised by our current PM.

It shows the Labour Party stringing a carrot, ready to be dangled in front of voters at the end of their term.

It is simply cynical manipulation of recent migrants, hoping that their votes for Labour could lead to the favourable adjustment of the policy.

It’s a similar tactic deployed by the Australian Labour party, who recently announced a generous change to their Parent Visa policies, in order to win over the large migrant communities in Sydney – seats which are hotly contested.

The evidence from past election campaigns predicts that National are likely to match the promise… making migrants (yet again) a political football in the re-election game.

If you need help with visa or any other immigration law issues please do not hesitate to contact the team at NZIL.

How to get a New Zealand work visa

­­­­­­­­­How to get a New Zealand Work VisaIf you’re a skilled migrant applying for a New Zealand work visa, you may feel like the process is a job in itself. Navigating all of the visa requirements, conditions, documentation, evidence, categories, and costs can seem a daunting task.

We’ve made this checklist for you as an overview of the process of applying for a skilled migrant visa. However, we recommend you seek assistance from a licensed immigration practitioner when preparing your visa application form.

You can apply for a temporary working visa in New Zealand if you:

  • Have a job offer from a New Zealand employer
  • Are coming for a specific work-related purpose or event
  • Have a partner already in New Zealand, and you want to join them and work
  • Want to get on a working holiday (if you’re between 18 and 30), or
  • Have completed higher level qualifications in New Zealand and want to work.

Visas that lead to permanent residence include the accredited employer, long-term skill shortage, entrepreneur work, Pacific access category, and religious worker visas. All visas are available for people who are 55 years old or younger.

If you want to apply for a work visa you will have to provide either evidence of a current full-time job or a job offer and be registered if your profession demands it. You can do this here.

Before you apply

  1. Make sure your job meets the minimum wage and salary threshold. These thresholds were changed in November 2018, so make sure you check our comprehensive list of the changes here.
  2. Check the ANZSCO code and skill level of the job; and check if the job is on a shortage list.
  3. Gather the employer’s documentation including the fully signed contract, you may also need the employer to show evidence that the job was advertised to the local market and could not be filled by an adequate candidate depending on whether Shortage List requirements are met.
  4. Have proof of your identity (with a valid passport and a photo of a yourself taken within the last six months) and good character (with police certificates from countries you’ve lived in for more than five years since you turned 17). You may also need to provide information about your health, by getting medical certificates or a chest x-ray from a doctor approved by Immigration New Zealand (INZ). All documents not in English, should be translated to English by a professional translator. An immigration adviser and/or immigration lawyer can help you navigate the process. If you are not sure who to ask, read our article Immigration adviser vs immigration lawyer – whose help do you need?
  5. Set up a New Zealand Government RealMe account to upload your digital documents for the online application.

Submitting the visa application

  1. Give your application the best chance of success by getting it checked by a licensed practitioner. Our 90-minute clinic (with immigration lawyer Aaron Martin) is the best way to ensure your New Zealand work visa application is approved.
  2. Submit your paper resident application within six months on the form provided by INZ. Fees and processing times will depend on your location and nationality. You can send your application by post or courier.
  3. If necessary, INZ may ask you for more information to grant you a fair chance to obtain your New Zealand work visa. INZ will let you know about your visa status as soon as it’s decided.

After getting the visa

  1. Once you have your work visa, apply for a tax record number, which you can do through the IRD. You’ll have to give this number to your employer once you have it and use it for all your tax matters.
  2. Be aware of your rights as an employee. Check out our article for all you need to know about migrant worker rights in New Zealand.

Once you have all of the above sorted, you will be well on your way to living and working as a skilled migrant in New Zealand.

The application process for a skilled migrant work visa is very expensive. To ensure the best chance of success we recommend you seek professional advice. Our 90-minute Immigration Clinic appointment is an excellent resource that is designed to help make sure you have all you need to succeed in your application. With over 22 years of experience as an immigration lawyer, Aaron can quickly check your application and let you know if you meet the requirements and have all the appropriate documentation. This can save you thousands of dollars.

Find out more about our 90-minute Immigration Clinic here.

If you’d like help with your skilled migrant visa application, or have any other queries, you can contact the office here.

 

Immigration adviser vs immigration lawyer – whose help do you need?

If you are planning on migrating to New Zealand, or are currently living here on a visa but are looking for help, where can you get the right guidance? New Zealand has laws and regulations in place that specify who can legally give immigration advice, as to protect those that seek it. In your search for assistance, you’re likely to come across both immigration advisers and immigration lawyers, who are both qualified to legally provide advice. But what’s the difference between the two? And which is right for your case? In this article, we discuss the differences so you can choose the help you need. 

Navigating New Zealand’s immigration system can be difficult. And knowing your future in New Zealand relies on getting the paperwork right makes the entire process much more fraught. You need the assistance that ensures you have the best chance of success.

In New Zealand, there are several different options for immigration advice, depending on your needs. If you have only a minor query and are already residing in New Zealand, you may be able to get the help you need free of charge from the Citizens Advice Bureau or a Community Law Centre. These organisations will also be able to refer you to the correct help if your situation is more involved.

If you already know you require more help (i.e., you need guidance in finding and applying for the right visa, settling in New Zealand, or assessing your situation if your visa has expired or been declined) New Zealand law permits that only a licensed practitioner can assist you. A licensed practitioner could be either an immigration adviser (also known as an immigration consultant) or an immigration lawyer.

So, how do you know which practitioner is best suited for you? There are several elements to consider.

  • What is your case?

Both an immigration lawyer and an adviser can help you with finding and applying for the right visa, settling in New Zealand, or assessing your situation if your visa has expired, or been cancelled or declined.

For situations that are complex, or for those that require an appeal to the High Court or legal expertise, an immigration lawyer is a better option. An immigration lawyer has the legal authority to represent you in court, which will save you the hassle, time, and money of hiring a third party.

With an immigration lawyer you can have the benefit of having just one person with a deep understanding of your specific case assist you through the whole process. This is crucial if cases are complicated, or if you have limited time to appeal. If issues arise further down the line, you can call on the same immigration lawyer for help, again saving you the time and money of explaining all relevant past events. One example of such an issue arising is when established migrants receive a Deportation Liability Notice connected to employment issues.

An immigration lawyer can also be more helpful for those looking at applying for an Investment Visa. If you want to make an investment in New Zealand for the purpose of gaining a visa, you will be dealing with large sums of money ­– NZD$3 million or more. It is essential in this case that you get advice from a legal professional as there are specifics on where and what these investments can go into. You will also gain added security in knowing your investment is in safe hands. New Zealand Immigration Law has several trusted financial advisers we can refer clients to.

An immigration lawyer is also more suitable if you need a waiver (e.g., a medical or a character waiver) or if you are a business wishing to become an Accredited Employer. Both of these applications require a large amount of evidential documentation, and it can be difficult to know exactly what evidence will suffice. You don’t want to go through the arduous process of preparing an application and paying for it, to then find out you missed something or haven’t proved your eligibility. This is not only incredibly time-consuming and frustrating but also very expensive. An immigration lawyer understands the application process in depth and is likely to be able to assess quickly whether your case will be successful as well as to ascertain what evidence you need to provide.

When your life in New Zealand or your business is at stake, you need someone who can deal with the situation quickly and thoroughly. If your visa is due to expire, if you are faced with deportation, or if you are an employer who needs to make a quick hire of many international employees, you will probably be faced with a fast turnaround. The speed with which an experienced immigration lawyer can work through the system is a huge advantage in dealing with these cases.

Aaron Martin, Principal Lawyer at New Zealand Immigration Law, has successfully helped many in these situations. One client who required a fast hire of multiple international employees says of Aaron’s legal help: “[Aaron] was able to put [potential migrant employees] at ease… not only as a result of his knowledge and expertise but also because of his extraordinary manner. He treated our clients not as cases but as individuals by sitting down with each and every employee and simply listening to their stories.”

  • How much qualification experience does the person advising me have?

The level of experience and knowledge that both immigration lawyers and immigration advisers hold is an important part of deciding who is best suited to your immigration needs.

The Immigration Advisers Licensing Act that regulates the standards of advisers was put into practise in 2007. This means advisers have been officially practising to a legal standard for only 11 years. The immigration adviser’s license requires one year of study and is required to be renewed annually to ensure their knowledge is relevant and up to date.

An immigration lawyer, on the other hand, must complete at least four years of study at university level in order to legally provide immigration advice. Immigration lawyers have been officially able to provide this advice long before the immigration advisers Act came into play in 2007. This in itself means the experience of a lawyer usually exceeds that of an adviser.

Aaron, for example, has worked in immigration law for over 22 years. His legal background combined with his two decades of experience has resulted in a broad and comprehensive knowledge, as well as the ability to assess and prepare cases quickly and at a very high standard.

Aaron has worked on complicated cases such as deportation, medical and character waivers, and business accreditations for clients both in New Zealand and overseas. One client of Aaron’s, Shareena, sought his advice when applying for visas for herself and her husband, who is an incomplete paraplegic requiring a wheelchair. The online process of trying to figure out their eligibility was, in Shareena’s words, “very, very stressful” and incomprehensive. While the case was being worked on, Shareena discovered she was diabetic, meaning they now had to apply for two medical waivers for their skilled migrant visas. Shareena says: “Aaron adapted quickly and supported us by saying ‘this is what we’re going to do’ and ‘these are the steps we need to take’, and in general assured us that what we were doing was right”.

  • How much will it cost?

Last – but most certainly not least – is the obvious question of cost. If you are lucky enough to find a “not-for-profit” immigration service provider, please ensure that they are a legitimate and legal source of advice.

Currently, New Zealand has no set threshold on how much an immigration adviser or lawyer should or can charge for their services. Both lawyers and advisers vary in price, often aligned with how much experience they have. Prices for an adviser can range from $150 for a consultation, to an excess of $5,000 for a full visa service. For an immigration lawyer, prices also vary, usually in accordance with the service required.

If you have already prepared your own case (or feel that you can), and just want someone to review your documentation and give advice on whether your case is strong enough, these fees may seem exorbitant. This is why New Zealand Immigration Law offers immigration clinic appointments at a set rate of $425, which covers 90 minutes of concise assistance from our principal lawyer, Aaron Martin. Advisory firms generally charge by the hour for any services, and costs can quickly escalate. Some firms advise that a general appointment fee could range between $500 and $750.

If you require more than 90 minutes of help, a lawyer may be the cheaper option regardless, as a lawyer’s level of experience will mean they can help you faster, and get it right the first time. Aaron has saved many people the time, money, and heartbreak that can ensue with the wrong – or no – help.

We understand the financial and emotional strain the immigration process entails for all. Choosing the right assistance – be it an immigration adviser, immigration lawyer, or someone else – will be one of the most important decisions you need to make in your immigration journey.

If you’d like to book a 90-minute immigration clinic appointment, you can do so here.

If you are interested in finding out more about immigration advisers, check out the Immigration Advisers Authority website.

If you need help with deportation, waivers, investment visas, or have another case to discuss please contact the office here.