Starting today, all New Zealand based immigration agents or advisors must be licensed.

Overseas advisors and agents have until May 4 2010 to obtain licences.

The New Zealand Immigration Service will no longer process applications submitted by non-licensed agents.

Applicants who choose to proceed without calling upon the services of agents and advisors are not affected by the Act. They can continue to self-submit their applications for residence or work permits.

Penalties for non-licensed offenders include up to seven years imprisonment and/or fines up to $100,000, as well as the possibility of court-ordered reparation payments.

For licensed advisers, there are penalties of up to two years imprisonment and/or fines of up to $10,000 for breaches of the Act.

As at 31 March, the Immigration Advisors Authority had 127 licensed advisers and 60 cases in various stages of either lodgement or assessment.

Barry Smedts, Registrar, of the Immigration Advisers Authority commented:

“There’s nothing revolutionary about mandatory immigration adviser licensing. The industry has been successfully regulated overseas for years. What we are doing is bringing New Zealand practice in line with competitor nations such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia and that’s got to be good for migrants and the New Zealand industry.”