Utterly useless response from the IAA.
The IAA is the agency that now licences Immigration Advisors. Last week the Skilled Migrants Resource Centre was in the news because the Immigration Ministry told them they were acting as unlicensed immigration advisors, due to them helping several migrant families caught out by the debacle over Work Visas.
Now – I know as a blogger I am basically exempt, because I rarely give advice – mostly what I do is research and write about things I find interesting that happen to have to do with immigration. And also give my opinion on such matters. But I do from time to time get asked for help.
So I thought I would do the right thing and contact the IAA, and ask them specifically if, given the kind of things I do, I am exempt or not.
What I got was a truly spectacularly unhelpful email quoting the website. Which funnily enough I had had the nouse to check before I wasted 10 minutes writing an email.
Sheesh!
This is the kind of stonewalling, useless answer you get used to when dealing with Immigration New Zealand.
Here’s the deal: We can all read! We are not stupid! In fact – we are so far from being stupid that New Zealand asks us to come and live here.
So why do you think we can’t read your websites
This is not the problem – the problem is that your information is not specific, and it is too easy to get caught on the wrong side of it. It would have taken the Licensing manager 2 minutes to look at this blog and answer the 2 specific questions I asked – but they just could not be bothered. So as far as I can tell – I am exempt!
And these are the people in charge of ensuring that Immigration agents do their job properly – which we know some of them are not, despite getting a seal of approval from the IAA.
And at the end of the day – as always – migrants are left in the dark, and very likely to get ripped off, or misled. Besides – MP’s are exempt from licensing – and we know from personal experience that our MP hasn’t got a clue what he is talking about when it comes to Immigration Matters. And that doesn’t even begin to cover the rubbish that INZ staff themselves come out with sometimes.
It is just not good enough.
Please be aware that even though Immigration Agents now have to be licensed this is no guarantee that they will do their job properly. Besides – it is just as easy to do your own application. It is not difficult, and from the experience of people who have used agents – you are no better off when problems arise.
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Related posts:
- Please do not ask me for immigration advice.
- NZ Herald article
- The Immigration Advisers Licensing Act
Comments
2 Comments on Utterly useless response from the IAA.
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Hubby on
Sat, 11th Jul 2009 10:58 pm
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Paul Bagrie on
Tue, 22nd Sep 2009 9:01 am
I’ve yet to hear a migrant with anything good to say about their ‘expert’ immigration advisor. They just seem to add another layer of cost and stress on top of NZIS.
I’d agree, don’t use an immigration advisor/agent.
But of course, you shouldn’t take that as emigration advice, since I’m not registered with the IAA and thus clearly wouldn’t know what I was talking about, or have any ethics or professionalism or ability to consider what may be best for the client.
I read about this on another blog. Bad government department and bad response to inquiry? Yeah, welcome to New Zealand, we’re sick of it too.
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