New Zealand Practice
What the domain tests
New Zealand Practice tests how you deliver advice lawfully and professionally: licensing, the Code of Conduct 2014, client engagement, fees, records, privacy, INZ communication, and appeal deadlines. It rewards precision about who may advise and what must be documented.
Core rules
- The Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 requires anyone giving immigration advice for gain or reward to be licensed, unless exempt (for example, lawyers).
- The IAA Code of Conduct requires a written agreement before services, clear fees, informed consent, confidentiality, conflict management, competence, and accurate dealings with INZ.
- Keep client records securely for at least seven years after the engagement ends, and disclose personal information only with consent or as the Privacy Act 2020 permits.
- Use the client’s written authority when dealing with INZ; never lodge misleading information or omit material facts.
- Diarise statutory deadlines; missing an appeal window usually cannot be cured by apologising.
Worked example
A client emails at 4pm: “Lodge my work visa tonight - I’ll sign the agreement tomorrow.” The reasoning: lodging before a signed written agreement breaches the Code’s client-care sequence. The correct move is to explain the short delay, obtain the signed agreement and INZ authority form, confirm instructions and identity, then lodge. If the deadline is genuinely same-day, record why and still secure the agreement first. The mark comes from identifying the compliance step, not from speed.
Traps
Acting without a written agreement; taking fees without a clear fee statement; acting for both parties without informed consent; letting unlicensed staff give advice; emailing third parties without consent; promising a visa outcome; and failing to tell clients about the IAA complaints process.