Immigration advice for your visa application

Immigration advice for your visa application must come from a licensed immigration adviser (LIA), or other approved adviser.

Advice must come from valid experts

Anyone can help you fill in your visa application form.

But immigration advice must come from an adviser approved by Immigration New Zealand.

It is important to know who can advise you, and who cannot. Make sure you find an adviser who specialises in what you need. You might need to talk to several advisers before you find the right one. 

Finding an adviser

Valid NZ immigration advisers must be:

  • licensed by the Immigration Advisers Authority, or
  • exempt from needing a licence, such as an New Zealand lawyer, diplomats, or Citizen's Advice Bureau staff.

The Immigration Advisers Authority website gives a list of who can advise you, how much it should cost, and any limits on the advice they can give. For example, offshore education providers can give immigration advice without being licensed, but are restricted to advice about student visas.

Who can give advice | New Zealand Immigration Advisers Authority