2016-Nov 04: Offshore branches dealing with licensed and exempt people from the same company

Visa Pak 284: Advice for staff about the procedure offshore branches must take when dealing with licensed and exempt people working at the same company.

Visa Paks

4 November 2016

Offshore branches dealing with licensed and exempt people from the same company

The Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) is addressing the uncertainty created by licensed advisers being recorded against applications that are submitted by exempt staff. Following discussion with Immigration New Zealand, the IAA included some information in their October newsletter to licenced advisers. Please note the following bullet points from their article:
•When the student visa application is submitted to Immigration New Zealand, it needs to be very clear if it is being submitted by the licensed adviser or the exempt person. It cannot be both. For example, the licensed adviser shouldn’t be writing the cover letter when the exempt staff member is declared as the representative in Section B3.

•An application cannot be submitted in the company’s name alone. It has to be submitted in the name of an individual licensed adviser or the exempt staff. If a licensed adviser subsequently engages with INZ on behalf of the application (e.g. in response to a PPI letter), they must provide notification to INZ that they are now acting as the representative for the application.

•Exempt staff members should not be using letterhead that references a licensed adviser. This is confusing and makes it unclear as to whether the letter is from the licensed adviser or exempt person.

•Section I and J in the visa application form need to be properly completed by exempt staff.