I didn’t realize until I started blogging on this subject how many people were interested in what is going on in those two branches.  I think it is fair to say that all hell has been breaking loose with INZ Head Office scrambling to prove they are on top of this scandal since our revelations that skilled migrant applications processed through those two branches (and to that we can add I... [More]

It is a foolish man that declares the war won when a battle has just gone his way.  Those of you who are regular readers of the blog (and I understand there are a few of you, much to my surprise) will have been following my representations to the chain of command inside INZ over how applicants from North and South Asia are being processed under the Skilled Migrant Category through the Shangha... [More]

Parent Residence Category – More Misery?   Increasingly calls are being made for changes to the current processing model for parents who wish to be reunited with their adult children on the a basis it is simply not working and is causing undue stress and hardship to the very people that policy was put in place to help.  Is it time the policy was dumped, as some are calling for,... [More]

Recent media reports of skilled migrants coming to New Zealand on Work to Residence Visas, failing to obtain skilled employment, being ‘forced’ to return home having had their residence cases declined, has drawn calls for this policy to be dropped.   The Skilled Migrant Policy seeks to identify those who are more likely to settle well and contribute to the New Zealand econo... [More]

That depends where your case is processed.   It has long been our experience that where your case is processed and by whom is an important factor in the likely outcome.   A couple of weeks ago I met a man who had bussed 8 hours from Penang to Singapore to attend my seminar and meet with me for a personal consultation. He was deeply worried by a letter he had received from the I... [More]

  Much interest has been generated by the recent decision of the Canadian Government to grant refugee status to a South African citizen.    Notwithstanding the fact that the South African Government has taken great umbrage at the decision, the decision initially by the Canadian Government is extremely important in the context of the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees.   In a ... [More]

The New Zealand Government released its long awaited business investor policy today. The notable changes are: No more global investor policy requiring NZ$20 million invested – investment amounts are now $10m or $1.5million Recognition that English language is not as important to the outcomes the Government seeks than under previous policy Simplification of where the money must be i... [More]

I have somehow been subscribed to one of these immigration chat group/forum things which I have come to loathe. I have tried to unsubscribe but can’t (that is another story) and for the sake of my mental health have told the computer to treat them as junk. For some reason this week I have received a whole lot more. This particular one allows ex-pat South Africans to give freely of their migr... [More]

Does the New Zealand Immigration Advisers Authority have any teeth? The IAA has its first real test of its powers and commitment to 'protecting vulnerable migrants' on its hands but I strongly suspect it would prefer something less complex and politically explosive. Two weeks ago local Maori man Gerard Otimi was charged with fraud and deception offences by police in connection to what ... [More]

I never like to refer to New Zealand as 'paradise' when doing my seminars overseas about migration to New Zealand as it can sound glib and I don't like to be seen to be 'selling' this country. We are in the business of helping those who qualify to live in New Zealand, have thought through the risk and the rewards and who have made the decision on their own. I am however aware that to many people ... [More]