by Iain Macleod
12. May 2009 23:30
You have to love it.
From 4 May Immigration New Zealand (INZ) can only deal with licensed immigration advisers and there are on the planet only around 168 of us. Traditionally our immigration support staff have always been able to call up INZ and get information for us about the status of an application or to hurry it along. This is of course standard practice within law firms and similar.
My PA has already twice been told since May 4 that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is unable to provide her with any information because she is not a licensed adviser. This is despite her not offering anyone any advice - simply garnering information from the Department for someone who is. We were assured by the official overseeing the process prior to 4 May that from that date this sort of thing would "not happen'. All Immigration New Zealand staff have apparently received training to ensure they understand. Well, either that training wasn't very good or they weren't listening. How ridiculous that my PA is unable to be given this information.
Last week I was called by a furious employer who was following up on the progress of an employee's work permit application. He too has been advised that INZ cannot discuss any aspect of the application with him anymore because he is not licensed or exempt from being licensed. You can imagine his displeasure! I have a very strong feeling that this was not the intention of the law that requires those of us giving advice to be licensed but this what happens when you give an otherwise good idea to a bureaucracy. Why would Immigration New Zealand (INZ) be any different?
Naturally they are scrambling to communicate the dos and don't with their staff but my prediction is that we will continue to be beset by this sort of unhelpful and to be fair, possibly unintended, obstruction.
This will all have one of two effects. Either it will drive work to licensed advisers (and we won't complain) or it will be another reason for employers and recruiters not to get involved with anyone that is not yet a permanent resident or citizen. These of course were predictions many of us in the industry made when we argued that licensing might create as many problems as it solves and increase the reluctance of employers to get involved with migrants. That in turn may have major detrimental effects on the New Zealand Government's Skilled Migrant programme and the economic benefits it is meant to deliver.
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