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NZ Immigration Advisers Based Outside New Zealand

Anyone giving New Zealand immigration advice from outside New Zealand needs an IAA licence unless they are exempt; 459 of the 1,681 licensed advisers were offshore at 30 June 2026. The one offshore-specific exemption covers student visa advice only.

Most people searching for a New Zealand visa consultant in Delhi, Punjab, Manila, Colombo or London are dealing with someone in their own city, not in New Zealand. New Zealand's licensing law follows the advice, not the office: the same licence is needed wherever the adviser sits. This guide explains the rule, the narrow exemption for offshore student visa advice, how to check an offshore adviser, how the Code of Conduct treats money paid in advance, and the warning signs Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) publish. Sources are listed at the end, all read on 9 October 2026.

The rule: a licence is needed wherever the adviser is

The IAA states it plainly: "Any individual providing New Zealand immigration advice either in New Zealand or offshore must be licensed unless exempt under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007."

Its page for migrants adds: "This includes people giving New Zealand immigration advice from China, India or anywhere in the world."

What counts as advice is wide. Quoting section 7 of the Act, the IAA lists examples including advising a person what visa they qualify for, advising how best to answer a question in the application form or what extra information to include, writing a covering letter for the application, and acting as the person's representative.

Licences are held by people, not businesses. The IAA says: "Companies cannot be licensed, only individuals can." An office, agency or brand name is not a licence; the individual giving the advice needs one.

How many licensed advisers are offshore

The IAA's annual statistics count advisers by location. At 30 June 2026 there were 1,681 licensed advisers: 1,222 onshore and 459 offshore.

The offshore count has grown: 245 at 30 June 2023, 258 at 30 June 2024, 340 at 30 June 2025 and 459 at 30 June 2026. The IAA does not break the offshore figure down by country on that page.

Part of the growth comes through Australia. Under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement, Australian registered migration agents can apply for a New Zealand licence; the IAA recorded 142 initial provisional licences granted through that route in 2025-26, up from 81 the year before.

The offshore student visa exemption, and its limits

There is one exemption written for offshore work. The IAA says people "who are offshore and provide New Zealand immigration advice on student visa applications only are not required to hold a New Zealand immigration adviser licence."

The IAA sets out what that exemption does not cover:

It does not allow advice on pathways to work or residence for an international student.

It does not allow advice to secondary or related applicants on any other visa type, such as work, visitor or guardian visas.

The adviser must be outside New Zealand at the time the advice is given.

The IAA's page for education agents puts the same rule the other way round: an education agent is not exempt if they are in New Zealand, even when advising only on student visas, or if they advise on work, visitor, residence or any other immigration matter, in or outside New Zealand.

In practice, then, an offshore education agent can lawfully help with a student visa application but needs a licence (or another exemption) to talk about post-study work, residence or a partner's visa.

Other people who can give advice without a licence

The IAA lists other exempt groups. The ones most relevant offshore are:

New Zealand lawyers with a current practising certificate from the New Zealand Law Society, and employees of a New Zealand law firm advising under their employment agreement. Their certificate can be checked on the Law Society's Register of Lawyers.

Foreign diplomats and consular staff protected under New Zealand's diplomatic and consular privileges laws.

Family members helping informally, as long as the advice is not given systematically and no fee is charged. The IAA says this is meant for one-off help and "does not extend to friends or people you personally consider as family but are not related to you."

Exempt people do not appear on the IAA register. A lawyer is checked on the Law Society's register instead.

How to check an offshore adviser

Checking works the same for onshore and offshore advisers:

Search the adviser's name on the IAA's online register of licensed immigration advisers and open their public profile.

Ask to see their digital licence certificate. The IAA only issues digital certificates; scanning the QR code should open the adviser's public profile on the register.

Check the licence status and type. Licences are valid for one year. A licence can be full (advice on all immigration matters), provisional (advice under the supervision of a full licence holder) or limited (only the matters recorded on the licence). A licence that is not current may show as expired, surrendered, refused, suspended or cancelled.

Some advisers display the IAA trade mark on their website. The IAA says that if they do, their name and licence number must appear next to it.

INZ adds one more check that matters offshore: "Scammers sometimes provide fake visas." Anyone told they have been granted a visa can confirm it through INZ's Visa Verification Service.

Money paid in advance: the client account rule

Payment is where offshore arrangements most often differ. The Code of Conduct (clause 25, quoted in the IAA's client-funds toolkit) says an adviser taking fees or disbursements in advance of being payable and invoiced must, among other things, treat those funds as the client's property until payable and invoiced, hold them in a separate client account, and withdraw them only when they are payable and invoiced.

The toolkit has a section headed "Requirements for offshore advisers": "If an offshore adviser cannot operate a separate client account, he or she may not receive payments in advance for disbursements or services."

The same toolkit notes the Disciplinary Tribunal's view that client funds are held on trust. An adviser who is never paid in advance does not need a client account; payment after the work is invoiced goes to the practice account.

The IAA also says a licensed adviser must give the client a written agreement to sign before any work starts, setting out the services and the fees, and must issue invoices that describe what each fee covers.

Warning signs INZ and the IAA publish

INZ's scams page and the IAA's page on illegal advice list warning signs. Several bite hardest for people applying from outside New Zealand:

Being asked to pay for a job. INZ says New Zealand employers "cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay any of their recruitment costs", including indirectly through a third party.

Claims of priority or contacts. INZ says it "will not prioritise your application because you use an adviser". The IAA says to stay away from anyone who "claims to have personal contacts at INZ".

Being asked to lie. INZ says false statements affect current and future applications.

Promises of residence. INZ says there are "no guarantees" a temporary visa leads to residence.

Being told an adviser is compulsory. INZ says applicants are "not required to use an adviser" and can apply using the information on its website.

Paying visa or medical fees into a bank account. INZ says it never asks for visa fees by bank deposit; it takes card payments through its forms or at an approved Visa Application Centre.

Unsigned or blank forms. The IAA warns against anyone who "refuses to put their name on your visa application" or asks for a signature on an application "before it has been filled out".

The IAA also says INZ "does not accept applications from unlicensed people acting illegally" and returns them.

Fees, language and representation

The IAA does not publish a fee scale. It says fees must be "fair and reasonable in the circumstances" and lists the factors an adviser may weigh, including "whether the application is lodged in New Zealand or offshore" and "the location of the adviser lodging the application", along with complexity, urgency, the number of people included and current market rates. It suggests speaking to several advisers before choosing.

The IAA's guide to working with a licensed adviser is published in English and 12 other languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Sinhalese, Samoan, Tongan and Fijian. Licensed advisers must give every client a summary of their professional responsibilities, which is also available in translation.

Location does not limit representation at the Immigration and Protection Tribunal. The Tribunal's Guide 1 says a representative can be a licensed immigration adviser, and that "this includes advisers outside New Zealand". Only lawyers can act in a New Zealand court, according to the IAA.

Choosing an adviser from offshore

Engaging an adviser from outside New Zealand usually involves an initial consultation (often by video), then a written agreement setting out scope, fees and payment timing before any work begins, then document collection and lodgement through INZ's online system. If something goes wrong, complaints about a licensed adviser can be made to the IAA from any country.

Which adviser, and which visa, depends on the person's own circumstances, and only a licensed adviser or lawyer can assess those.

Migratio lists licensed immigration advisers so you can compare them and contact one directly. Every listing shows the adviser's licence number, which you can check on the IAA's public register before you book. We don't assess cases and don't tell anyone which visa or route fits them; that is the adviser's job.

Questions people ask

Does an immigration consultant in India need an NZ licence?

Yes, unless they are exempt. The IAA says anyone giving New Zealand immigration advice "either in New Zealand or offshore must be licensed", and that this includes people advising "from China, India or anywhere in the world." The narrow exception is offshore advice on student visa applications only.

Can an education agent help with a post-study work or residence visa?

Not under the offshore student visa exemption. The IAA says that exemption "does not allow a person to provide advice on pathways to work or residence for an international student". An agent advising on those needs a licence or another exemption.

Can an offshore adviser ask for full payment upfront?

The IAA's client-funds guidance says that if an offshore adviser cannot operate a separate client account, they "may not receive payments in advance for disbursements or services." Advance payments are allowed only into a separate client account.

How do I check a New Zealand visa agent's licence from overseas?

Search the person's name on the IAA's online register, or scan the QR code on their digital licence certificate, which opens their public profile. Lawyers are checked on the New Zealand Law Society's Register of Lawyers instead.

Can a licensed adviser outside New Zealand represent someone at the IPT?

Yes. The Immigration and Protection Tribunal's Guide 1 says a representative can be a licensed immigration adviser and that this includes advisers outside New Zealand.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • How to Check an NZ Immigration Adviser's Licence — Search the adviser's name or licence number on the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) public register and confirm the status reads current. The record also shows whether the licence is full, provisional or limited. Lawyers are not on that register; check them on the New Zealand Law Society's register of lawyers.
  • Unlicensed Immigration Advice in NZ: How to Spot It — Anyone who gives New Zealand immigration advice, in NZ or overseas, must be licensed by the IAA or exempt (for example, a lawyer with a current practising certificate). Unlicensed advice can lead INZ to return an application, and the adviser faces up to NZ$100,000 and/or 7 years' imprisonment, even without charging. Complaints go to the IAA and do not affect your immigration status.
  • Australian Migration Agents Licensed in NZ (TTMRA) — An Australian registered migration agent needs a New Zealand immigration adviser licence before giving New Zealand immigration advice. Under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 they can apply to the IAA without being tested on NZ immigration law, for NZD 2,039.33 (ordinarily resident in NZ) or NZD 1,773.33 (not). Check any agent on the IAA register, not Australia's OMARA register.
  • What NZ Immigration Advisers Charge, and Why — There is no official price list. The Code of Conduct requires fees to be "fair and reasonable in the circumstances", set out in a written agreement (hourly rate with a time estimate, or a fixed fee, plus GST or overseas tax), and invoiced each time they fall due. INZ's own application fee is a separate cost.
  • Paying for an NZ Job Offer: What INZ Says — Immigration New Zealand says New Zealand employers or agents cannot charge a worker fees for a job or make them pay recruitment costs, and that it will decline an Accredited Employer Work Visa application if the applicant or their agent offered or promised money for a job offer. INZ calls job offer scams common in India and South Asia.
  • NZ Visas for Indian Citizens: What INZ Publishes and Its Scam Warnings — Immigration New Zealand publishes counts of residence and work visa applications by nationality, and it warns that job offer scams are common in India and South Asia. The visa rules, fees and processing times it publishes for the main skilled routes are the same for every passport. This page reports INZ's figures and warnings and does not say which visa suits anyone.