Immigration lawyers in Auckland
There are 51 immigration lawyers based in the Auckland area, and 45 law firms practising immigration law have an office here. Each firm is verified from its own website as practising New Zealand lawyers, who are exempt from immigration adviser licensing; they are regulated by the New Zealand Law Society instead of the IAA. The list below starts with the longest admitted. How this ordering works.
Auckland immigration lawyers in figures
Years since admission
18 years median
| 0 to 4 years | 7 |
|---|---|
| 5 to 9 years | 2 |
| 10 to 19 years | 18 |
| 20 years or more | 24 |
82% of the 51 immigration lawyers based in Auckland with a known admission date were admitted 10 or more years ago. The longest-admitted was admitted in 1980.
Year admitted
9 admitted since 2020
| Before 1990 | 6 |
|---|---|
| 1990 to 1999 | 11 |
| 2000 to 2009 | 12 |
| 2010 to 2019 | 13 |
| 2020 to 2026 | 9 |
9 of the 51 were admitted as barristers and solicitors in 2020 or later. The chart counts the immigration lawyers listed here today, not every admission in those years.
Practice breadth
53% practise immigration only
| Immigration law only | 27 |
|---|---|
| Immigration among other areas | 24 |
27 of the 51 immigration lawyers based in Auckland practise immigration law only; 24 also practise in other areas. Practice breadth comes from each immigration lawyer's own profile.
Firm size
82% have one immigration lawyer here
| One immigration lawyer | 32 |
|---|---|
| Two immigration lawyers | 3 |
| 3 to 5 immigration lawyers | 4 |
| 6 or more immigration lawyers | 0 |
The 51 immigration lawyers work across 39 law firms with an immigration lawyer based in Auckland. 32 of those firms have a single immigration lawyer here, and 0 have six or more.
Tribunal appeals
43 named in published decisions
| No matched published decisions | 8 |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 appeals | 2 |
| 5 to 19 appeals | 5 |
| 20 appeals or more | 36 |
43 of the 51 immigration lawyers based in Auckland are named as counsel in at least one published Immigration and Protection Tribunal decision, 2,953 appeals in all. Most representation never reaches the tribunal, so an immigration lawyer with no matched published decisions may still have acted on appeals.
Auckland immigration lawyers by list
- Jag LalJag Lal Lawyers46 years
- Matt RobsonMatt Robson, Barrister39 years
- Nalesoni TupouNalesoni Tupou, Barrister38 years
- Amelia SchaafAmelia Schaaf, Barrister38 years
- David RykenRyken and Associates37 years
- Carole CurtisMarshall Bird & Curtis37 years
- Christina KeilKeil & Associates36 years
- Richard SmallPacific Legal35 years
- Dilki RajapakseD R Legal (Dilki Rajapakse)34 years
- Davoud Mansouri-RadMansouri Law Office32 years
- Simon LaurentLaurent Law Barristers & Solicitors30 years
- Alastair McClymontRighteous Law30 years
- Aaron MartinNew Zealand Immigration Law30 years
- Meena DattBerman & Burton29 years
- Richard PidgeonIntegritas Law Firm28 years
- Fershen LlanesFL Legal27 years
- Deborah ManningLandmark Chambers (Deborah Manning)27 years
- Kerry GoreKerry Gore, Barrister26 years
- Hinerake RatcliffeHinerake Ratcliffe, Barrister26 years
- James McLeodJames McLeod23 years
- Heval HylanThe Hylans23 years
- Ioana UcaIoana Uca, Barrister22 years
- Lloyd ViveraViveras Law21 years
- Pratibha RajOrmiston Legal20 years
- Inderjeet AnandWestern Legal19 years
- Jack TamEdison Tam Lawyers18 years
- Tonderai MukushaSenthil & Mukusha17 years
- Somang Youvisalaw.nz (Somang You)17 years
- Darsan SinghShean Singh Barristers & Solicitors17 years
- Sahar ShamiaLaurent Law Barristers & Solicitors16 years
- Arran HuntLane Neave16 years
- Alexander TimogTimog Law16 years
- Ramya SathiyanathanThe Migrationist14 years
- Nicole MitchellLane Neave14 years
- Michael WittMcVeagh Fleming14 years
- James TurnerLaurent Law Barristers & Solicitors14 years
- Ken HuangLane Neave13 years
- Tim McSweeneyMcSweeney Immigration Law12 years
- Stewart DalleyD&S Law (Dalley Sundar)12 years
- Mahafrin VariavaMcVeagh Fleming12 years
- Pooja SundarD&S Law (Dalley Sundar)10 years
- Mohammad ShabaniShabani Law10 years
- Amani BashayAmani Law6 years
- Kim Saran LeeLane Neave5 years
- Saghher BataaAW Law4 years
- Angelita TapayanAW Law4 years
- Varsha RaviAW Law2 years
- David FisherFisher Foley Barristers and Solicitors2 years
- Reuben BullD&S Law (Dalley Sundar)1 year
- Kera WangMcSweeney Immigration Law1 year
Showing 50 of 51 immigration lawyers
Published appeal record of Auckland counsel
2,953 published appeals name counsel based in Auckland, across 43 of the 51 listed here, most recently 20 September 2026. “Allowed” is the appellant’s share of decided appeals; a percentage is shown only where at least 5 were decided.
| Appeal type | Appeals | Allowed | Dismissed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refugee & protection | 1,405 | 42% 571 of 1351 decided | 780 |
| Deportation882 appeals | |||
| Non-resident | 704 | 38% 262 of 693 decided | 431 |
| Resident | 173 | 40% 67 of 169 decided | 102 |
| Type not stated | 4 | 4 of 4 decided | 0 |
| Under the 1987 Act | 1 | 0 of 1 decided | 1 |
| Residence666 appeals | |||
| Skilled migrant | 321 | 55% 171 of 309 decided | 138 |
| Partnership | 141 | 59% 80 of 135 decided | 55 |
| Parent | 39 | 39% 15 of 38 decided | 23 |
| Dependent child | 35 | 53% 18 of 34 decided | 16 |
| Sibling & adult child | 34 | 56% 19 of 34 decided | 15 |
| Special policies | 33 | 77% 23 of 30 decided | 7 |
| From work & Green List | 15 | 57% 8 of 14 decided | 6 |
| Category not stated | 12 | 58% 7 of 12 decided | 5 |
| Business investor | 11 | 55% 6 of 11 decided | 5 |
| Business entrepreneur | 10 | 60% 6 of 10 decided | 4 |
| Permanent & returning resident | 9 | 33% 2 of 6 decided | 4 |
| 2021 Resident Visa | 6 | 17% 1 of 6 decided | 5 |
Counts come from decisions the tribunal has published and that name a representative we can identify with certainty. Appeals settled, withdrawn or resolved before a decision do not appear, so this is a record of published outcomes rather than of everything a practitioner has done. How matching works is set out in the methodology.
Not sure which immigration lawyer to choose in Auckland?
Read the immigration adviser vs immigration lawyer guide or send one enquiry and we will connect you with a licensed professional.
If you already know what has gone wrong
Guides to the situations people most often need representation for, with the deadlines that apply.
- Facing deportation from New Zealand - liability, notices and appealsDeportation liability, notices, humanitarian appeals and detention.
- Section 61 requests - getting a visa while unlawfully in New ZealandWhen a visa has expired or was never granted, and what can still be done.
- Criminal convictions, character and your New Zealand visaHow convictions and character issues affect visas, and how waivers work.
- How people lose their New Zealand visas - real cases from the tribunalPPI letters, responding to concerns, and your procedural rights.
Frequently asked questions
Immigration lawyers in other cities
- Christchurch17 immigration lawyers
- Wellington4 immigration lawyers
- Hamilton3 immigration lawyers
- Tauranga3 immigration lawyers
- Dunedin0 immigration lawyers
- Queenstown1 immigration lawyer
- Napier-Hastings2 immigration lawyers
- Palmerston North0 immigration lawyers
- Nelson6 immigration lawyers
- New Plymouth3 immigration lawyers
- Whangarei1 immigration lawyer
- Invercargill1 immigration lawyer
This list is not exhaustive. It is researched from public sources, including the New Zealand Law Society's register, so an immigration lawyer in Auckland may be missing simply because their immigration practice is not identifiable from those sources. Absence here says nothing about an immigration lawyer. Know one who should be listed? Tell us.
How firms are listed and ordered: methodology. See all immigration lawyers in New Zealand.