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Guides

Plain-English guides to engaging immigration help in New Zealand, grounded in the licensing rules and the IAA code of conduct — and situation guides for when something has gone wrong, grounded in the legislation and the tribunal's published decisions.

Choosing and using immigration help

Unlawful status and section 61

When a visa has expired or was never granted, and what can still be done.

Deportation

Deportation liability, notices, humanitarian appeals and detention.

Character and criminal convictions

How convictions and character issues affect visas, and how waivers work.

INZ process and fairness

PPI letters, responding to concerns, and your procedural rights.

Appeals and declined applications

What can be appealed, to whom, by when — and how often appeals succeed.

Work visa and employment problems

Job offer scams, paying for jobs, exploitation and employer failures.

False or misleading information

What happens when an application was not truthful — and how to respond.

Partnership and family

Proving a genuine partnership, sponsoring family, and the family violence visas.

Health and medical waivers

The acceptable standard of health, the cost threshold, and how waivers work.

Frequently asked questions

Where the rules the guides describe are published, which version applies to an application, and how the guides are kept accurate.

The Immigration Act 2009 is published on the New Zealand Legislation website. The detailed rules for each visa, called immigration instructions, are set out in Immigration New Zealand's Operational Manual, and section 25 of the Act requires them to be published. Changes the Minister of Immigration has certified are described in amendment circulars on the Immigration New Zealand website.

For a residence class visa, section 72 of the Immigration Act 2009 requires the decision to be made under the residence instructions that applied when the application was made. For a temporary visa, the Act fixes the date in the same way only where that type of visa is subject to restricted temporary entry instructions.

Each guide shows the date it was last updated and ends with the sources it relies on, such as legislation and Immigration New Zealand's own pages. Rules change, so check those sources, and the date, before you rely on a guide. A guide gives general information, not immigration advice on your situation.