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How to complain about an immigration adviser in New Zealand

Complaints about a licensed immigration adviser go to the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA), which investigates and can refer the complaint to the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal. Complaining is free, anyone can do it, not only the client, and the IAA states that making a complaint will not affect your immigration status. Complaints about a New Zealand lawyer go to the New Zealand Law Society instead, and paid immigration advice from someone who is neither licensed nor exempt is an offence you can report to the IAA.

Updated 25 July 2026

The complaint process at a glance

Cost at any stage
Free
While licensed
Any time
After the licence ends
2 years
From a complaint to the tribunal, and the way back if it is closed
  1. Complaint to the IAA
  2. Investigation
  3. The Registrar decides
    If the IAA closes the complaintThe closure can be appealed to the tribunal
  4. Referral to the tribunal

Check who you are actually complaining about

The pathway depends on the person's regulator.

Where a complaint goes
The person isThe complaint goes to
A licensed immigration adviser, holding an IAA licence (check on the licence checker)The IAA, through the process below
A New Zealand lawyerThe New Zealand Law Society's complaints service, not the IAA
Neither, and they gave New Zealand immigration advice for gainThe IAA, as a report of unlicensed advice: that is potentially an offence under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007

What you can complain about

The statutory grounds are:

  • Negligence
  • Incompetence
  • Incapacity
  • Dishonest or misleading behaviour
  • Breaches of the Licensed Immigration Advisers Code of Conduct, which covers written agreements, fair and reasonable fees, client care, confidentiality and file handling
Time limits for a complaint
WhenTime limit
While the immigration adviser is licensedComplaints can be made at any time
After the person has stopped being a licensed immigration adviserWithin two years of when they ceased to be licensed

Anonymous complaints are not accepted, but you do not need to be the client: an employer, family member or another professional can complain.

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How the process runs

  1. Complaint to the IAA

    In writing, with supporting evidence: the written agreement, invoices, correspondence and a clear account of events.

  2. Investigation

    An investigator is assigned and may come back to you for clarification.

  3. The Registrar decides

    The Registrar then either closes the complaint or refers it to the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal. If the IAA closes your complaint, you can appeal that closure to the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal.

  4. Referral to the tribunal

    The Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal decides the complaint and any sanctions.

Be realistic about timeframes: investigation and tribunal stages together commonly take many months.

What the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal can order

Where a complaint is upheld, the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal's sanctions include:

  • Censure
  • Required training
  • Conditions on the licence, or its suspension or cancellation
  • Prohibition on relicensing
  • Fines of up to $10,000
  • Orders to refund fees and pay compensation for loss, the sanctions most relevant to clients

An immigration adviser whose licence is cancelled can also be barred from holding a licence for up to two years.

Every decision of the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal is published. This directory carries fair-report summaries of all 824 published decisions in the decisions archive, linked from the profile of each immigration adviser the Tribunal named. A decision is not itself a finding of wrongdoing, since some complaints are dismissed. Checking an immigration adviser's profile and the archive before engaging is exactly the due diligence this process exists to support.

Check your understanding

These questions check what this guide says. They say nothing about your own case.

  1. 1. Where does a complaint about a New Zealand lawyer go?
  2. 2. How long after a person stops being a licensed immigration adviser can a complaint still be made?
  3. 3. Does the IAA accept anonymous complaints?
  4. 4. If the IAA closes a complaint, what can the complainant do?
  5. 5. Does it cost anything to complain?

For educational and illustrative purposes only. This is not immigration advice, and no warranty is given as to its appropriateness or accuracy. If in doubt, talk to an immigration adviser or an immigration lawyer about your specific circumstances.

Frequently asked questions

No. Complaining to the IAA is free at every stage, including referral to the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal, and the IAA states that making a complaint will not affect your immigration status.

Possibly. If the complaint is referred and upheld, the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal can order the immigration adviser to refund fees and pay compensation for loss, alongside disciplinary sanctions such as fines up to $10,000, suspension or licence cancellation. Nothing is guaranteed, so keep the written agreement and all invoices as evidence.

Yes, but only within two years of when they stopped being licensed. Complaints about people who were never licensed or exempt are handled as unlicensed-advice reports to the IAA instead, because giving paid immigration advice without a licence or exemption is an offence.

The New Zealand Law Society's complaints service, not the IAA. New Zealand lawyers are exempt from immigration adviser licensing and are regulated under the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, which has its own complaints and disciplinary system.

Sources

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