4 Jan 2017

Immigration advisers lose licence over shoddy advice

1:33 pm on 4 January 2017

Four New Zealand-based immigration advisers lost their licences to practise last year.

A woman with a backpack pulls a suitcase through an airport.

Photo: 123RF

Their cases were among 20 complaints upheld by the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal.

Dishonesty, negligence, lack of professionalism and condoning unlicensed advice in their workplace led to the licence cancellations.

One client was advised to lie to immigration officials at the border and another missed out on a visa because her adviser failed to tell her she needed to provide a police clearance certificate.

The tribunal ordered one adviser to pay more than $10,000 in compensation to a client for lost wages.

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