Ministry of Justice

Failure to exercise due diligence and care / negligence / unprofessional conduct / failure to confirm client’s visa history / client advised that he was always on essential skills visa when he was not / client did not hold essential skills work visa for required period / adviser told client that he did not comply with requirements / visa declined and client requested a refund / adviser offered refund if client withdrew complaint /Code of Conduct 2014, cl1 / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s442 / adviser should have checked client’s visa history and not relied on client for information about immigration status / linking of refund to withdrawal of complaint unprofessional /client’s evidence unreliable / adviser’s mistakes did not cross disciplinary threshold / client used complaint process as leverage for refund / refund already achieved / complaint dismissed.

Rubber stamping / allowing unlicensed people to manage visa application process and unlawfully delegating personal obligations to them / failure to provide clients with written agreement / adviser engaged by offshore immigration consultancy which had been engaged by recruiting agency in another country / adviser’s fee paid by consultancy / adviser had no direct communication with clients / agreement signed by consultancy not clients / all clients’ dealings with unlicensed people / adviser mistakenly believed consultancy was his client / Code of Conduct 2014, cl1, cl2e, cl3c, cl17, cl18 / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s442 / adviser had no contact with clients whatsoever & left  them to deal with unlicensed people whom he did not know / adviser admitted failure to engage with clients and having no written agreement / adviser did engage with file / quality of work not substandard & did not lack care /  complaint upheld.

Sanctions decision / failure to establish professional relationship with client / providing false information to INZ / dishonest & misleading conduct / adviser’s licence suspended / criminal convictions for exploiting unlawful employee / client had work visa for farm work but instead worked as a hairdresser at adviser’s salon / client not paid for work / adviser told INZ client was a volunteer & asked client to write a letter to INZ to that effect / INZ did not give permission for client to work at salon / Code of Conduct 2014, cl1, cl3c, cl18a, cl26b / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s50, s51 / providing false information most serious complaint / adviser already punished by Court for criminal convictions / gravity of complaint warranted adviser being censured / not necessary to consider cancellation as adviser prohibited from holding licence due to convictions / adviser had low income and two children / adviser censured & ordered to pay penalty of $3,500.

Sanctions decision / rubber stamping / breach of professional obligations / permitting unlicensed staff to provide services of a licensed adviser / providing false documentation to INZ / adviser an employee of a company which contracted partner company to communicate with clients and obtain documents / adviser had no direct contact with clients / company filed false information without adviser’s knowledge / Code of Conduct 2014, cl1, cl2e, cl3c / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s50 and s51 / adviser’s conduct amounted to serious misconduct / not an isolated incident / rubber stamping at upper end of spectrum / business structure  adviser operated under allowed clients to produce false documents to INZ / adviser admitted misconduct, educated himself about rubber stamping and assisted Authority with investigation / adviser censured and ordered to pay penalty of $7,000.

Suspension / notice of suspension of licence / dishonest or misleading behaviour / adviser admitted falsifying emails showing he had made a special direction request when he had not / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s45, s53 / strong evidence of serious misconduct amounting to dishonest and misleading behaviour / necessary to suspend licence in interests of public and to protect reputation of profession / public confidence in profession and immigration system required suspension / licence suspended until Tribunal determines complaint.

Rubber stamping / breach of professional obligations & Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 / failure to engage with client / allowing unlicensed staff to provide immigration services / adviser a contractor for overseas company / agreement with company whereby new clients would be referred to adviser / complainant had no contact with adviser / unlicensed staff met and advised complainant / complainant unsuccessful in obtaining job and sought refund of fees / adviser not aware of complainant until approached for refund / Code of Conduct 2014, cl1, cl2e, cl3c, cl24b, & cl24c / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s442 / adviser cannot be responsible for conduct of complainant’s application if he did not know about it / refund not made promptly but complainant never adviser’s client /complaint dismissed.

Breach of professional obligations & Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 / providing false and misleading information / expression of interest (EOI) for residence in skilled migrant category / EOI claimed incorrect number of points / complainant not eligible to claim points for skilled employment of 12 months or more / INZ provided with all relevant information / most of client engagement with unlicensed employees / delay in sending letter of concern to complainant / Immigration instructions, SM3.5 / Code of Conduct 2014, cl1, cl2e, cl3c, cl9a & cl9b / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s44 / impermissible delegation of client engagement / failure to advise client in writing that application had little chance of success / failure to provide letter of concern to complainant / information provided not false or misleading as underlying information accurate / no intention to deceive / complaint upheld.

Sanctions decision / failure to exercise due care / adviser recommended candidate to employer with little welding experience for a position that required welding experience / adviser confused as to distinction between welder and fabricator / candidate’s employment terminated upon discovery he did not have required welding skills / adviser apologised and took full responsibility for error / adviser refunded candidate’s fees and paid for travel costs / Code of Conduct 2014, cl1 / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s50 and s51 / adviser failed to exercise due care and should’ve better informed herself of distinction between welder and fabricator / no dishonesty or deception / gravity of misconduct lower end of spectrum / no evidence of cost to employer or candidate / isolated incident / no further action taken.

Sanctions decision / lack of professionalism and due care / failure to provide full files to Authority / adviser misunderstood immigration instructions / wrongly asserted IELTS not justified / unprofessional communications with INZ / adviser made personal attacks against officers with no merit / Code of Conduct 2014, cl1, cl3c, cl26e / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s50 and s51 / persons other than client must also be treated professionally and with respect / conduct not in clients’ best interests / statutory demands to produce files straightforward / correspondence with INZ at high end of unprofessional correspondence / adviser censured and ordered to pay penalty of $2000.

Breach of professional obligations and Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 / failure to properly document professional relationship / work visa application / adviser knew complainant socially / no written agreement for immigration services / communications not formalised / fees paid but not deposited and invoices not issued / failure to provide fully copy of file/ adviser claimed internet fault / INZ raised character concern / Code of Conduct 2014, cl18a, cl22, cl25c, cl26(a)(i), cl26(e), cl26b, cl26c / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s44 / adviser admitted all heads of complaint / adviser failed to treat immigration side of relationship objectively and professionally / important to have written agreement and properly document financial transactions / complaint upheld.

Rubber stamping / breach of professional obligations & Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 / permitting unlicensed people to provide immigration services / adviser dealt with client through overseas consultancy / client had no direct contact with adviser / unlicensed staff planned & coordinated application process & communicated with client / adviser not involved in process / staff provided eligibility advice / Code of Conduct 2014, cl1, cl2e, 3c, 18c, & 19e / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s442 / adviser had no control over process / no active engagement with client or file / all work done by consultancy’s unlicensed staff / adviser’s involvement limited to signing letter & form prepared by others / employee’s advice on eligibility beyond clerical work / no requirement adviser must be party to agreement or sign it but still subject to obligations / cl 19e does not require a generally Code compliant agreement, it is the services which must be tailored / complaint upheld

Sanctions decision / rubber stamping / breach of professional obligations / unlicensed staff performed immigration work on adviser’s behalf / adviser had no contact with clients at all / adviser believed overseas recruitment company was her client / failure to recognise applicants were her true clients / high level of negligence found / Code of Conduct 2014, cl1, cl2e, cl3c, cl18a, 26b and cl26e / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s50 and s51 / adviser no longer a licensed adviser / / conduct of delegating immigration work serious and grossly unprofessional / complaint concerned 22 clients / rubber stamping at the upper end / previous complaint upheld / adviser’s financial, professional and personal circumstances an important mitigating factor / costs not awarded due to adviser’s financial and personal circumstances / adviser censured and ordered to pay penalty of $6,500 / prohibition against reapplying for licence.

Breach of professional obligations and Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 / lack of professionalism / refusal to provide English language (IELTS) certificates to INZ / residence visas declined / adviser believed IELTS certificates not necessary because clients met skilled migrant pathway / adviser made serious allegations against named INZ officers / Code of Conduct 2014, cl1, cl3c, cl 10b,  and cl26e / Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s442, s50, s51 and s57 / immigration officers entitled to insist on IELTS certificates / reasons for requiring certificates compelling / clients did not meet skilled migrant pathway / adviser failed to assess and apply instructions with due care and professionalism / adviser misunderstood criteria where it was clear standard not met / correspondence amounted to unjustified personal attacks on named officers / complaint upheld