Immigration Advisors
Deciding to move to a new country is a daunting experience. When we first decided to pursue an international move (on November 7, 2016 for those of you wondering) there seemed to be a mountain of questions before us. Very honestly, we didn’t know what we didn’t know and we didn’t want to mess anything up. Once we decided that New Zealand had potential, we spent some time on the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) website to learn about the different paths available for immigration. This was, of course, in the “before times” when there were lots of visa options and you didn’t have to either be an essential worker or an existing resident/citizen to move.
The INZ website is full of useful information, but it led to even more questions. So we did the next logical thing for clueless people to do: we called INZ directly. We found that unlike American bureaucracies, INZ was extremely helpful. They answered questions quickly and clearly. The people on the other end of the phone were trying to facilitate our move, not put barriers up for us to overcome. It was our first taste of Kiwi hospitality, and we liked it. Eventually, we asked INZ for a list of immigration advisors and lawyers they could recommend to us for help. We knew that while we probably could figure out the paperwork on our own, we also knew we would be a lot more likely to do things correctly and with a lot less marital strife if we brought in a professional.
And thus began our nightly interviews with a number of immigration advisors around the country. We spoke to immigration professionals at Lane Neave, Malcolm Pacific, Goldman Legal, Pathways, and IMMagine. Everyone we spoke to was professional and informative. They all appeared immensely qualified to help us, so I recommend that before deciding on an advisor (or to forgo one) talk to as many as you can! You will learn so much about the process, reasonable expectations, and the workload involved for your visa by getting as many perspectives as possible.
Eventually, we decided that Richard Howard with Pathways was the person we felt understood our situation best. We received a lot of good guidance about how to think through the entire process before putting in any paperwork so we wouldn’t end up in a bind later on. He also held the bucket as we vented our frustrations and was able to talk us off the edge whenever we got confused or overwhelmed. I asked him to respond to the questions I see the most about the visa process and immigrating, especially now in our post-covid world. Hopefully his thoughtful answers will help you think through some of the hurdles that face prospective immigrants:
Q: Many people think the New Zealand border is closed to everyone except citizens and existing residents. Are there still opportunities to immigrate to New Zealand in the times of covid, and should a prospective migrant start a visa application process even when the borders are closed?
A: There are still opportunities to obtain visas which allow for New Zealand border entry at this time. Although these are limited to particular visa categories or visa holders the Government is gradually allowing more groups of people to enter such as the 250 PhD student visa holders who were approved for entry recently. Resident and temporary visa applications are still able to be processed and approved for partnership visas and these people can enter New Zealand while some residence applications, such as investor applications, can still be lodged for offshore applicants but these can only be processed up to the decision stage. We have been successful in gaining border entry for medical specialists and for other critical workers who have an urgent and specialist need to be in New Zealand and these situations remain possible.
Following the election, and while border restrictions remain in place, the Labour Government will take its time to consider an “across the board” reset of all its immigration policy settings. The likelihood is that this reset will see a focus on smaller numbers of migrants, students, workers and investors and on those who are best matched to, and most desired for, New Zealand’s requirements in this new and changed world. If someone believes they are eligible under the current policy settings it may be in their interests to begin the process sooner rather than later.
Q: What are the top three “trickiest" types of visa applications, and can you help make those applications more successful? Conversely, are there visas that typically do not require professional assistance?
A: What appears to be a straightforward visa application can quickly become “tricky” when a medical or character matter arises, or when there is a document discrepancy, or a change of circumstances during the application processing. The key is always to plan and prepare an application in advance and in the full knowledge of all issues and potential issues so that these are appropriately managed and allowed for. It is important to have a trusting relationship with clients so that we have full information disclosure before the application is lodged. Once an application is lodged it is very difficult to make any changes.
By far the “trickiest” application category is with entrepreneur visas but this is mainly because this policy is simply not fit-for-purpose and is used by many visa applicants as the visa of last resort. Investor visas also require care as any mistakes or oversights can potentially prove costly. Partnership applications also have a number of challenges around the evidence requirements.
An increasing number of visa applications can now be undertaken online such as visitor, student and work applications and while these can be done without professional assistance a little professional input and experience makes the process much easier to navigate!
Q: What sets Pathways apart from other immigration advisors?
A: Pathways is the second largest immigration company in New Zealand with 12 Licensed Immigration Advisers, and we are also one of the longest established having begun business in 1992. Our advisers collectively have over 130 years of immigration-related work experience and they include previous immigration officers and qualified lawyers. We also have a full-time PhD qualified immigration researcher. But apart from our experience and knowledge base what really makes Pathways different is our willingness and interest to really get to know our clients on a personal level and to truly partner with them, both through the immigration process and beyond. Our business success is built on our client relationships.
Q: Is there an upfront cost for an initial meeting with Pathways, and what information should a prospective migrant bring to that first call?
A: There is no cost for any initial meeting or consultation and often we will interact with prospective clients for many months in good faith (at no cost) to ensure they have a clear understanding and expectation of the process, potential outcomes and any risks before making the mutual decision to move forward.
In their first call a prospective migrant should be willing to talk honestly and openly about their situation and what they are looking to achieve – and to take the time for us to get to know each other.
Would I recommend Richard to prospective migrants? Yes. Absolutely. He has been professional and helpful throughout this process and continues to be a good resource for us. Also, he has a shocking resemblance to Ben Kingsley, and I will always have a soft spot for Searching for Bobby Fischer.
