Migration Agent Complaints: How to Report an Adviser

If you have a complaint about a migration agent, the body you contact depends on where the adviser is regulated. In New Zealand, complaints about licensed immigration advisers go to the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA). In the United Kingdom, complaints about regulated advisers go to the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), the successor to the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). If the person who gave you advice is not licensed and is not exempt, you should report them to the relevant regulator, because providing immigration advice without a licence is an offence in both countries.

Why the distinction between licensed and unlicensed matters

In New Zealand, immigration advice for a visa application must come from a licensed immigration adviser (LIA), or from a person who is exempt from being licensed. Anyone can help you fill in a visa application form, but any advice on immigration matters must come from someone approved by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) or exempt. Exempt people include lawyers with a current practising certificate, diplomats, certain government employees, and, outside New Zealand, education agents permitted to advise on student visas.

The same principle applies in the United Kingdom. The Immigration Advice Authority regulates and licenses people who provide immigration advice to the general public, and it has the authority to prosecute individuals operating illegally. Legal professionals such as solicitors and barristers are regulated by their own professional bodies rather than by the IAA.

This distinction matters for a complaint because the regulator can only act on an adviser within its jurisdiction. If you complain about a licensed adviser, the regulator can investigate and discipline them. If you complain about someone who is not licensed and not exempt, the regulator may treat it as a criminal matter rather than a professional conduct matter.

Complaining about a migration agent in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) is responsible for licensing immigration advisers and regulating the advice they give. If you have difficulty finding a licensed immigration adviser, or you want to complain about one, you can contact the IAA directly.

Before you ask an immigration adviser to help you, check the IAA register to make sure the person has a current licence and the right type of licence. Licensed immigration advisers must meet competency standards and follow a Code of Conduct set by the IAA. The IAA provides information on who can advise you, how much it should cost, and any limits on the advice they can give you.

There is a specific consequence for naming an unlicensed adviser on an application. If an adviser named in an application does not appear on the register of immigration advisers and is not exempt, INZ will refuse to accept or will decline the application. INZ will also contact the IAA, because providing immigration advice when neither licensed nor exempt is an offence.

What the IAA can do

The New Zealand IAA can:

• investigate complaints about licensed advisers
• take enforcement action against advisers who breach the Code of Conduct
• refer unlicensed advisers for prosecution

If you are unsure whether your adviser is licensed, the register of licensed immigration advisers is the place to check. If your adviser is a lawyer, the New Zealand Law Society website can help you find a lawyer or legal firm, or check that your existing lawyer has a current certificate to practise.

Complaining about a migration agent in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) protects seekers of immigration advice through regulation, enforcement and promoting best practice. It was previously known as the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) and rebranded as the IAA in January 2025.

The IAA regulates over 3,700 individual immigration advisers and 2,000 organisations. It licenses and regulates people who want to provide immigration advice to the general public, but not legal professionals such as solicitors and barristers who are already regulated by their own professional body.

What the IAA can do

The UK IAA has the authority to:

• limit or vary levels of work advisers may undertake
• lay a disciplinary charge against a regulated adviser
• apply for a restraining order or an injunction
• prosecute for illegally providing immigration advice and/or services
• prosecute for illegally advertising immigration advice and/or services
• enter an adviser’s premises
• seize an adviser’s records

Its main duties include assessing and registering individuals who want to become immigration advisers, auditing advisers to ensure professional standards are upheld, managing and investigating complaints against immigration advisers, and taking enforcement action against those offering immigration advice illegally. It also oversees the regulation of immigration advice provided by solicitors and barristers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where legal systems differ.

What to expect when you complain

Both regulators publish what complainants can expect. The UK IAA states that it will treat you with dignity and respect, without discrimination or prejudice, and that your information will be held securely and not shared without permission. For complaints, it will explain what it can do, outline processes and timelines, and keep you regularly updated. It will explain the reason for its decisions in writing, and it will publish details on how you can request a review of its complaint decisions.

The UK IAA aims to reply to all queries within five working days to acknowledge receipt and ten for a full response. If it cannot assist with your query or complaint, it will try to direct you to an organisation that can.

The New Zealand IAA does not publish equivalent service standards on the page cited, but the same expectation of a written response and a clear process applies. If you are complaining about an adviser, keep copies of any written advice, invoices, and correspondence, because the regulator may ask for evidence.

What the regulators will not do

Neither regulator acts as a substitute for the adviser. The UK IAA states explicitly that it does not provide immigration advice and does not recommend or endorse any specific immigration adviser. The New Zealand IAA similarly regulates advisers rather than providing advice to applicants.

This means that if you need advice about your own application, you should not contact the regulator for that purpose. You should seek advice from a licensed adviser or an exempt person, or complete the application yourself using the official guidance.

How to verify an adviser before you complain

Before complaining, verify the adviser’s status. In New Zealand, check the IAA register of licensed immigration advisers to confirm the person has a current licence and the right type of licence. If the adviser is a lawyer, check the New Zealand Law Society website for a current certificate to practise.

In the United Kingdom, the IAA publishes a list of organisations suspended or removed from its scheme. If an adviser is not on the IAA register and is not a regulated legal professional, they may be operating illegally.

What to do next

If you believe you have received poor advice from a licensed adviser, contact the relevant regulator directly. In New Zealand, that is the Immigration Advisers Authority. In the United Kingdom, that is the Immigration Advice Authority.

If you believe the person who advised you is not licensed and not exempt, report them to the regulator as well, because unlicensed advice is an offence. In New Zealand, INZ will also contact the IAA if an unlicensed adviser is named on an application.

Before you engage an adviser, check the official register. The IAA register in New Zealand and the IAA scheme in the United Kingdom are the authoritative sources for whether a person is permitted to give immigration advice. The relevant pages are the Immigration New Zealand page on getting immigration advice and the UK Immigration Advice Authority about page.