This page describes the immigration regulatory system, its objectives and our qualitative assessment of it. It also lists the main statutes and changes to regulation either proposed or in progress.

A former Licensed Immigration Adviser (LIA) has been sentenced to 6-months community detention and 100 hours community service after his application for a discharge without conviction was dismissed and he was found guilty of breaching the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 (the Act).

We proactively release Cabinet papers and supporting advice on our policy work.

We are changing the way employers recruit some migrants for temporary work in New Zealand.

Since it began in 2007, the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme has enabled employers in the horticulture and viticulture sector to recruit an annually capped number of seasonal workers from eligible Pacific Island countries to plant, maintain, harvest, or pack crops.

The head of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has committed to continuing a pause on out of hours visits to residential addresses by compliance officers for deportation purposes following the release of an independent review into the practice.

The Government is taking further steps to protect vulnerable workers and champion human rights with the passing of the Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Bill.

The Migrant Community Reference Group (the Group) is a dedicated forum for the Minister of Immigration to engage with perspectives from New Zealand’s migrant communities.

10 people representing perspectives from migrant communities across Aotearoa New Zealand have been announced for the newly established Migrant Community Reference Group.

March 2023