Beware of Unauthorized Agents

"Surely there comes a time when counting the cost and paying the price aren't things to think about any more. All that matters is VALUE - the ultimate value of what one does."

-James Hilton

Many a times I get inquiries from clients who are overseas and not in New Zealand. It is natural that I gather a lot of interest from overseas clients as I was born and raised overseas. What starts of as a discussion/questions usually ends up becoming life decisions for many. I have a lot of clients coming to me of late who ask me what the difference is when an application is submitted by me in New Zealand or an agent in India. The only difference is that the Agent is legally not allowed to make applications on your behalf unless it is a student application and the agent is a registered business.

Shocking is an understatement when I research a bit more into this and find out that the number of applications which could be potential applications are plenty but were not presented in a suitable manner and turned into a declined application. If you want to come to New Zealand as a Visitor and you go to an agent, the agent cannot apply for your Visa on your behalf as he/she is not a Licensed Immigration Advisor. The agents are usually aware of certain requirements that is to be submitted in an application and its mostly from self study. They usually learn from their peers who also have negligible knowledge of the procedure and take a chance by applying and hoping that the decision is in their favor, and many a times it is not. The Agents take advantage and use advertising as a gimmick to establish how profound and knowledgeable they are which is seldom true. In our busy lives and hectic schedules we always look for an expert who knows what they are doing. The Agents take advantage and prefer misleading their clients for HUGE amounts of money. If a client is applying for a Visa through a Licensed Immigration Advisor who has earned the License and strives daily to maintain it then the client guarantees professional service and mitigates the chance of a decline significantly. The Agent who usually applies for the Visa does not state his/her own information on the form as they are illegally assisting the client without a License but takes huge sums of money from the vulnerable clients. Immigration knows that a third person (Agent) is involved in the Application by just going through it. On the other hand, if a Licensed Immigration Advisor is applying for your Visa, he or she states their Licence number and Business Information clearly and also resolves any future queries or questions Immigration may have. This safeguards the clients interest who knows for sure that they are relying on a dependable source.

My advise to you would be to pay Professionals who state their business information on the Immigration form and declare to Immigration that they are representing you. This will safeguard you if any question is received from Immigration. You do not want to pay someone who hides behind you and contributes nothing towards the credibility of your application.

In this day and age of free information on the internet, anybody can proclaim to be knowledgeable and build their own fortune from your wealth.