It is not easy for anyone to migrate to a new country and especially to a country like New Zealand. It is here that licensed immigration advisers come into play by giving expert immigration advice to their clients. The migrants especially who come from India/Fiji always have questions with regards to immigration as it is a very complex process. But if you are guided by the right advisor, there is nothing worry.

Taking a cue from the same and with an aim to help migrants get the right advice, we are starting with a series on licensed immigration advisers in South Auckland.  

The first one to feature in our series is Atesh Narayan, Managing Director of Auckland South Immigration Consultants, who has more than 5 years’ experience as a licensed immigration adviser. Here are excerpts from his interview with Indian Weekender.

IWK: Tell us about your journey so far.

Atesh: I am from Fiji but I migrated to New Zealand in May 2000.  This was two days after second military coupe in Fiji. I became a licensed immigration adviser on November 25, 2010. My NZ licence number is 200902665 and my AUS licence number is 1576005-1.

IWK: Why did you choose to be an immigration Adviser?

Atesh: I like to serve the New Zealand community. I like to be self-employed and I have passion in providing immigration advice for New Zealand and Australian visa applications.

Furthermore, I have been an active soccer player and a sports administrator and I would like to continue doing immigration to maintain my physical as well as mental fitness.

Although I run my business from home, it works out well for me in terms of saving overhead costs. This enables me to be reasonable in adviser fees compared to other licensed immigration advisers.

IWK: What has been your toughest case so far?

Atesh: I worked on a residence visa under partnership for a client who had previously got her visa declined 12 times. To ensure the success of this application, I got all her previous files from the Privacy Team of Immigration New Zealand, studied those in detail and acted as a strong advocate for my client. I prepared the client for her interview with the case officer, who was then able to answer all the immigration enquiries, adequately.

IWK: What will be your advice to the people who want to migrate in New Zealand?

Atesh: I will advise anyone who is intending to migrate to New Zealand to be completely prepared as well as do sufficient research about life in New Zealand, language and culture. New Zealand has a diverse population and one will need to understand the various people that come from different ethnic backgrounds.

IWK: How should people save themselves from unlicensed immigration advisers?

Atesh: They should visit the website of the Immigration Advisers Authority to find out if the immigration adviser is licensed. They should not use them if they are not listed or not on the list of lawyers for providing immigration advice in the New Zealand Law Society.

IWK: How have you seen the immigration industry in New Zealand changing over the years?

Atesh: There have been considerable changes in technology, particularly in submitting online applications. The number of new immigrants has increased over the years. This year, there has been a considerable increase in ther number of immigrants from UK, mainly due to Brexit.

Furthermore, there has been an increase in internal migration out of Auckland mainly to gain sufficient points under skilled migrant category and business class visas.

In addition, there has been an increase in the number of licensed immigration advisers because of the online course— Graduate Diploma in New Zealand Immigration Advice —provided by the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic based in Tauranga. However, there is still a fair amount of unlicensed activity going on in New Zealand as well as offshore that has refrained clients from receiving accurate advice from a licensed professional.

IWK: What has been your biggest challenge as an immigration adviser?

Atesh: To make accurate decisions and providing the client some options as well as receiving visa approvals in less time. One of the main challenges is to stay updated with any new immigration instructions and to understand the client well during the first interview.

IWK: What is the biggest highlight of your career till date?

Atesh: There has been considerable growth in my business over the past five years and the success of the business has been the result of continuously attending professional development activities and assistance from my business development manager as well as my business mentor.

Despite having a full immigration advisers licence, I have successfully completed the Graduate Certificate in New Zealand Immigration Advice at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. I was the finalist in the Best Emerging Business award category at the Westpac/ATEED Auckland Business Awards in August 2015. In July 2016, I completed Master of Business Administration majoring in marketing from Auckland Institute of Studies, St Helens.

You can contact Mr. Atesh Narayan, on 09 279 7283, 021 168 7230

email: atesh@asic.co.nz | help@asic.co.nz | immigration@asic.co.nz

Address: 26 Donegal Park Drive, Flat Bush, Auckland 2016

Website: http://www.asic.co.nz