The thought of leaving your own country and migrating to a new place can be quite unsettling for many. Whenever one talk about immigration there are many questions that one encounters especially pertaining to choosing the right visa type, process and even the cost involved. And a Licensed Immigration Adviser is the best person to take through this demanding process with effortlessness.
Taking a cue from the same, our ongoing series on Licensed Immigration Advisers intends to help you find the best advisor for your immigration needs.
The fourth part of our series features Mr.SarfrazShaikh aka Saif (as he is fondly called), who is the Director of Immigration Advice NZ Ltd, prominent Immigration consultancy in East Tamaki, which is a team of 13 members.
With over 12 years’ experience in the Immigration Industry, Saif is one of the most experienced licensed immigration adviser in New Zealand. Talking about why he decided to become a licensed Immigration adviser, Saif, says, “I used to work with Immigration New Zealand from the year 2004 to the year 2007 where I served as a Warranted Immigration Officer. During my tenure with Immigration New Zealand, I realized that there was a genuine need for people who could give quality Immigration advice. And that’s why I decided to become a Licensed Immigration Adviser. I got my license on 16 March 2009 (His license number is 200900488).”
There have been significant changes with regards to the minimum points for expression of interest being raised to 160 and stricter English requirements for the migrants applying for residency under the skilled migrant category. Giving his take on the same, Saif, who came to New Zealand in the year 2002, says, “Undoubtedly, these changes are going to impact a lot of migrants to gain residency in New Zealand as many of them won’t be able to be eligible for the same as compared to before when the rules were more relaxed. Having said that, New Zealand needs skilled migrants for its growth. And one must not see these rules as a full stop to migration. It is a way by which New Zealand government is trying to strike a balance between quantity and quality of migrants.” Further INZ have announced the Parent Category is being temporarily closed to new applications. Immigration New Zealand will not make selections from the Parent Category Pool until further notice.
As we mentioned about changes in Immigration, we could help by asking Saif about how he has seen the Immigration industry in New Zealand changing over the years, “There have been lot of significant changes in the New Zealand Immigration over time - be it with regards to applications being filed online or the increase in number of international students coming to New Zealand each year. Another noteworthy change has been with a rise in the number of licensed Immigration Adviser annually,” he says.
Considering the same, being a Licensed Immigration Adviser is not everyone’s cup of tea. “Every day is a challenge in the life of a Licensed Immigration Adviser. It is a high-pressure job and that’s what I like most about it. No two days are same as every day you come across different clients who have their own unique problems. And giving them advice which is tailor made for their need is the biggest challenge of a Licensed Immigration adviser. Another challenge is to keep oneself updated with any change in Immigration instructions and cite them for your client correctly.”
Another hot topic with regards to immigration has been related to the deportation of Indian students. Giving his views on the same, Saif, who has completed the Graduate Certificate in New Zealand Immigration Advice provided by the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, says, “To be honest, I feel one who wants to migrate to New Zealand especially students should be more responsible when it comes to choosing an immigration agent for them. Even in the case of these students, there have been few who have unfortunately paid extra money to their agent for their own personal gain and on the other hand, there are few who were genuinely unaware of what their agent was doing with their application.”
So what should be one’s checklist before deciding on which immigration to choose? “I would request that when you choose any immigration agent, you should well research about it and ask as many people as you can before zeroing down on the final one. For the students, it is indispensable to research well about the course and not just pick a course because your agent told you to do so. You should treat your immigration adviser as a doctor and like you ask a lot of questions to a doctor before you get treated, you should ask a lot of questions to your Immigration consultant before you are satisfied about the advice you get.”