The Immigration Advisers Authority’s 2010 migrant survey has shown that migrants who consulted a licensed immigration adviser in the past 12 months were happier with the service they received than in the previous year.
Registrar of Immigration Advisers Barry Smedts said that the 2010 survey updated last year’s benchmark survey on the perception of adviser performance and identified changes in the past year. Only 3 percent of the 2010 survey sample consulted an unlicensed immigration adviser.
“We are delighted to see that 75 percent of migrants reported they were satisfied, or very satisfied with their immigration adviser. This is an increase from 63 percent in the 2009 survey. It would seem that the benefits of immigration adviser licensing are being increasingly seen by migrants considering New Zealand as their destination,” Mr Smedts said.
Migrants who had consulted an immigration adviser, and who had received their application decision from Immigration New Zealand between 4 May 2009 and 4 May 2010 were invited to take part in the survey.
Only 3 percent of the 2010 survey sample consulted an unlicensed immigration adviser, compared to 62 percent in the previous year. This is a reflection of Immigration New Zealand’s refusal to accept an application lodged by an immigration adviser who is not licensed or exempt. The decreased use of unlicensed advisers may also indicate that the overall improvement in satisfaction this year is related to the increased use of licensed advisers.
Good communication has once again proved to be the key to ensuring clients are satisfied with the service they receive from their adviser. ‘Recording and agreeing changes in writing’, ‘having been advised they were entitled to seek independent advice before entering into a contract’ and ‘being honest and truthful’ were three of the areas where advisers improved the most, compared to last year’s survey.
“These areas are all key competencies that advisers must be able to demonstrate before they are licensed to give immigration advice. We are pleased that our expectations of adviser performance are mirrored in migrants’ actual experiences with their advisers,” Mr Smedts said.
“We will also continue to promote good communications with licensed advisers, in particular the areas clients identified as needing improvement. Explaining matters clearly, keeping in touch and being honest and professional were the issues that migrants felt needed improving.
“As with any profession, there is always room for improvement. We are heartened that overall the level of satisfaction with licensed advisers is high, and 79 percent of migrants are prepared to recommend their adviser to friends or family. This is particularly pleasing, considering a migrant is more likely to consult a licensed immigration adviser if their personal circumstances are more complex,” Mr Smedts said.