Immigration and the process related to it is something that has always been a topic of discussion for all those who want to settle abroad. And the most crucial part is to find the best person to guide you through your migration related needs. So if you are among those seeking advice about migrating to New Zealand, our series on licensed immigration advisers in South Auckland aims to help you.
The second part of the series features Jagjeet Singh Sidhu, aka Jag Sidhu, who is the director of Immigration Matters, a reputed immigration consultancy in Papatoetoe.
Jag, who hails from Nahan, a town in Himachal Pradesh in India, became a licensed advisor on May 2, 2014 (license number 201400260).
Talking about his journey of becoming an immigration advisor, the 41-year-old says, “I have always worked with the community since I moved to New Zealand in 2003. I am honoured to have worked with Immigration New Zealand (INZ) in the capacity of a documentation officer from 2009 to 2014. It was in 2014 that I decided to open my own immigration consultancy in Papatoetoe. My main motivation behind becoming an immigration advisor was to serve my community and give back to the society.”
As immigration to New Zealand has always been a hot topic, especially for people coming from countries such as India, Pakistan, and Fiji, we asked Jag about the changes he has seen in immigration industry over the years.
“The New Zealand immigration policies keep changing with time. The main idea behind the same is to make New Zealand a better country to live. There is demand for skilled migrants here, owing to increasing growth—both economic and social,” he says.
Like any other profession, being a licensed immigration advisor has its own pros and cons. Giving an insight into the same, Jag says, “It is not easy being an immigration advisor as this job involves a lot of responsibility. Leaving your own country and settling abroad is not easy for anyone. And as an advisor, it becomes my responsibility to give the best advice to my client after carefully considering all the factors—both positive and negative—involved in that particular case. It takes a lot of patience, conviction, and dedication to do the same.”
He adds, “One of the biggest challenges is client satisfaction while fulfilling your obligation towards the New Zealand government. And at times it gets difficult to maintain the work/life balance. But the smiles of your clients after their case is successful makes all it worth the efforts.”
As he mentions about the successes, we asked him about the landmark cases of his career so far. He reveals, “To be honest, I have been lucky to have many highlights throughout my career. There have been many difficult cases that I have managed to crack in favour of my client. One of them involved a child with a Down syndrome, who came to New Zealand with her family in January this year. Later, she was denied a visa, as her health was not up to the immigration standards. We went to Immigration and Protection Tribunal and challenged the decision, and managed to get a visa for her. It is a landmark case in the immigration history of New Zealand.”
Giving details about another case, Jag, who has completed Graduate Certificate in New Zealand Immigration Advice provided by the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, says, “I had a client who was living unlawfully in New Zealand for 7 to 8 years but I fought for him and managed to get him a visa under section 61 of the Immigration Act 2009 (in special cases, a person unlawfully in NZ may be granted a visa under section 61 of the Immigration Act 2009).
Another aspect consider while choosing an immigration advisor is to know if the advisor is licensed or not, and how not to get duped by the unlicensed agents. Jag believes that not only people but the licensed advisors are also challenged by unlicensed advisors who fool innocent people easily.
“I know of many cases where people have been fooled by “so called agents”. I believe there should be a strict penalty for them as they play with people’s lives, emotions as well as hard earned money. Therefore, before you choose your agent, you should always check IAA’s website to confirm whether he/she is licensed agent or not”.
You can contact Mr Jagjeet Singh Sidhu on 0297707979
E-mail: Immigrationmattersnz@gmail.com | info@immigrationmatters.co.nz
Address: 137 Kolmar Road, Papatoetoe, Auckland. 2025
Website: http://www.immigrationmatters.co.nz/. You can also book your appointment online.