Who are the people New Zealand visa applicants pay for immigration advice? We analysed the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) register, all 1,769 licensed immigration advisers as of 2 November 2026, and the 840 adviser websites we could read, to answer questions the register doesn't answer on its own: how experienced advisers are, where they work, how big their practices are and which languages they offer.
You're welcome to cite these figures with a link to this page. They're available as CSV under CC BY 4.0.
Key Findings
- 1,769 licensed immigration advisers: 1,461 with a full licence (83%), 303 with a provisional licence (17%) and 5 with a limited licence.
- A quarter of today's advisers (440, or 25%) were first licensed in 2025 or 2026. 238 of them were first licensed in 2025, more than in any earlier year. The median adviser was first licensed in 2019.
- More than a quarter work from outside New Zealand. Of the 1,508 advisers with a phone number on the register, 412 (27%) have a number from another country, most of them in Australia (295).
- 71% of advisers who list a New Zealand city list Auckland (814 of 1,152). Christchurch has 108, Hamilton 87 and Wellington 62.
- 91% of practices are a single adviser. Only 9 practices have 5 or more.
- 40% of adviser websites offer a language other than English, most often Mandarin (140 sites), Hindi (67), Tagalog (33) and Punjabi (32).
Licence Types
The IAA issues three kinds of licence. Each adviser holds one.
| Licence | Advisers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Full | 1,461 | 83% |
| Provisional | 303 | 17% |
| Limited | 5 | 0.3% |
A provisional licence holder works under the supervision of a full licence holder. A limited licence covers only specific, limited work. Both are real licences, but if your case is complex it's reasonable to ask who will supervise or review it. The register shows each adviser's licence type; our guide to choosing a licensed adviser explains how to check it.
How Experienced Are Advisers?
Licence numbers begin with a year: 2008 for the first advisers licensed when the system started, 2026 for this year's. We use it as the year the adviser was first licensed. Across today's 1,769 advisers:
| First licensed | Advisers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Before 2012 | 250 | 14% |
| 2012–2016 | 386 | 22% |
| 2017–2021 | 413 | 23% |
| 2022–2024 | 280 | 16% |
| 2025 | 238 | 13% |
| 2026 (to 2 November) | 202 | 11% |
These are advisers still licensed today, grouped by when they started, so earlier years look smaller as people retire or leave. Even so, 2025 is the largest year in the register, and 2026 was already the second largest by early November. The median adviser was first licensed in 2019.
Newer advisers are licensed and bound by the same Code of Conduct. For a decline, a deportation liability notice or a character issue, ask how many similar cases they've handled.
Where Advisers Are
Inside and outside New Zealand
New Zealand immigration advice is licensed wherever the adviser is in the world. Of the 1,508 advisers with a phone number on the register, 1,096 have a New Zealand number and 412 (27%) have one from another country:
| Phone country | Advisers |
|---|---|
| Australia | 295 |
| India | 34 |
| China | 21 |
| Philippines | 7 |
| Hong Kong | 7 |
| Canada | 7 |
| South Africa | 6 |
| 19 other countries | 35 |
Australia stands out: many Australian immigration practices also advise on New Zealand visas. Using an adviser overseas is fine as long as they hold a current IAA licence (or are exempt, like a New Zealand lawyer). Anyone giving New Zealand immigration advice without one is committing an offence, wherever they are.
By New Zealand city
1,152 advisers list a New Zealand city on the register. Many list none, so these are minimums.
| City | Advisers |
|---|---|
| Auckland | 814 |
| Christchurch | 108 |
| Hamilton | 87 |
| Wellington | 62 |
| Tauranga | 24 |
| Palmerston North | 12 |
| Dunedin | 7 |
| Nelson | 7 |
| Rotorua | 7 |
| Whanganui | 5 |
| Whangarei | 5 |
| Invercargill | 5 |
| Napier | 3 |
| New Plymouth | 3 |
| Gisborne | 3 |
Outside the four main centres, advisers are scarce. Most advice now happens by phone and video, so a local adviser isn't essential, but people in the regions often don't know that. See advisers by city.
Most Advisers Work Alone
We grouped advisers into practices by the business name on their register profile.
| Practice size | Practices |
|---|---|
| 1 adviser | 1,379 |
| 2–4 advisers | 132 |
| 5–9 advisers | 8 |
| 10 or more | 1 |
1,520 practices, 91% of them a single adviser. The largest has 29 advisers. For you, this usually means you deal directly with the licensed adviser, and that availability varies: ask who will handle your case and how quickly they respond.
Languages Advisers Offer
The register doesn't record languages, so we looked at advisers' websites. 334 of the 840 websites (40%) we could read offer at least one language other than English.
| Language | Websites |
|---|---|
| Mandarin | 140 |
| Hindi | 67 |
| Tagalog | 33 |
| Punjabi | 32 |
| Vietnamese | 27 |
| Cantonese | 24 |
| Spanish | 20 |
| German | 18 |
| Korean | 15 |
| French | 14 |
| Afrikaans | 14 |
| Japanese | 13 |
Pacific languages are rare: no website we read mentions Samoan, only 1 mentions Fiji Hindi, and 2 mention Tongan. If you'd be more comfortable in your own language, ask at the first contact.
What Advisers Offer
Share of the 812 adviser websites that list services:
| Service | Websites | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Work visas | 748 | 92% |
| Residence | 710 | 87% |
| Student visas | 704 | 87% |
| Family and partner visas | 665 | 82% |
| Business and investor visas | 469 | 58% |
| Visitor visas | 454 | 56% |
| Employer accreditation | 231 | 28% |
| Appeals | 228 | 28% |
Most practices are generalists. Fewer than a third advertise appeals or employer accreditation, so for a decline or for an employer's accreditation it's worth looking for that experience specifically.
Where an adviser helps: A paid consultation is most useful before you spend money on assessments, medicals or a visa fee, and straight away after a decline or a letter from INZ with a deadline. Check the adviser's licence on the IAA register first, and bring your documents and visa history so the advice is about your case.
How We Do This
- Register: we download every public entry on the IAA register (latest: 2 November 2026). The register search returns at most 1,500 results, so we search in both alphabetical directions and combine them.
- Licence type and year: from each adviser's register profile. The year comes from the first four digits of the licence number.
- Location: the phone country and city an adviser gives on the register. Not every adviser gives either, and we never publish individual advisers' addresses.
- Practices: advisers grouped by the business name on their profile. Slightly different spellings of one business count separately, so the number of single-adviser practices may be a little high.
- Websites: 840 adviser websites responded when we visited them. We count a language when the site offers a translated version or says its advisers speak it. Website analysis is automated and approximate.
- Limits: we publish totals only, never figures for individual advisers or practices.
The data may be reused with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0). Download the figures as CSV. The figures are also archived on Zenodo, with a DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23790270.
Suggested citation: Visa Pilot, Licensed Immigration Advisers in New Zealand, IAA register data as of 2 November 2026, https://visapilot.nz/guides/licensed-immigration-advisers-nz, doi:10.5281/zenodo.23790270
Frequently Asked Questions
How many licensed immigration advisers are there in New Zealand?
1,769 advisers were licensed on the IAA register on 2 November 2026: 1,461 with a full licence, 303 provisional and 5 limited.
Where are most immigration advisers based?
Of advisers who list a New Zealand city, 71% list Auckland. Of those with a phone number on the register, 27% have an overseas number, mostly Australian.
What is a provisional licence?
A provisional licence holder gives immigration advice under the supervision of an adviser with a full licence. 303 advisers (17%) held one in November 2026.
Can I find an immigration adviser who speaks my language?
Yes. 40% of adviser websites offer a language other than English, most often Mandarin, Hindi, Tagalog and Punjabi. Ask at your first contact.
Can an adviser outside New Zealand give me New Zealand immigration advice?
Yes, if they hold a current IAA licence or are exempt, such as a New Zealand lawyer. 412 licensed advisers have a phone number outside New Zealand.
Find a Licensed Adviser
Before you lodge anything, a licensed immigration adviser or an immigration lawyer can tell you which visa fits and what could go wrong. Tell us your situation and we'll introduce you to a licensed adviser who handles cases like yours, or to an immigration lawyer when a case may go to the Tribunal or to court. It's free to ask.
This page is general information, not immigration advice. Sources: Immigration Advisers Authority register; Visa Pilot analysis of adviser websites.