If you are planning on getting a visa to come to New Zealand, watch out for people who may scam you to steal your money or sign you up with jobs that are not what they promise.

Below are scams to check for and steps you can take to help protect yourself from scams or visa fraud.

If you are already working in New Zealand, and think you are being exploited, do not be afraid to ask Immigration New Zealand (INZ) for help. We and Employment New Zealand can help you, and take action if needed.

Migrant worker exploitation – Employment New Zealand 

If you see these signs of a scam, stop and take extra precautions. Ask questions and seek official advice. You can talk to us about your concerns.

Contact us

You are asked to pay for your job 

Watch out if you are asked to pay fees for your job, sometimes called ‘processing’ or ‘placement’ fees.

New Zealand employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay any of their recruitment costs. This includes indirectly through a third party who then demands you pay them.

If you are using:

• a recruitment agency, be wary about any high fees they want to charge you directly. Any charges from a recruitment agency should reflect the service they provide you.
• an immigration adviser, you will need to pay a fair price for their services.

Immigration New Zealand only charges you an application fee. You may need to pay for costs when gathering evidence for your application, such as completing a medical.

Getting application priority and access to immigration officers

With this scam, your adviser, agent, consultant or other third party say they can use their connections to guarantee an outcome or faster decision.

You are not required to use an adviser. Immigration New Zealand:

• will not prioritise your application because you use an adviser, and
• only decides applications by assessing the information it has against immigration rules.

You are asked to lie

It is illegal to lie in order to qualify for a job or a visa.

Your adviser or other third party is breaking the law if they advise you to do this. It is a sign they may break other immigration or employment laws.

It is important that the information you provide is true. Any false statements you make will affect your current and future visa applications.

You are told you do not have the same minimum employment rights as a New Zealander

This is not true. Everyone in New Zealand has the same minimum employment rights, including migrants. This includes the right to paid holidays and sick leave, and the right to complain about unsafe work practices.

People who say you do not may be breaking immigration or employment laws.

Minimum rights of employees – Employment New Zealand

Report migrant worker exploitation – Employment New Zealand

You are offered a package deal with accommodation

It is not common to have accommodation provided with a job in New Zealand.

Only in some situations, like working on a farm or for an accommodation provider, does this make sense.

Be wary about ‘package’ offers with a visa, job and accommodation – scammers may try to charge you excessive amounts for accommodation.

You are promised residence

New Zealand provides fantastic opportunities to study and work. A temporary visa will allow you to enjoy these opportunities, but there are no guarantees this will lead to residence.

Scammers often overstate how likely residence is, so be aware as pathways to residence require certain skills, experience, qualifications or occupations.

Promises on future earnings, house buying, or accessing government support

You should decide to move here based on what you are offered, not on future promises that may not be kept.

In general, you cannot buy a house or access government financial support unless you hold a residence visa. You cannot take on additional jobs to earn extra money.

You are told you must use an adviser

You are not required to use an adviser to apply for a visa. You can apply for a visa on your own using information on our website.

If you choose to use an adviser, only use a licensed immigration adviser (LIA), a certified New Zealand lawyer, or someone else legally able to provide immigration advice. You can choose LIAs based on your language, location and budget. 

Getting immigration advice

You are not getting application updates

If your adviser or third party is not giving you an update on your application, you can go to our website to find out how long it takes to process applications.

If you are concerned because you are not receiving information, you can call us directly to verify the application.

How long it takes to process an application

You come across a suspicious email or website claiming to be Immigration New Zealand

We are aware of scam emails and websites impersonating some of Immigration New Zealand’s online services. Use our official links to these services to make sure you are not being tricked into visiting fake websites. You can confirm this by checking the website address to make sure it includes ‘.immigration.govt.nz’ exactly. Check carefully as scam website addresses can look similar.

Official email addresses from Immigration New Zealand end with ‘immigration.govt.nz’ or ‘mbie.govt.nz’.

Own your online is a website set up by the New Zealand Government to help people learn about cyber security. It has more guidance on how to identify online scams.

Get help now — Own your online

You are asked to pay your visa fee or medical fees to a bank account

We will never ask you to pay for visa application fees by depositing money into a bank account. We only accept payment through debit or credit card on our online and paper-based application forms. You can also pay for your visa at an approved Visa Application Centre if you are outside of New Zealand.

Offices outside New Zealand (Visa Application Centres)

Only approved panel doctors and other registered doctors in your home country can accept payments for immigration medicals. We will never ask you to pay for medical checks. These payments should be made to the clinic of the panel doctor or registered doctor.

Doctors who can do X-rays and medical examinations

• You are not required to use an adviser. If you choose to use an adviser, only use a licensed immigration adviser, a certified New Zealand lawyer, or someone else legally able to provide immigration advice. 
  Getting immigration advice
• If you choose to use an adviser or recruitment agency, it is a good idea to check prices from different ones, so you know you are receiving a fair price for their services.
• Make sure you are accessing Immigration New Zealand’s official online services. Carefully check the website address to ensure it includes ‘.immigration.govt.nz’ exactly or access our services through our website.
• Confirm your potential employer is accredited. All employers hiring workers on an Accredited Employer Work Visa must be accredited first. Confirm they are using our online tool.
  Accredited employer list
• Speak to your potential employer directly, such as through an interview. Moving countries is a big commitment, so be honest about your skills to make sure you are a good fit.
• If you have doubts, contact us. We can help explain your visa options and whether the information you are told by someone is accurate or realistic. We can provide you with information about your application. If English is not your first language, we can connect you to an interpreter.
  New Zealand visa options
• If you can, do further research by asking people from your country who have made the same journey to New Zealand.
• If your employer is providing accommodation, ask for photos and go onto the Tenancy Services website and compare market rents for the property type in that area and learn about your rights as a tenant.
  Compare market rents – Tenancy Services
  Translated resources – Tenancy Services

• Be informed about New Zealand, including the cost of living and access to healthcare. Our Live and Work website has useful information.
  Live and Work New Zealand

• Learn about your employment rights as a New Zealand worker. The Employment New Zealand website has helpful information in several languages, and a free learning module on minimum rights, responsibilities and working out employment problems.
  Employee rights and responsibilities – Employment New Zealand
• Scammers sometimes provide fake visas. If an agent or adviser has said you have been given a New Zealand visa, you can check if it is real by using our Visa Verification service.
  The Visa Verification Service
• Report scams to the local authorities in your country such as the Police. If you are in New Zealand you can report online scams on the Own your online website.
  Get help now — Own your online

If you are working with people planning to study, work or live in New Zealand, use our social media pack to help them identify possible immigration scams or fraud.

These resources are available in English and other languages.

Protection against immigration scams social media packs