First, decide what kind of problem you have
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) handles complaints about how it treated you. It does not use its complaints process to look at a visa decision again. Choosing the wrong route costs time, and some of the other routes have strict deadlines.
| Your problem | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Poor service from INZ, wrong information, or INZ did not follow its own process | INZ’s complaints and feedback process |
| A visa application centre (VAC) | VFS Global, which runs the centres |
| A licensed immigration adviser, or someone giving advice without a licence | The Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) |
| An employer who is exploiting a migrant worker | Employment New Zealand |
| You disagree with a decision on your visa | Reconsideration or appeal, not a complaint |
| Suspected fraud or corruption by INZ staff | The integrity unit at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) |
This page is about complaints to INZ. To complain about ProVisas, the licensed practice that publishes this site, use our complaints page.
What INZ’s complaints process covers
According to INZ’s complaints page, it investigates complaints about:
- a service you received from INZ, for example incorrect or misleading information in a form or on its website
- a service from a panel physician or clinic, which is the doctor who did your visa medical
- a process failure, where INZ did not follow its own instructions, did not communicate clearly, or did not treat you with courtesy
- how INZ collected, used, stored or shared your personal information, including biometric information such as fingerprints and photographs
- an earlier complaint that INZ did not fully answer.
You can also use the same process to make a suggestion or give a compliment.
What it cannot deal with
INZ states that you cannot use the complaints process to:
- ask about your own visa application
- ask a general immigration question
- dispute a decision on a visa application
- complain about immigration policy, including new policy decisions.
INZ will not accept a complaint if you used an email address that is not on your immigration file, if it does not know who is complaining, or if it is not written in English or translated into English. A complaint for someone else also needs an Authority to Act, which is a signed form that shows the other person agrees.
If your complaint is really about a decision
Many complaints are about a decline. A complaint will not change a decline, and the time you spend on one counts against the deadline for the routes that can.
For a residence visa, the decision can generally be appealed to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal (IPT). INZ’s complaints page states that you must appeal within 42 days of the decision. A temporary visa decision, for a visitor, student or work visa, follows a different process, which INZ calls getting the decision reviewed. Read the decline letter for the exact dates, then read our guide on what to do after a visa is declined.
How to make a complaint to INZ
There are three ways to complain. Use the first one if you can.
- Online. Use INZ’s online feedback form. Enter the email address that is on your immigration file, and read the terms and conditions before you submit it.
- On paper. Download the paper form from INZ’s complaints page and post it to the Central Feedback Team at the address INZ gives there.
- By phone. If you cannot use either form, call INZ’s contact centre. A staff member can take the complaint and submit it for you.
Making a complaint to INZ is free.
A complaint is easier to investigate when it is specific. Say what happened, when it happened, and which application it affected, using your client number or application number. Say what you want INZ to do. Attach any emails or letters that show the problem.
What happens after you complain
INZ’s Central Feedback Team logs each complaint and checks that it is one INZ can investigate. If it needs more information, it contacts you. It then passes the complaint to staff with the right knowledge to answer it.
If INZ cannot accept your complaint, it tells you why, and sometimes suggests another route. INZ publishes the response time it aims for on its complaints page. A complaint about more than one issue can take longer, and INZ says it will tell you if that happens.
If you are not satisfied with INZ’s answer
You can take the matter to one of two independent offices. Both will ask whether you have tried to resolve it with INZ first, so complain to INZ before you go to them.
- The Office of the Ombudsman can look at how a government agency acted or made a decision. It can make a recommendation to INZ.
- The Office of the Privacy Commissioner deals with complaints about personal information. It can decide whether INZ breached the Privacy Act 2020 or the Biometric Processing Privacy Code 2025, and can help reach a settlement.
Complaints about advisers and recruiters
INZ does not handle complaints about immigration advisers. The Immigration Advisers Authority does, whether the person holds a licence or is giving immigration advice without one. Giving New Zealand immigration advice without a licence or an exemption is a criminal offence, wherever the person is based. Anyone can check an adviser’s licence on the public register.
If an employer or recruiter asked you to pay for a job, or is not paying you correctly, report it to Employment New Zealand. Charging a worker for a job in New Zealand is illegal.