21st Immigration Law Conference 2025 – Day 2 (On Demand)

Description

As New Zealand’s leading Immigration Law conference, attendees will benefit from hearing from industry experts working in both practice and government

Thematic and systemic issues faced by employers with immigration settings and policies

New Zealand employers are facing an ongoing theme of difficulty in planning and managing their workforce and thereby their productivity, due to ever-changing government immigration policy and law. These changes often appear to reverse or change direction with little to no warning. This seems to have been particular the case over the last five years, and has impacted most industry sectors. Nicola will speak to some of those law and policy changes, and how employers have attempted to navigate them.
Employers have also been contending with ongoing systematic issues, such as the transition to a new online visa application system and the inevitable IT hiccups that accompanied this, and also other changes to processing within INZ and its providers. Nicola will also review some of these roadblocks, the impacts they have had, and how employers have and might continue to manage or mitigate these issues.
Nicola Tiffen, Duncan Cotterill

INZ Overview

Alison McDonald will give a broad overview of Immigration New Zealand’s current state of play regarding visa processing and other operational matters and discuss opportunities for improvement in the coming years including INZ’srecently approved 7-year programme requiring major organisational and technological transformation.
Allison McDonald, MBIE

Navigating Employer Compliance Issues

Unpacking the latest developments in employer compliance. This session will explore migrant exploitation allegations from an employer’s perspective, Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Act 2023 infringement notices and relevant case studies, as well as common pitfalls and trends that employers must navigate under the Accredited Employer Work Visa Scheme - including accreditation applications following infringement notices.
Lauren Qui, Stay Legal

Ombudsman Complaints Process

A review of the process for complaints to the Ombudsman's Office.
Chloe Longdin-Prisk, Assistant Ombudsman, Complaints Resolution, Rebecca Chivers, Senior Investigator, and Jessie Scott, The Office of the Ombudsman

Mastering Partnership Applications

In this session, Katy will share her thoughts on taking a Partnership application from average to stellar - finding the evidential "sweet spot" (not too little, not too much).
Katy will also cover some facets, such as dealing with ineligible supporting partners and weighing temporary separation. The aim: to give you the confidence to take on some of the more challenging cases!
Katy Armstrong

Judicial Review in the Immigration/Refugee Context

A lively discussion on the processes and procedures related to judicial review in the immigration/refugee context, with useful insights and tips for practitioners and advisors.
Pooja Sundar, Dalley Sundar and Jacob Parry, Mills Lane

Minister’s Keynote Address Hon. Erica Stanford, Minister of Immigration

ORIGINAL BROADCAST DATE

14 August 2025

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Explore how shifting immigration policies and systemic challenges affect workforce planning and employer compliance.
• Gain a broad understanding of INZ’s operational landscape and future transformation plans.
• Learn how to manage employer obligations under the AEWV scheme, including handling infringement notices and exploitation claims.
• Understand the steps and considerations involved in making complaints to the Ombudsman’s Office.
• Learn strategies for strengthening partnership visa applications, including handling complex eligibility and evidence issues.
• Gain a deeper understanding of judicial review procedures and practical considerations in immigration and refugee cases.
• Hear the Minister’s perspective on immigration priorities, policy direction, and sector engagement.

SUITED TO

Immigration Lawyers, Licensed Immigration Advisers, and professionals advising Employers engaging with migrant workers.