Immigration Law

Where borders open doors

Our immigration team expertly navigates New Zealand’s immigration laws, offering tailored solutions for visas, residency, and citizenship to individuals, families, and businesses locally and internationally.

Pier Law’s immigration team are experts in assisting our clients to navigate the intricate landscape of New Zealand’s immigration laws. As specialist immigration lawyers, we specialise in offering tailored solutions for visas, residency, citizenship, and more to ensure a seamless transition for individuals, families, and businesses. Based in Christchurch, New Zealand, we are able to assist not just those local to us but across the country and overseas as well.

Our experienced immigration team brings a wealth of expertise to every case. We understand the nuances of New Zealand’s immigration policies and regulations, empowering us to provide comprehensive support and advocacy for our clients.

Whether you’re navigating visa applications, seeking to understand eligibility criteria, or facing challenges within the immigration system, our personalised approach ensures you receive dedicated assistance aligned with your unique needs.

Explore our suite of immigration services encompassing various aspects of immigration law. From skilled migrant visas, to family sponsorship and investor categories, we are committed to guiding you through every step of the process.

Discover how our tailored solutions and unwavering commitment to success can make your immigration journey a smooth and successful one.

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Immigration Services

We offer services for individuals and families, as well as for businesses:

Immigration Services for Individuals and Families Immigration Services for Businesses

About our Immigration Law Team

Muhammad Bin Kamarudin is an accomplished immigration lawyer who specialises in advising both corporate clients and individuals on immigration matters. Muhammad gained his law degree from Victoria University in Wellington, and later gained a Post Graduate Dipolma in Immigration Advisory from Toi-Ohomai Institute of Technology. His experience spans complex applications from corporate accreditation, to assisting individuals with diverse cases, including humanitarian concerns and compliance issues. His proficiency in navigating the intricacies of immigration law is evident through his tenure at esteemed international law firms and local New Zealand law firms.

Fluent in English, Malay, and Bahasa Indonesia, Muhammad brings a diverse skill set and a commitment to excellence, making him an invaluable addition to the Pier Law team.

Assisting Muhammad, is Lethan Heugh, who has been at Pier Law for a number of years after completing his law degree at the University of Canterbury. Lethan has an interest for immigration after emigrating to New Zealand from South Africa with his family.

Our mission at Pier Law is to provide you, as a client, with high-quality legal services with a personal touch. Like you, we are “real people” and work with you to result in positive outcomes. Our friendly approach ensures that we are not simply a necessary burden when immigration legal needs arise.

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What are the fees for your services?

We tailor our services to each clients unique needs, which is why we don’t provide fixed fees.
Individual circumstances can vary in time and complexity, and talking to us about your specific circumstances will enable us to offer transparent insights into our fees. For personalised fee estimates, we encourage you to contact us so that you can discuss your case with us in detail. We will then be able to provide you an indication of the costs involved.

What Does an Immigration Lawyer Do?

An immigration lawyer in New Zealand helps you navigate the complex legal landscape, ensuring a seamless process for visas, residency, and citizenship, among other things. They offer expert guidance and strategise solutions for all cases from corporate compliance to individual immigration concerns.
Whether resolving legal hurdles, drafting submissions and applications, or representing clients at tribunals, they safeguard rights, provide clarity on immigration laws, and optimise pathways for successful immigration to New Zealand.

With their in-depth knowledge and advocacy, immigration lawyers empower clients, easing the intricacies of immigration, and fostering a smoother journey to New Zealand.

When Should I Consider Consulting an Immigration Lawyer?

If you’re an individual or family, you should consider consulting an immigration lawyer when you’re wanting to visit New Zealand, study in New Zealand, work in New Zealand, if you have a partner who is a new Zealand citizen or resident and you want to live in New Zealand, if you want to live in New Zealand permanently, if you want to consider the skilled migrant pathway or visa, if you want to look at applying for the investor visa, if you have any health or character issues that might affect your immigration application, you receive a potential prejudicial information letter, if your visa has been declined or if you are in New Zealand unlawfully, if you are seeking refugee or protected person status, if you want to explore the domestic violence visa or migrant exploitation visa, if you are concerned about deportation, if you want to appeal an Immigration New Zealand decision, or if you want to apply for citizenship.
If you’re a business, you should consider consulting an immigration lawyer when you are considering employing migrants, if you want to become accredited or gain recognised seasonal employer status, or to review your documentation to ensure compliance with immigration legislation.

Either way, we can provide expert guidance, represent your interests, and help navigate the legal complexities to achieve a favourable outcome.

Why should I use an Immigration Lawyer?

Unfortunately not all applicants will meet visa criteria, which results in declined applications. Many people have faced this result after a submitting their applications.
We understand the system and the criteria, this expertise allows us to consider your case and provide detailed guidance, potentially saving you substantial application fees and stress from unsuccessful applications. Leveraging years of navigating complex immigration cases, we can steer you toward the most viable path forward. Trust our experience to offer clear, strategic advice for your immigration journey.

What is the difference between an immigration lawyer and an immigration advisor?

In New Zealand, only licensed immigration advisors or practicing lawyers can offer immigration advice.
Advisors, often termed immigration consultants, undergo a 12-month training program covering industry responsibilities. While both advisors and lawyers navigate standard immigration scenarios effectively, lawyers, with a four-year law degree and practicing certificate, offer deeper legal insight. They possess a broader understanding of legal systems, procedural requirements, and advocacy skills.

For routine applications, advisors suffice but lawyers excel in complex cases, leveraging legal training to assess policy considerations and advocate beyond rules. Lawyers often practice in diverse legal areas, bringing broader expertise to immigration cases. This challenges the perception that consultants are specialists – lawyers being extensive legal skill and knowledge as advocates, essential in intricate or review-oriented cases.

Can you guarantee my application will be successful?

No, we cannot guarantee your application will be successful. Our aim is to assist in putting together a comprehensive application aligning with Immigration New Zealand’s criteria, advise you on the best practice and equip you with the necessary guidance and information for your application.

Should doubts arise about the likelihood of success, we will clearly outline our reasons for this. Additionally, if we believe an application isn’t advisable, we will communicate this with you directly.