Why are people still representing themselves for visa applications?

Recently the news is showing a lot of articles about people who are having a hard time getting a visa and being generally treated unfairly by INZ. So why is this really surprising? With the AEWV especially there is some image that the employer is in control and can deal directly with INZ for the visa, but this is far from the truth. Whether you are an employer or a migrant worker, the success of the application will depend on how INZ assesses it. If the application is not done properly, it is generally more likely that you will have a hard time getting a visa and that you will be treated unfairly by INZ.

The common denominator in these articles is that the majority of these people have bumbled through their application themselves, or perhaps with their employer and have had no professional input at all. This by itself should tell you something about the system we are dealing with. After all nobody complains about the courts system that even though they represented themselves in a criminal trial they were still found guilty and still went to jail.

INZ manages immigration into New Zealand, this is their job and they have various legal mandates on how they are to do this. Sure, they don't always get it right, and sometimes make amazingly incorrect decisions, but their main role is to stop people from entering or staying longer in NZ unless it is in the country's interests for them to do so. This is the point that many people miss, INZ is there to stop and restrict people visiting, working, studying, becoming residents, etc. Their goal is not to facilitate such activities unless there is a good reason and that reason is clearly proved.

The problem is that there is this large disconnect between how INZ manages visa applications and how our immigration system is advertised. From the outside it appears that INZ welcomes everyone to NZ and wants to help all applicants to make a successful application. In reality the amount of push-back and resistance encountered by immigration officers show that the actual policy is not that welcoming. 

During the Covid pandemic this discrepancy was even further heightened with the Minister granting visa extensions quite often. These extensions were less an act of kindness than an admission that INZ was not functional at the time, and sometimes a way to put migrants on the unfavourable side of policy changes.

There is no free ride, everything is done for a reason. In general what we really wish people would understand before making a mess of their application themselves and then go complaining to the media, is that INZ assess applications always strictly, sometimes unfairly, sometimes incorrectly, and in the end if you choose to self-represent then it is ultimately your responsibility. There is a good reason why licensed immigration advisers and lawyers are the few people authorised to do this work.