Media release
11 June 2012
For immediate release

Immigration Adviser Struck Off for Serious Dishonesty

A Tongan immigration adviser has been struck off for “serious dishonesty” after a tribunal found she pocketed clients’ funds without lodging their visa applications.

Alungamonu (Laki) Tangilanu (Monu) told one client her secretary had stolen his money and lied to another by saying her visa applications had been submitted.

In the first case, a Tongan man urgently needed a residence visa. He had hired Tangilanu’s services before for a visitor’s visa and claimed a newspaper advert said she would process residence applications for $600. He also claimed when he approached her, she said the advertised fee no longer applied, the process would cost $2,500 and take three months.

Three months later he was unable to contact her and called Immigration New Zealand (INZ) only to find that his residence application had not been lodged.

Tangilanu said her secretary stole his money and threw away his residence application but that she would return his money in a month’s time and lodge his visa application. She did neither.

A month later Tangilanu said she would not be able to refund the full fee. She said $750 had been paid to INZ even though she hadn’t lodged the application.

In the second case, a Tongan mother gave Tangilanu $3,320 over the course of four years. Initially she paid Tangilanu $2,100 to help her apply for a residence visa. When the application failed, she asked the adviser to resubmit it along with two student visa applications for her children.

Tangilanu claimed all three applications were lodged in November 2010 but a call from the mother to INZ revealed none of the applications had been made.

The Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal found Tangilanu’s actions represented “a serious example of dishonesty.” She had “flagrantly breached” her professional obligations and her failure to meet these obligations was “sustained and intentional”.
He added: “Ms Tangilanu has not demonstrated any remorse and identified no mitigating factors.”

Tangilanu voluntarily refunded the mother $1,220 to cover the 2011 applications and was ordered to refund the full $2,500 to her first client. In addition, she was ordered to pay a total of $8,000 in penalties and prevented from reapplying for an immigration adviser’s licence for two years.

Immigration Advisers Authority Registrar, Barry Smedts, described Tangilanu’s behaviour as disgraceful.

“The majority of licensed immigration advisers do a great job for their clients. Sadly there are some that don’t. Tangilanu’s behaviour in these cases is disgraceful and I’m glad they have been brought to our attention.
Anyone who feels they have been adversely affected by an immigration adviser can contact us, even if they are an overstayer.
Unlike Immigration New Zealand, we have no power to deport overstayers and are only interested in bringing people to justice.”

The Authority exists to protect the interests of consumers. On the www.iaa.govt.nz website you can find a licensed immigration adviser by searching an online directory, complain about immigration advisers using an online form or find out how to become a licensed immigration adviser.

For more information email info@iaa.govt.nz or call freephone 0508 422 422 (NZ only).

ENDS

Notes to editor

The Immigration Advisers Authority was set up in May 2008 to regulate immigration advice both nationally and internationally.

It is responsible for:
• overseeing the licensing of immigration advisers.
• receiving complaints about licensed and unlicensed immigration advisers.
• investigating and taking action against those breaching immigration advice law.
• maintaining a register of licensed immigration advisers.

Under the Immigration Licensing Act 2007 anyone giving immigration advice must have a licence unless they are an exempt person. Exempt people include lawyers and those working at Citizens’ Advice Bureaus among others.

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