If Immigration New Zealand has declined your visa, served a deportation liability notice, or your work visa is about to expire, the clock is already running and the deadlines are short and unforgiving. A declined residence application gives you just 42 days to appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal; a deportation liability notice can give you as little as 28 days. Immigration is national law under the Immigration Act 2009, the same in Tauranga, Whakatane and Rotorua as anywhere else in New Zealand, but the people who can help you and the courts that hear your case are right here in the Bay of Plenty. Our free service gives you clear legal information about where you stand and what to do first. This is general legal information, not legal advice, and Legal Hotline is not a law firm. Call 0800 461 100, free, any hour.
Free legal information. Not legal advice. Available 24/7 across Bay of Plenty.
If you have received a letter from Immigration New Zealand declining a visa or saying you are liable for deportation, do two things first: find the exact date on the letter, and count the days you have left to appeal. A declined residence application carries a 42-day deadline to appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal; a deportation liability notice can carry a 28-day deadline. These deadlines are strict and missing them usually ends your appeal rights. Do NOT leave New Zealand or sign anything agreeing to leave before you understand your options, because departing can trigger bans on returning and can forfeit an appeal you might have won. Keep every page Immigration New Zealand has sent you, including the envelope, because the dates matter. Then get free information on which deadline applies to you and what your appeal options are.
The thing that destroys Bay of Plenty immigration cases is not usually a weak case; it is a missed deadline. If Immigration New Zealand declines your residence application, you have just 42 days to appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal. If you are served a deportation liability notice, you may have only 28 days. People put the letter aside meaning to "deal with it next week", or wait to gather documents, and the appeal right simply expires. Once it is gone, it is usually gone for good. The second trap is leaving New Zealand, or signing something agreeing to leave, before understanding the consequences: departing can trigger a ban on returning and can forfeit an appeal you might have won. If you have a letter from INZ with a date on it, the deadline is the emergency, not the paperwork. This is general legal information, not legal advice, and we are not your lawyers, but a free call to 0800 461 100 will tell you exactly which clock is ticking on your case.
There is real free and low-cost immigration help in the Bay of Plenty and nationally, and you do not have to navigate the Immigration Act 2009 alone. These are verified, no-cost or low-cost starting points. Free information on which one fits your situation is a call away now on 0800 461 100.
Immigration New Zealand declined my residence application. How long do I have to appeal?
Generally 42 days from when you receive INZ's decision to lodge an appeal with the Immigration and Protection Tribunal (Immigration Act 2009, section 187). This is a strict deadline and missing it usually ends your appeal rights. The Tribunal can find the decision was not correct under the residence instructions, or recommend the Minister grant residence on special circumstances (section 187(4)). If you have a decline letter, count the days now. We can give you free information on your appeal options — call 0800 461 100.
I received a deportation liability notice in the Bay of Plenty. What do I do first?
Find the date on the notice and count your days, because you may have as little as 28 days to appeal to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal (sometimes 42 days if you are unlawfully in New Zealand). A humanitarian appeal asks the Tribunal to find exceptional circumstances that make deportation unjust or unduly harsh. Do not leave New Zealand or agree to leave before you understand the consequences. Keep every page INZ sent you. For free information on which deadline applies to you, call 0800 461 100.
Does my deportation or visa case go to the Tauranga District Court?
No. Immigration appeals do not go to the District Court at all. They go to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal, a specialist national tribunal under the Immigration Act 2009, administered by the Ministry of Justice. The Tauranga Moana District Court (46 Cameron Road) handles criminal matters, and the civil and family courts sit at McLean Street, but your visa or deportation appeal is a Tribunal matter, not a court one. We can give you free information on the right pathway — call 0800 461 100.
Is there free immigration legal help in Tauranga or Whakatane?
Yes. Baywide Community Law Service offers free initial legal advice, including on immigration, to people on low incomes or facing disadvantage, at 63 Willow Street, Tauranga (07 571 6812), serving the Bay of Plenty coast. The national Community Law Manual's Chapter 28 covers immigration in plain language, and legal aid may fund representation for some appeals if you qualify. For free information on which fits your situation, call 0800 461 100.
My work visa is about to expire. What happens if I do nothing?
If your visa expires you become unlawfully in New Zealand, which narrows your options, shortens your deadlines and exposes you to deportation. Acting before expiry, by applying for a further visa or a variation, keeps far more doors open than waiting until you are out of status. If you are close to expiry, treat it as urgent. We can give you free information on your options — call 0800 461 100.
Did the Accredited Employer Work Visa wage rules change?
Yes. From 10 March 2025 the AEWV no longer requires employers to pay the median wage as a blanket floor; the requirement became the minimum wage plus the genuine New Zealand market rate, and required work experience dropped from three years to two. But the median wage still drives many other thresholds, and from 9 March 2026 it rose to NZD $35.00 per hour, affecting partner-support income and skilled residence settings. If your visa depends on a wage figure, the current number matters. We can point you to the official figures — call 0800 461 100.
Can my partner's income or my income affect our visas?
It can. Several visa settings, including partner-support and skilled residence pathways, are tied to the immigration median wage, which rose to NZD $35.00 per hour from 9 March 2026. If the relevant pay falls below the threshold for your category, it can affect eligibility when you apply or renew. The exact threshold depends on your visa type. For free information on how the current figures apply to you, call 0800 461 100.
I am scared of being deported back to a dangerous situation. Is there any protection?
There may be. New Zealand recognises refugee and protected-person claims under the Immigration Act 2009, and the Immigration and Protection Tribunal hears appeals on recognition and on the cancellation of that recognition. A humanitarian appeal can also raise exceptional circumstances against deportation. These are serious, document-heavy paths with strict deadlines. For free information on whether a protection or humanitarian pathway might apply to you, call 0800 461 100.
Who is actually allowed to give me immigration advice in New Zealand?
Only a licensed immigration adviser or a lawyer can lawfully give New Zealand immigration advice (with some narrow exemptions). Advice from an unlicensed person can be unlawful and, worse, can cost you a deadline you cannot get back. Free legal information, like what we provide, is different from advice on your specific case. Call 0800 461 100 for free information and, if you want one, help finding a licensed adviser or Bay of Plenty immigration lawyer.
Is Legal Hotline a law firm? Will my call be private?
No, Legal Hotline is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or representation; we give free general legal information and, if you want, help you connect with a Bay of Plenty immigration lawyer or licensed adviser. A call creates no lawyer-client relationship. Call 0800 461 100, free, any hour. For anything urgent right now, contact Baywide Community Law Service or Immigration New Zealand directly.
We connect worried, time-pressured migrants across the Bay of Plenty, from Tauranga and Mount Maunganui to Whakatane and Rotorua, with lawyers and licensed immigration advisers who can take residence appeals, deportation and humanitarian appeals, work and partner visa applications, and protection claims. If you practise immigration law or are a licensed immigration adviser covering the Bay of Plenty, we would like to add you to those we match callers with as we expand across New Zealand. Express your interest and we will be in touch as we build local coverage.
General legal information, not legal advice. We research every page from primary sources — legislation, the courts, and government legal-aid bodies — and check it for accuracy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at admin@platfirm.ai.
Whether Immigration New Zealand has declined your visa, served a deportation liability notice, or your work visa is about to expire, the worst move is to wait and hope. The 42-day residence appeal deadline and the 28-day deportation appeal deadline are strict, and once they pass they usually cannot be revived. Immigration is national law under the Immigration Act 2009, but the help you need is right here in the Bay of Plenty. Our free service is live now on 0800 461 100: clear legal information from an AI assistant trained on NZ immigration law, and, if you want one, a connection to a local immigration lawyer. This is free general legal information, not legal advice, and creates no lawyer-client relationship. Legal Hotline is not a law firm. For anything urgent today, contact Baywide Community Law Service or Immigration New Zealand directly.
Free legal information. Not legal advice.