Immigration officer
Also known as
Work environment
- Usually work regular business hours but may work irregular hours or overtime
- Usually work in offices
- Need to be responsible, communicate well and work well under pressure
Salary information
Typical tasks
- Answer immigration questions
- Review and approve residency applications
- Issue visas
- Interview applicants
- Investigate breaches of immigration law
- Explain immigration laws to migrants
- Explain decisions to applicants
- Manage workload for applications
- Maintain documents and records
Outlook
Immigration officers remain important as New Zealand manages visitor, student, worker and residence applications while protecting border integrity. Demand and workloads can change with government policy, international travel and labour-market needs. Digital applications, automated checks and data sharing are changing how immigration services operate, but complex decisions, risk assessment and fair application of rules still require human oversight.
What employers and industry want in graduates
- Strong understanding of immigration rules and procedures
- Sound judgement and consistent decision-making
- Clear, respectful communication with diverse people
- Careful attention to evidence, records and detail
- High ethical standards and respect for confidentiality
- Ability to use digital case-management systems accurately
AUT programmes
The above is a suggestion only and a starting point. You may need to meet other criteria or take additional steps to work in this career.
Content is reviewed by our experts, but information can change over time. Some content is created with AI support.
This data is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahtu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Some of the information has been modified by AUT. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this data.