Professional Immigration Advice Before You Apply

Written Immigration Assessment

Get a clear written assessment of your realistic immigration options, eligibility, and potential risks before deciding whether to proceed with a visa application.

Start with a Discovery Call

Written Immigration Assessments

A Written Immigration Assessment allows us to properly review your circumstances and provide clear, professional immigration advice in writing before a decision is made on whether to proceed with a visa application.

This service is ideal for people who need certainty about their options, want to understand potential risks, or would like professional advice before investing further time and money in an application.

The process normally begins with a complimentary Discovery Call, allowing us to understand your circumstances and determine whether a Written Immigration Assessment is the right next step.

Start with a Discovery Call

How the Process Works

Step 1

Complete our enquiry form and provide some information about your situation.

Step 2

If required, attend a complimentary 15-minute Discovery Call with our team.

Step 3

We assess whether a Written Immigration Assessment is appropriate for your circumstances.

Step 4

We provide a professional fee estimate and confirm the scope of work.

Step 5

Once instructed, we review the requested information and prepare your written assessment.

What You Will Receive

Our Written Immigration Assessment includes the items below.

A review of the information and documents we request.
A written assessment outlining eligibility, key risks, and realistic options.
Clear recommendations on next steps.
A response to one consolidated list of up to three follow-up questions submitted by email within seven calendar days of the assessment being issued.

Professional Fees

Written Immigration Assessments start from NZD 600 plus GST (if applicable) for straightforward temporary visa matters and NZD 700 plus GST (if applicable) for residence visa matters. Business and investment visa assessments are quoted separately.

The final assessment fee will depend on factors such as:

Visa type
Applicant location
Complexity
Urgency
Scope of review required

Complex cases, urgent matters, or cases involving previous visa declines, health issues, character concerns, relationship matters, employment issues, or immigration history complications may require a higher fee.

Credit for Future Work

If, after the assessment is completed, the person whose circumstances were assessed engages Visa Matters for further work on a matter covered in the assessment, a credit will be available towards our professional fees for that further work. The credit available will depend on the matter assessed, the further work you proceed with, and the terms of your written assessment offer.

Where we send you a written assessment offer or quote by email, the credit terms in that email will apply to your matter and will take precedence over the general information on this page.

Timeframes

Once payment has been received and all requested information has been provided, assessments are usually completed within 10 working days.

Where additional information is provided beyond the agreed scope, or where the assessment expands beyond the original instructions, additional time and professional fees may apply.

Any additional fee will be discussed and approved in writing before further work is undertaken.

Important Information

A Written Immigration Assessment is a one-off advisory service and is different from full immigration representation.

Please note that questions about eligibility, risks, case strategy, or recommended course of action can only be answered when we complete the assessment. This helps ensure the advice is based on the actual information and documents provided.

Unless specifically agreed in writing, the service does not include:

Communicating with Immigration New Zealand or any other relevant government authority.
Preparing or lodging a visa application, request or appeal.
Ongoing case management.
Preparing document checklists for visa applications, requests or appeals.
Drafting letters, submissions, or supporting documents.
Phone or in-person meetings.

Should you require any of these services, Visa Matters would need to be separately engaged under a formal service agreement.

Written Immigration Assessment