Unlicensed immigration adviser must pay $2000 to victims, Auckland court rules

An Auckland man who provided immigration advice on three different occasions – despite being unlicensed to do so – has been sentenced to six months community detention and 100 hours of community service.

41-year-old Sergey Gimranov​ was found guilty of breaching the Immigration Advisers Licencing Act 2007 at the Auckland District Court on Wednesday, and also ordered to pay $2000 in reparation to his victims.

The charges were brought against Gimranov by the Immigration Advisers Authority, following a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) investigation which found he had provided immigration advice after his licence was cancelled in September 2016.

Gimranov had previously worked as a licenced immigration adviser for North Shore Immigration Services when his licence was cancelled.

His role at the company was then listed as an Office Administrator, but beginning in August 2018, Gimranov provided advice to a client on how to extend their work visa.

Then in March 2019, Gimranov provided immigration advice to a client on how to approach a work visa application – while still not licenced. The client’s application was unsuccessful due to out-of-date documents.

The following year in July, Gimranov gave immigration advice to a client for a permanent residency visa application.

The client was not informed that Gimranov was not licenced and terminated their agreement with North Shore Immigration Services “for poor service”.

Registrar of Immigration Advisers Authority Duncan Connor​ said Gimranov knew he shouldn’t have been providing advice, and had been previously warned on “several occasions”.

“His attempts to disguise his offending show he was aware and there is no doubt that his actions have caused emotional and financial harm to those he was illegally providing advice to,” Connor said.

“By being licenced, immigration advisers must meet professional and ethical standards, and the interests of those receiving immigration advice are protected.”

Connor said the Immigration Advisers Authority will continue to investigate and take the appropriate action against those who provide immigration advice without the appropriate licence.

Individuals found to be in breach of the Act can face up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

Licenced immigration advisers can be checked via the Immigration Advisers Authority website.