General Terms & Conditions

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

New Zealife Limited
www.newzealife.com   |   partners@newzealife.com

Version 2.1  ·  28 September 2026  ·  Supersedes Version 2.0 (28 September 2026)
These Terms apply to all Professional Services agreements entered into with New Zealife Limited.

 

1. About New Zealife Limited

1.1 New Zealife Limited (“New Zealife”, “We”, “Us”, “Our”) is a New Zealand company providing case coordination, administrative support, settlement and pastoral care services to clients in connection with their move to, and settlement in, New Zealand.

1.2 New Zealife is not a law firm and is not a licensed immigration adviser. We do not provide immigration advice or legal services of any kind. Under New Zealand law, immigration advice may only be provided by New Zealand lawyers holding a current practising certificate, licensed immigration advisers, or other exempt persons. All immigration advice and legal services in connection with Your matter are provided exclusively by an independent New Zealand lawyer (the “Lawyer”) to whom You are referred under clause 2.

1.3 These General Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) apply to every Services Agreement (“Agreement”) entered into between New Zealife and its clients (“Client”, “You”, “Your”). If these Terms conflict with an Agreement, the Agreement prevails.

2. Legal Services — the Referral Model

2.1 Where Your matter requires immigration advice or legal work, We refer You to the Lawyer named in Your Agreement. You engage the Lawyer directly. The Legal Services are provided under a separate engagement between You and the Lawyer, governed solely by the Lawyer’s own Terms of Engagement.

2.2 The Lawyer acts independently of New Zealife and owes professional duties to You alone. The Legal Services ordinarily include (as defined in the Lawyer’s Terms of Engagement):

  • reviewing Your instructions and evidence and assessing Your eligibility;
  • advising You on Your matter and on any further evidence required;
  • preparing and drafting the application, submissions and cover letters;
  • lodging the application and communicating with Immigration New Zealand (INZ) until a final decision is made; and
  • responding to the first Potentially Prejudicial Information (PPI) letter issued by INZ.

2.3 Our role in relation to the Legal Services is limited to: (a) the referral; and (b) collecting, collating and transmitting Your information and documents at the Lawyer’s direction (Part A, clause 3). We do not perform, supervise, review or accept responsibility for any Legal Services.

2.4 Legal Fees are charged for the Lawyer’s services, are identified separately in Your Agreement, and become due and payable upon lodgement of the relevant application, unless the Lawyer’s Terms of Engagement provide otherwise. Our Service Fees are not charged for legal services, and no part of Our Service Fees is payment for immigration advice.

3. Scope of Our Services

3.1 We provide two distinct streams of services, each as specified in Your Agreement:

  • Part A — Case Coordination & Administrative Support — non-legal support provided in connection with a matter handled by the Lawyer; and
  • Part B — Settlement & Pastoral Care Services — support provided in New Zealand after Your visa is granted.

3.2 Part A — Case Coordination & Administrative Support

3.3 Part A includes, as specified in Your Agreement:

  • receiving and collecting from You the information and documents requested by the Lawyer, and collating and transmitting them to the Lawyer;
  • arranging certified translations and providing or arranging interpreting;
  • acting as liaison for communications between You, the Lawyer, Your employer and other third parties as authorised by You;
  • scheduling, logistics and administrative follow-up, including facilitation of documents and appointments in Your home country; and
  • keeping You updated on the administrative progress of Your matter.

3.4 Part A does not include: assessment of Your eligibility; advice on visa options, strategy or prospects; preparation or review of the substance of any application or submission; or any representation to INZ. Any question of that nature will be referred to the Lawyer.

3.5 Part B — Settlement & Pastoral Care Services

3.6 Part B includes, where specified in Your Agreement: flight coordination; airport pickup and domestic transport; accommodation arrangement; assistance with opening a New Zealand bank account and obtaining an IRD number; facilitation of health insurance cover; job induction support; ongoing welfare support during the Support Period stated in Your Agreement; and liaison between You and Your employer.

3.7 Relationship with Your employer’s obligations. If You hold or will hold an Accredited Employer Work Visa, Your employer has its own obligations under New Zealand law and its INZ accreditation to provide You with settlement and employment information — including Your work rights, the terms of Your employment, workplace and industry hazards, and how to get help. Part B services do not replace those obligations. They are provided in addition to, and where practicable in coordination with, Your employer — principally for language accessibility and Your convenience. If information We provide appears inconsistent with information from Your employer or a New Zealand government agency, the employer’s information (and official government information) prevails on employment matters, and You should raise the inconsistency with Us so that We can coordinate with the employer and, where relevant, the Lawyer.

3.8 No premiums; no employer costs. No part of Our fees is a payment for obtaining employment, or a premium in connection with employment. We will not charge You for any cost that New Zealand law or Your employer’s accreditation obligations require the employer to bear.

3.9 Additional services and communications

3.10 We may agree to provide additional services if instructed in writing by You. Additional Service Fees will apply, charged on a fair and reasonable time basis at Our standard hourly rate as stated in the Agreement. You will always be advised in advance before any additional fee-bearing work is undertaken.

3.11 You agree that We may communicate with You through various means including email, Viber, WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram, Zalo, SMS or similar services. You will be copied into all or most of Our communications concerning Your matter so that You are regularly updated. We encourage You to ask questions at any time. Visa processing times vary; current estimates are published by INZ at www.immigration.govt.nz.

4. Service Fees & Disbursements

4.1 Initial Service Fee.

  • Before We commence work on Your matter, We charge a one-off, non-refundable Initial Service Fee in the amount stated in Your Agreement. The Initial Service Fee is separate from, and additional to, the fees in clause 4.2, and is payable in accordance with Our Vietnamese domestic arrangements as set out in Your Agreement.
  • The Initial Service Fee is charged for administrative and coordination work performed before and up to the employer interview stage, namely: the initial consultation; collection and preliminary review of Your information and documents; preliminary screening of Your background, work experience and readiness against the employer’s stated requirements; preparation and presentation of Your profile to the employer; communications and coordination with the employer; and arranging, scheduling and coordinating Your interview.
  • The Initial Service Fee is earned as that work is performed and is non-refundable, including where You are not selected at interview, do not attend or do not complete the interview, withdraw, or choose not to proceed — whatever the reason, including Your own preparation, conduct or presentation at the interview or any misrepresentation of Your circumstances (clauses 7.2 and 7.5).
  • For the avoidance of doubt: the Initial Service Fee is payment solely for the administrative and coordination services described in clause 4.1(b), performed to assist You as a candidate. It is not a premium, and it is not payment for access to the employer, an interview, a job offer or employment. You do not need to engage Us to approach or be considered by the employer — any candidate may apply to, or be interviewed by, the employer directly and free of charge. Recruitment decisions are made solely by the employer (clause 7.2), and Your payment of the Initial Service Fee has no bearing on them. Preliminary screening under this clause is not an assessment of Your visa eligibility — any immigration eligibility question is a matter for the Lawyer.
  • Payment of the Initial Service Fee confirms Your instruction to proceed and Your commitment to the process.

4.2 Fees are otherwise structured in three parts, each identified separately in Your Agreement:

  • Part 1 — Legal Fees — for the Lawyer’s services (clause 2);
  • Part 2 — Case Coordination & Administrative Support fees — for Part A services; and
  • Part 3 — Settlement & Pastoral Care fees — for Part B services.

4.3 Legal Fees (Part 1) are earned and become due and payable upon lodgement of the relevant application, are invoiced in respect of the Lawyer’s services, and are otherwise governed by the Lawyer’s Terms of Engagement.

4.4 Our fees (Parts 2 and 3) are payable in advance of the stage of services to which they relate, in accordance with the payment schedule in Your Agreement, and are earned progressively as the corresponding services are performed and, in any event, upon completion of the relevant Part (clause 5). You acknowledge and agree that the fees are reasonable for the services described.

4.5 Disbursements are payments to third parties (for example INZ application fees, international bank transfer fees, medical examination costs, registration to work abroad and similar). Disbursements do not form part of the Service Fees, will be charged separately, must be paid before they are incurred unless agreed otherwise in writing, and are non-refundable once paid to the third party.

4.6 Additional Service Fees may arise from additional work You instruct in writing (clause 3.10). These are charged on a fair and reasonable time basis at the standard hourly rate stated in Your Agreement. You will be advised in advance and given the opportunity to decide whether to proceed. Additional legal work is a matter for the Lawyer under the Lawyer’s Terms of Engagement.

4.7 We may increase Our standard hourly rate by giving 20 working days’ advance written notice.

4.8 For any invoice that remains unpaid more than 10 days after the due date, a late payment fee of 15% per annum will be charged, accruing daily from the original due date until the balance is paid in full.

4.9 If We are required to take action to recover unpaid fees or costs, You agree to pay all legal fees, collection fees and court costs incurred by Us, charged on a solicitor–client basis.

4.10 We may suspend or terminate the provision of Our services if You fail to pay any outstanding fees or costs within the stated or agreed timeframe.

5. Completion and Discharge of Our Obligations

5.1 This clause states when Our obligations to You end.

5.2 Part A services are complete, and Our Part A obligations are discharged, on the earliest of:

  • INZ making a final decision on the application;
  • the application being withdrawn or lapsing;
  • the end of the Lawyer’s engagement on the matter; or
  • termination of the Agreement.

5.3 Part B — each Part B service item is complete when it has been delivered or facilitated as described in the Agreement. All Part B obligations are discharged on the earliest of:

  • completion of all Part B items specified in the Agreement;
  • expiry of the Support Period stated in the Agreement;
  • the end of Your employment with the employer named in the Agreement, unless otherwise agreed in writing; or
  • termination of the Agreement.

5.4 Completion notice. We may give You written notice that a Part, stage or item is complete. Unless You notify Us in writing within 10 working days identifying the specific service that remains incomplete, the notice takes effect and Our obligations for that Part, stage or item are discharged.

5.5 Upon discharge, We owe You no further services. Our confidentiality, privacy and record-keeping obligations (clause 14) survive. Any further assistance You request after discharge is a new instruction under clause 3.10 or a new Agreement.

6. Your Obligations

6.1 You agree to:

  • provide Us and the Lawyer with instructions, information and documents (appropriately authenticated, certified and translated if required) in a timely manner and no later than the date and time specified by Us, the Lawyer or any relevant government agency;
  • understand that the preparation and filing of Your application depends on Your timely provision of all required information and documents;
  • inform Us and the Lawyer promptly of any relevant change in Your circumstances (including changes to employment, immigration status, health, character, or any regulatory or criminal proceedings) that may affect the outcome or delivery of the services;
  • ensure that all documents and information provided are unaltered, valid, accurate, complete and truthful;
  • maintain Your lawful immigration status (if You are in New Zealand) — this is Your responsibility regardless of any engagement;
  • pay all Service Fees, Additional Service Fees and Disbursements when they fall due; and
  • comply with the laws of New Zealand and all obligations to Immigration New Zealand.

7. No Guarantee of Outcome

7.1 Decisions on visa applications are made solely by Immigration New Zealand. Neither We nor the Lawyer can guarantee the outcome of any application, and We have no ability to influence INZ. We make no representation about processing times or outcomes.

7.2 Employer decisions. Decisions about recruitment and employment are made solely by the employer. We do not and cannot guarantee: that You will be selected for, or pass, an employer interview; that a job offer or employment agreement will be issued, maintained or renewed; the terms, duration or conditions of any employment; or that the employer will obtain or retain INZ accreditation or an approved Job Check. Our role is limited to introduction, coordination and support.

7.3 The process as a whole. The overall outcome and timing of Your hiring process your matter depend on many variables outside Our control and the Lawyer’s control, including INZ processing priorities, changes to immigration instructions or New Zealand law, the employer’s accreditation and Job Check status, health and character requirements, document verification, and the acts of third parties (such as translators, panel physicians, verification agencies and airlines). No guarantee is given for the process as a whole, and success at one stage does not guarantee success at any later stage.

7.4 Excluded services. Neither We nor the Lawyer accept any responsibility for matters or services not included in Your Agreement or in the Lawyer’s Terms of Engagement respectively. Anything not expressly included is excluded, and no outcome is assured in relation to it.

7.5 Your own acts and omissions. We categorically make no representation, accept no responsibility, and give no refund where an outcome results in whole or in part from Your own acts or omissions, including: failure to provide true, complete and timely information or documents; non-attendance at, or non-participation in, interviews, medical examinations or other appointments; failure to pass an employer interview, including by reason of Your conduct or presentation at the interview; refusing or failing to proceed with a job offer once it has been issued; Your conduct or behaviour after arrival in New Zealand, including conduct in the workplace or towards Your employer that results in disciplinary action, dismissal or the loss of employer support; failure to comply with visa conditions or New Zealand law; or withdrawal from the process. Fees earned before that point remain payable in accordance with clauses 4 and 13.

7.6 We will use Our skill and experience for Your benefit to the best of Our ability at all times. The Lawyer’s duties to You are set out in the Lawyer’s Terms of Engagement. No other warranty or representation is given except as expressly stated in Your Agreement.

8. Client Care

8.1 We are committed to:

  • maintaining a relationship of confidence and trust with You;
  • respecting and acknowledging Your cultural norms and values;
  • facilitating interpreters and translators as needed to ensure clear communication; and
  • carrying out Your informed and lawful instructions diligently.

8.2 You have the right to seek independent legal advice about any agreement with Us before signing.

9. Disclosure of Financial and Non-Financial Interests

9.1 Where We have a financial or non-financial interest in other goods or services supplied by Us, in other suppliers of those goods and services, or in any referral arrangement (including with the Lawyer), We will advise You in writing prior to or at the time of entering into the Agreement.

10. Conflicts of Interest

10.1 Unless You specifically agree in writing, We cannot act for You if You have potentially conflicting interests with another client of Ours, or We have a potential conflict of interest with You. We will declare any known actual or potential conflict in Your Agreement. If We must stop work on Your matter due to a conflict You could not reasonably have been aware of, We will undertake a fair and reasonable assessment of whether a refund of any part of Our fees is appropriate.

11. Authority to Act

11.1 By entering into an Agreement with Us, You authorise New Zealife to communicate with the Lawyer, Your employer and other relevant third parties, and to collect and transmit Your information and documents, for the purposes of the services.

11.2 Representation before INZ, and all communications with INZ concerning the substance of Your application, are undertaken by the Lawyer under the separate authority You give the Lawyer. New Zealife does not represent You before INZ.

12. Termination of Agreement

12.1 Grounds for termination by New Zealife

12.2 We may terminate Our services if:

  • You breach any of Your obligations under the Agreement;
  • You fail to pay any due amount for a period of 10 days or more;
  • We are unable to carry out Our services due to a change in law or circumstances beyond Our control; or
  • You ask Us or the Lawyer to act on unlawful instructions (for example, providing false or misleading documentation, or concealing relevant information from a decision-maker) and You disagree with the plan to remedy the situation.

12.3 Termination process

12.4 If We terminate Our services, We will confirm this in writing, provide an update on the status of the services, and notify the Lawyer so that Your legal representation can be addressed under the Lawyer’s Terms of Engagement. We will take reasonable steps to ensure Your interests are not prejudiced during any transition and may advise You where to obtain further assistance.

12.5 Fees upon termination

12.6 If the Agreement is terminated by either party, We are entitled to retain or recover: (a) Our fees for stages and items completed before termination; and (b) a fair and reasonable amount, calculated at Our standard hourly rate, for work performed on the then-current incomplete stage. Our right to recover unpaid amounts is not affected by termination. Legal Fees on termination are governed by the Lawyer’s Terms of Engagement.

13. Refund Policy

13.1 In the event of termination:

  • the Initial Service Fee is non-refundable in accordance with clause 4.1;
  • fees for stages and items completed before termination are not refundable;
  • for the incomplete stage (if any), You may be eligible for a partial refund of the fee paid for that stage, less a fair and reasonable amount for the work performed, calculated at Our standard hourly rate;
  • disbursements already paid to third parties on Your behalf cannot be refunded by Us;
  • Legal Fees are governed by the Lawyer’s Terms of Engagement, and any refund of Legal Fees is a matter between You and the Lawyer;
  • no refund is payable where termination results from Your breach of the laws of New Zealand, of Your obligations under the Agreement, or of Your obligations to Immigration New Zealand;
  • refund requests must be submitted in writing within 20 working days of termination; and
  • a detailed breakdown of all fees and third-party disbursements will be provided on request.

13.2 Exceptions to this policy may be made in cases of extenuating circumstances beyond Your control, at Our discretion.

14. Confidentiality & Privacy

14.1 We will treat personal information You give Us as confidential and maintain it in accordance with applicable law. Specifically:

  • We will not disclose Your personal information without Your prior consent, unless disclosure is required to advance Your matter (including to the Lawyer, Your employer or INZ as authorised) or is required by law;
  • Your personal information will be retained for seven (7) years and may be provided to relevant government agencies in accordance with applicable law if requested;
  • You have the right to access and correct any personal information held by Us; and
  • the Agreement itself is confidential and must not be disclosed to any non-party without written consent, unless required by law.

15. Limitation and Exclusion of Liability

15.1 New Zealife and its directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives (the “Releasees”) are not liable for any loss, damage, injury or expense — whether direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential — arising out of or in connection with the services, except in cases of gross negligence or wilful misconduct by the Releasees. This includes loss of profits, business opportunities or reputation.

15.2 The Releasees are not liable for the Legal Services, which are provided by the Lawyer under a separate engagement and are the Lawyer’s responsibility.

15.3 The Releasees’ total liability for any claims arising out of or in connection with the services shall not exceed one (1) times the total fees paid by the Client to New Zealife for the relevant services.

15.4 You agree to indemnify the Releasees against third-party claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with Your engagement of the Releasees, except to the extent caused by the Releasees’ gross negligence or wilful misconduct.

15.5 These exclusions and limitations apply to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law and do not exclude or limit any rights You have under applicable law that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

16 Changes to the Terms

16.1 We may update these Terms from time to time. Amendments will be published at https://newzealife.com/general-terms-and-conditions/ with a new version number and date. The Terms applicable to an Agreement are those published at the date the Agreement is entered into. Amendments to a specific Agreement must be made in writing and are read together with the Agreement.

17 Force Majeure

17.1 If unforeseen circumstances beyond Our control — such as natural disasters, significant power outages, fires, strikes, government-imposed restrictions or public health emergencies — disrupt Our ability to provide the services, We may suspend, delay, modify or terminate the services as necessary. During such disruption We will pause ongoing work until We are able to resume, will make reasonable efforts to notify You, and will discuss alternative arrangements where possible. Fees already earned for work completed up to the point of disruption remain payable.

18 Governing Law

18.1 These Terms and each Agreement are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them shall be resolved exclusively by the courts of Vietnam. This clause does not apply to the Legal Services, which are governed by the Lawyer’s Terms of Engagement.

19 General

19.1 These Terms are binding on You from the moment You instruct New Zealife to proceed on Your matter, whether or not You have signed a formal Agreement.

19.2 These Terms apply to all current and future instructions received from You unless a new Agreement provides otherwise.

19.3 If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.

19.4 These Terms, together with Your Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between You and New Zealife in relation to the relevant services. For the avoidance of doubt, the Legal Services are the subject of a separate agreement between You and the Lawyer.