Former Licensed Immigration Adviser Convicted Following MBIE Investigation

A former Licensed Immigration Adviser (LIA) has been sentenced to 6-months home detention and 100 hours community service after his application for a discharge without conviction was dismissed and he was found guilty of breaching the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 (the Act).

41-year-old Sergey Gimranov, who will also pay $2000 reparation to his victims, was convicted of three charges of providing immigration advice without being licensed or exempt at the Auckland District Court yesterday (Wednesday 30 August).

The charges were brought against Mr Gimranov by the Immigration Advisers Authority (IAA) after an MBIE investigation found the defendant had provided immigration advice after his license was cancelled by the IAA in September 2016.

Commenting on the case, Registrar of Immigration Advisers Authority Duncan Connor said:

“As a former LIA, Mr Gimranov knew he shouldn’t have been providing advice, and had been previously warned against providing immigration advice without a licence 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.

“By being licensed, Immigration Advisers must meet professional and ethical standards, and the interests of those receiving immigration advice are protected.

“The Immigration Advisers Authority will 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 7 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.”

You can find out more about the Immigration Adviser Authority and check if someone is a licensed immigration adviser here: For migrants | IAA

Details of the charges:

• 3 x Providing immigration advice without being licensed or exempt, with knowledge of the requirement to be licensed or exempt, pursuant to the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, s 63(1)(a)
  • Mr Gimranov was previously a Licensed Immigration Adviser for North Shore Immigration Services (NSIS).
  • Following the cancellation of his license by the Immigration Advisers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal in September 2016, his role at the company was listed as an Office Administrator.
  • Beginning in August 2018, Mr Gimranov was found to have provided immigration advice to a client on how to extend their work visa while he was not licensed to do so.
  • Beginning in March 2019, Mr Gimranov was found to have provided immigration advice to a client on how to approach a work visa application while not licensed to do so. The application in question was unsuccessful due to out-of-date documents accompanying the application.
  • Beginning in July 2019, Mr Gimranov was found to have provided immigration advice to a client for a permanent residency visa application while not licensed to do so. The client was not informed that Mr Gimranov was not licensed and subsequently terminated their agreement with NSIS for poor service.

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