CBD Move Marks Milestone for Company

CBD Move Marks Milestone for Company Born Out of Previous Downturn

Len Brown to open Access Immigration's new head office

As our economy moves fitfully and uncertainly out of recession, New Zealand business can draw inspiration from the example of Access Immigration, and its Director, Bill Milnes.

The company, born in the aftermath of a previous downturn, in the early 1990s, has grown on a diet of hard work, integrity and commitment to excellence, building up an impressive corporate client base.

A significant milestone in its development will occur on the evening of Wednesday 1st September, when Manukau City Mayor and Super City mayoral candidate, Len Brown, is to officially open the company's new head office, in the HSBC Building at 1, Queen Street (see bottom of release for details).

In addition to Mr Brown, the gathering will bring together a range of Access Immigration clients, including representatives of leading law and accountancy firms, as well as of major infrastructure and other companies dependent on immigration for the skilled personnel they require.

By moving its head office to the CBD, Access Immigration is ending a 17 year period of operating entirely out of suburban premises. The company will, however, continue to run a branch office in Pakuranga. Mr Milnes cites the growth of Access's corporate market as a key factor behind the move.

"An important point of difference between ourselves and many other immigration agencies is the emphasis we place on relationships of trust with what we call our 'specifiers', the law and accounting practices and international corporates who refer their clients and employees to us.

"Typically, such applicants are highly qualified people, whose skills are at a premium. It can be vital for applicants, for their employers and for our economy, that immigration applications in these cases move ahead as smoothly and effectively as possible.

"Undoubtedly, our corporate market has been a significant growth factor, at a time when the immigration industry has gone through some considerable challenges. We are able to service this market because we know how to prepare and present applications which will be successful and we guarantee that success in writing," he says.

Mr Milnes adds that Access Immigration's experience and high standards are increasingly respected by Immigration New Zealand, which accordingly provides the company and its clients with an outstanding quality of service.

An additional reason for moving Access Immigration's head office to the CBD is to facilitate easier contact by potential permanent residents within the overseas student market.

"There's a strong need for an ethical immigration consultancy that will work with students and steer them towards qualifications that serve New Zealand's needs, meet immigration criteria, increase employability and help them achieve residence. My impression is that this isn't happening to any great extent at present," says Mr Milnes.

Having cut his managerial teeth in the retail sector, Bill Milnes, like many others, found himself unemployed during the economic downturn of the early 1990s. With hardly any income to draw on, he also faced a lengthy process of litigation against former employers.

His first glimmer of hope came from his lawyer, Matt Robson, the future Deputy Leader of the Alliance and, subsequently, of the Progressive Party.

Mr Robson recognised his unemployed client's potential and, in 1993, sought his involvement in an immigration consultancy. Mr Milnes took over the business when Mr Robson entered Parliament in 1996.

In 2001, Mr Milnes and business partner, Judy Klosser, merged their companies into the then Pakuranga-based Access Immigration. Mrs Klosser retired in 2008.

In 2000, after six years on the Board of his industry's professional body, the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment (NZAMI), Mr Milnes commenced a four year stint as its Chairman. During this period, NZAMI membership more than doubled and the industry took a succession of steps towards educating members and sifting-out cowboy operators.

In 2002, the NZAMI launched a successful legal challenge against the Labour-led government over retrospective rule changes affecting up to 20 thousand applicants for residence. Perhaps characteristically, Mr Milnes was concerned by the injustice inherent in retroactive change.

Despite this initial source of conflict, his period in office marked the start of a highly positive relationship between the NZAMI and government, with the Association's views subsequently reflected in both the 2009 Immigration Act and the 2007 Immigration Advisers Licensing Act.

Having watched his company grow to the point where it requires a CBD head office, Bill Milnes is in no doubt about the importance of the role Access Immigration performs.

"Despite the current state of the economy, New Zealand continues to experience significant labour shortages, at the higher-skilled end of the market. For example, we used to produce engineers galore, often to lose them overseas. But we now have a shortage of qualified engineers across just about every branch of the profession," he says.

"However, you can't reduce the significance of our work to economics alone.

"There are also the huge emotional rewards involved in helping people, including our non-corporate clients, to achieve the significant life goal of successfully relocating themselves and their families here.

"I remember one particular client from our early days, who would almost certainly have been deported back to Iraq and executed if we had not done a good job for him. And I recall grown men reduced to tears over the frustrations and hopelessness of their situations, only to return months later with tears of joy in their eyes," Mr Milnes adds.

As part of its commitment to running an ethical business, Access Immigration donates five percent of its profits each year to a charitable cause chosen by its team of six.

This year's charity of choice is The Hearing House, which helps deaf and hearing-impaired children to listen and speak, allowing them to benefit from mainstream schooling and subsequent educational and employment opportunities.

Amongst the guests at the company head office opening will be nine-year-old Alison Winstanley, who, despite being profoundly deaf, will explain how her cochlear implants allow her to have a relatively normal life. Access Immigration is to use the occasion to present a cheque to The Hearing House and will be encouraging others to do likewise.

ENDS

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