Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Immigration Act 2009

Offences, penalties, and proceedings - Offences

348: Alteration of forms

You could also call this:

“Rules for changing immigration forms after they've been signed”

You commit an offence if you change a form that someone else has filled out for immigration purposes after they’ve signed it and said it’s true. This applies if you’re not an immigration officer or a refugee and protection officer. You can’t add or change information on the form, change any attachments, or add new attachments.

If you need to make changes to the form, you must write down what you’ve changed or added, explain why you did it, say who made the changes, and sign this statement. You can’t let the form leave your possession without doing this.

This rule helps to make sure that forms for immigration are accurate and that any changes are properly recorded. It’s important to be careful with these forms and not to alter them without following the right steps.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM1441155.

Topics:
Immigration and citizenship > Visas
Government and voting > Government departments
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347: Publishing false or misleading information, or

“Spreading false information about immigrating to New Zealand is illegal”

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349: Offences relating to carriers, and persons in charge, of craft, or

“Penalties for carriers and craft operators who break immigration rules”

Part 10 Offences, penalties, and proceedings
Offences

348Alteration of forms

  1. Every person commits an offence against this Act who, not being an immigration officer or a refugee and protection officer,—

  2. after the person to whom a form (that is required to be completed for the purposes of this Act) relates has signed it and declared its contents to be true,—
    1. alters information entered on it; or
      1. enters further information on it; or
        1. alters any material attached to it; or
          1. attaches any material or further material to it; and
          2. allows the form to leave his or her possession without writing on it and signing a statement of—
            1. the information or material that has been altered, entered, or attached; and
              1. why and by whom the information or material has been altered, entered, or attached.

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