When taking our docs to New Zealand House yesterday I was surprised to find out that the £1 a minute phone calls are put through to a call centre located offsite. The staff there are meant to phone up the experienced staff at New Zealand House when unable to answer queries. Unfortunately this does not always work in practice.
I was a little miffed that I had been told that the fees for family category pr visa's would not increase after 29th November when in fact they went up by around £100. Ouch. Maybe it serves me right phoning the 012 number to save a few quid.
They also gave me incorrect advice about the new immigration Act in relation to our situation. Fair enough it is new for everyone but the person was so sure of themselves even when I questioned them further. The chap we saw at New Zealand House seemed concerned so I think the call centre staff can look forward to some extra training
Hope this doesn't sound like I'm trying to get anyone into trouble. I didn't mention any names
Tim