Lavinia Askin
Associate | Corporate Immigration / Individual Immigration / Employment
Experienced immigration and employment lawyer with expertise spanning corporate immigration, private immigration and employment law.
Known for delivering practical, strategic and commercially focused advice that helps clients navigate immigration and workplace challenges with confidence.
Skilled advocate with extensive experience resolving challenging immigration issues through strategic legal submissions and practical solutions.
DDI: +64 3 928 0722
Lavinia advises corporate and private clients on a wide range of immigration and employment matters. She is known for delivering practical, strategic and commercially focused advice that helps clients achieve successful outcomes.
Lavinia is responsive, efficient and committed to providing clear guidance through challenging legal issues. She works closely with clients to identify practical solutions, manage risk and navigate time-sensitive matters with confidence.
She understands that immigration processes are often high-stakes for employers facing workforce shortages and for individuals seeking to work, travel or continue living in New Zealand. Lavinia ensures clients understand their options, obligations and potential risks, providing tailored advice and clear direction at every stage of the process.
With expertise spanning both immigration and employment law, Lavinia is well-placed to advise businesses and individuals on the legal and practical implications arising across both areas. Her integrated approach helps clients address compliance obligations while achieving their broader personal and commercial objectives.
Lavinia is a regular presenter at industry conferences and professional development events, including the CCH Learning Immigration Conference, Legalwise, NZAMI and Chamber of Commerce events.
Immigration for businesses
With expertise in the intersecting areas of immigration and employment law, Lavinia advises employers on their obligations, risk management, workforce planning and immigration compliance requirements.
Lavinia works closely with New Zealand businesses, multinational organisations and employers across a range of industries to develop practical and commercially focused immigration solutions. She manages end-to-end visa processes for prospective and existing employees and regularly prepares Employer Accreditation, Approval in Principle and Job Check applications. Her advice is tailored to support business objectives while ensuring compliance with immigration and employment law requirements.
Examples of her work include:
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Working with organisations to develop recruitment and retention strategies, including identifying immigration pathways that support workforce needs and enable valued employees to remain in New Zealand.
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Partnering with employers to identify areas of immigration and employment risk exposure. Implementing practices and processes to support ongoing compliance obligations.
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Successfully securing Employer Accreditation and Approval in Principle for organisations with prior immigration compliance issues. Preparing and obtaining complex Job Check approvals across a range of industries, skill levels, and employment arrangements, including roles requiring work across multiple locations. Reviewing employment documentation to ensure compliance and alignment with best practice.
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Assisting employers to secure appropriate work visas for prospective and existing employees, often within tight operational timeframes.
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Managing visa applications for cohorts of 100+ employees and assisting employers to implement streamlined and efficient immigration processes.
Immigration for individuals
Lavinia works with individuals and families to identify immigration pathways that align with their immediate needs and long-term goals. She advises on temporary and residence visa applications across a wide range of visa categories and provides clear, practical guidance throughout the immigration process.
Lavinia is highly experienced in preparing submissions for challenging immigration matters and regularly assists clients with responding to Potentially Prejudicial Information (PPI) letters, medical and character waiver requests, Ministerial requests, reconsideration requests and Section 61 requests. She is a strong advocate for clients facing difficult or exceptional circumstances and is committed to achieving the best possible outcomes.
Examples of her work include:
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Successfully assisting clients to respond to complex PPI letters and regularly obtaining medical and character waivers for applicants who do not meet standard immigration requirements.
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Assisting clients to obtain visas through Ministerial intervention, regularising clients’ unlawful status in New Zealand via Section 61 requests and securing visas as exceptions to policy.
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Successfully contesting deportation liability for temporary and resident visa holders who have received Deportation Liability Notices.
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Assisting clients with appeals to the Immigration & Protection Tribunal.
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Securing resident visas for high net-worth individuals and their family members.
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Advising individuals on residence pathways and guiding them through Green List and Skilled Migrant Category residence applications.
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Regularly assisting individuals secure Accredited Employer Work Visas, Specific Purpose Work Visas, Post Study Work Visas and Student Visas.
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Assisting couples and their families to reunite and settle in New Zealand, from initial temporary visa applications through to residence and citizenship pathways.
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Assisting individuals from around the world to visit New Zealand for tourism, family reunification and partnership purposes, and ensuring applications are supported by evidence that meets Immigration New Zealand's bona fide requirements.
Providing immigration opinions as an expert witness
Lavinia provides immigration opinions as an expert witness in criminal proceedings, addressing the potential immigration consequences of convictions in support of submissions for a discharge without conviction.
Employment
As a specialist immigration and employment lawyer, Lavinia is uniquely placed to advise employers on practices and processes that comply with both immigration and employment law obligations.
Lavinia also advises employers and employees on a broad range of workplace matters, including employment agreements, workplace policies, personal grievances, disciplinary and performance management processes, restructuring, and incapacity issues.
