Read what our clients have to say about us
I am happy to be one of Lane Neave’s clients.
I’d like to thank them so much for all their professional help, advice, and prompt communication.
Nancy Wang
They have been extremely helpful and understanding throughout the process.
Many many thanks for helping us get the residency visa!
I would highly recommend Lane Neave to anyone needing immigration services.
Vanessa Williams
I can’t thank you enough for the support you have given to (my work), myself, and my family throughout this journey.
– Anonymous, September 2025
I could talk for DAYS about how superb she has been at supporting me with my visa case.
– Anonymous, August 2025.
We engaged Lane Neave at the beginning of the process because of their honest yet positive appraisal of our situation, their proven track record for handling complex cases requiring character waivers and special directions, as well as their professional standing – and we were been disappointed.
We appreciated their commitment to our case, responsiveness and in-depth knowledge of immigration law and processes, and the changing immigration landscape. We also appreciated the continuity of having them retain our case throughout our multi-year process and the great working relationship we developed. All their hard work has positively changed our lives.
Having been diagnosed with Cancer in 2014, I was expecting a real fight on my hands obtaining my residency, but it all went smoothly and now I can call New Zealand my forever home. Best thing I ever did was contact your company. A huge thank you to all the team at Lane Neave. I definitely recommend your company.
Words cannot describe the service received, hope my words do it justice.
Rudolph & Cindy
You are a valuable asset to your law firm Lane Neave.
I have no hesitation recommending you as Immigration Lawyers of the highest standard.
John Matheson
At this point I must extend our thanks to you for all Lane Neave’s assistance, as this has been an especially trying time for all involved.
The knowledge and skills of the team at Lane Neave have helped us to achieve our goal. Many, many thanks from all here and in Vietnam.
Once again, our gratitude to Lane Neave.
Darryl Thompson
Our situation was so complicated and so stressful, it was very though but speaking with them gave us the confidence that at the end of this, we will get an approval for my visa (and yes, we got it).
I highly recommend Lane Neave. They are thorough, dedicated and determined. They are so good at what they do.
Nick & Denise Smither
You are the best lawyer we’ve ever had ever.
You work is the best and would definitely recommend you to our friends.
Thank you so much once again.
Abishek
They were attentive to the intricacies of my application, aware of timing, and patient in answering numerous questions. I was completely happy working with them.
Ruth Martin
Lane Neave were both patient with me and extremely helpful explaining each step of the entire process. Not only am I confident that I will be granted Residency, I am also grateful for all the support and advice that has given me during the whole time that we worked together.
I’d like to again thank the team at Lane Neave for everything.
Eugene
Nearly three years ago I approached the firm of Lane Neave on recommendation from a friend. I needed verification of the years I had spent in New Zealand as a child and young adult in order to obtain residency once again.
It was a case of ‘falling between the gaps’ in terms of application categories. I was assigned a wonderful lawyer who has been my guiding light through the whole process.
Her friendly, professional help has been second to none.She was quick to follow up any leads and the delays that we had were bureaucratic, not of her making. I am sure it is her belief in my situation that has won the day and enabled me to come home to stay!
Sylvia Granville
We had been waiting for a couple of months for a security check from the immigration during our resident visa applications. This really made us worried about not getting through this process easily. Nevertheless, Lane Neave always kept us updated with the latest news from the immigration. We knew this was going to be a long and difficult process. However, it is worthwhile waiting for when we look at our passports with resident visas.
A special thanks to my legal advisors. We could not be able to get our resident visas without a big help from Lane Neave. Although the process of resident visa application is now getting much harder and stricter, we believe Lane Neave could be your best option to bring you in a right way to get yours.
Wai and Dan
Firstly, I had applied for a work visa without seeking any professional help, hence there were complications when my case officer went through my application. I panicked and became quite stressed when my case officer asked for more documents and came back with more questions I had to answer. It was then that I decided I should seek professional help. One of my friends recommended Lane Neave so I gave it a shot. Then we met them and they explained the process thoroughly, making it so easy for us. In just a matter of weeks, I got my work visa and had the chance to live and work with my partner in NZ!
We then applied for residency months after I got my work visa. We had to supply a substantial amount of documentation (which is understandable) but what really impressed us is that Lane Neave kept us updated and made everything easy for us. There was a lot to do with our application but every time we talked over the phone or email, Lane Neave made us feel confident. Their communication was easy and straight forward. Applying for a residency could be an arduous task but with Lane Neave’s expertise and professionalism, everything was a walk in the park! After we submitted the papers, all we had to do was wait and with Lane Neave’s help, we got our residency! We were so excited we couldn’t get back to sleep when Lane Neave delivered the best news ever! If it wasn’t for the team at Lane Neave, we will not be experiencing this happiness and excitement of starting a beautiful life here in NZ as a couple.
We couldn’t thank Lane Neave enough but from the bottom of our hearts, we are truly grateful!
Saudia Mae Casino
They always give accurate advice and are very quick to respond in a professional manner which I really appreciate. I definitely recommend Lane Neave for people looking for a legal support.
Koji Kawamata
The team offered me a very professional help, they are very reliable and made me feel secure.
At the same time, they were also very patient with my questions and gave me answers and suggestions in good time.
I’d like to thank Lane Neave very much for their help.
Siyang Han
Every single time it was rejected, due to a lack of evidence, being over qualified and working for a business that wasn’t big enough.
Then one of my close friends recommended I get in touch with Lane Neave. The first time I met them, they told me exactly what was required, what approach I should take and what documents will be needed. Their attention to my case was the best and in less than eight months from the time I approached Lane Neave, I received my residency visa.
When I approached them I was dejected and upset, but they helped me with my mind-set so I could approach the application in a proper and professional manner. I approached a few others providers but either they did not want to take my case or I did not want to work with them.
In all, I am grateful to Lane Neave and always will be. The person working on my behalf is a superstar and the amount of time and effort they put in is very much appreciated. Thank you to the team at Lane Neave.
Jayesh Masand
I approached the company when I felt that I needed some legal expertise in completing the application for my wife’s son. With all previous visa applications I had had no problems, but my wife’s son was a different case.
Lane Neave provided excellent assistance. The extra work that they was able to complete due to “knowing the system”, who and how to contact the necessary people and obtain the relevant paperwork, certainly made our task easy.
Given that Immigration NZ had changed their criteria, Lane Neave’s knowledge of current methods and the legislation meant that we were on a winner.
I must congratulate the team at Lane Neave for their knowledge and efforts on our behalf.
I was also pleasantly surprised at the very reasonable cost of this service. I would recommend this company to anyone who felt in difficulties with an immigration issue.”
Darryl Thompson – August 2013
Lane Neave made us feel truly supported through what was an anxious time. Unlike some law firms, Lane Neave made us feel that they were was truly interested in a successful outcome for us because they care, not just because we were paying for their services.
When working with Lane Neave you are made aware of potential problems as you go through the process, how to minimise them and helped navigate through the inevitable fast balls that arise.
I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Chris Calcott
Lane Neave have guided my wife and I through the lengthy process to obtain New Zealand Residency under the Family Category, Tier 1.
Our application was approved in October 2016.
Throughout they have been professional, timely, efficient and friendly. It has been a pleasure to work with them.
I would have no hesitation in recommending them to future applicants.
Clive Britton
I’ve been working with Lane Neave for over a decade now and have engaged them for both commercial and personal purposes.
My most recent dealings with Lane Neave was with their immigration team. We found them prompt, easy to talk with and most importantly we found that they gave us confidence and the peace of mind that our application would be accepted.
Lane Neave has a reputation for being the best legal firm money can buy within Christchurch. I totally agree. My comment to the team as I left with my partner’s Visa acceptance was ‘money well spent’.
I also understand that Lane Neave repetitively wins industry awards yet they stay very humble and quiet about it.
Ashley Horton – June 2014
To obtain residency in any country can be very involved and challenging. When additional complications are experienced this process becomes beyond the capability of private individuals.
The complication we experienced, involved a serious medical issue and we realized we needed professional help. Lane Neave came highly recommended. We appreciated their candour throughout the entire process. Now that we have reached a positive outcome there is no doubt that without Lane Neave’s assistance our application would not have succeeded.
The future of our family uniting here in New Zealand was at stake – a negative outcome was just unthinkable. Our family will forever be grateful to Lane Neave for their professional handling of our application and the personal interest and support shown at various challenging stages.
We have no hesitation in recommending the dedicated team at Lane Neave.
Hennie and Theresa Cloete – May 2014
I am so grateful to Lane Neave for all their assistance with the successful granting of my New Zealand Residence Visa. I live in South Africa and had originally applied on my own direct to the Pretoria Branch. When the rules pertaining to Parent Sponsorship changed in July 2012 I was totally devastated. My daughter was in Christchurch and approached Lane Neave to help and I have been amazed at the speedy professional encouraging assistance I received at all times.
I would have given up many times and then would receive an email from them and things would not seem so bad after all. I will be arriving in Christchurch on 25th May 2014 and will definitely like to meet the Lane Neave Immigration team to thank them in person. I have no hesitation in recommending Lane Neave Lawyers to anyone contemplating a move to New Zealand.
Frances Docking – April 2014
My husband lived in Australia for a few years and had 2 Residency applications rejected. For some reason at that time he felt he could deal with immigration by himself and without hiring a lawyer.
Obviously he messed it up twice and ended up coming back to India. We got married when he arrived back and decided to move to NZ. I came here on a student visa and my husband followed with a work visa. Since the debacle in Australia my husband was very very cautious and didn’t want to repeat the episode; so we approached Lane Neave. After our initial consultation meeting we decided to hire Lane Neave for their assistance with work and residency visas. Lane Neave helped me to obtain 2 years of work visa through my work twice and also permanent residency.
We were helped through the whole process with clear directions. Lane Neave were very professional in their approach; we had a lot of questions and they were very helpful in sorting out our concerns everytime.
Their knowledge on immigration rules and process is brilliant, all our questions and queries were answered in a timely manner and we had one on one meetings at appropriate intervals as well.
I would definitely recommend Lane Neave to anyone wishing to pursue immigration advice, especially those with unusual cases so that they can get the right and accurate advice.
Dhara Barot – March 2014
I was in a situation where I did not know what to do after my first application from INZ got declined; so I needed some legal advice.
I approached Lane Neave’s Immigration team (after reading about them in the Lane Neave website); well Thanks to “Google”!! Lane Neave were very professional from the day I was on the phone till the day I got my resident Visa and I really appreciate what they have done for me.
I was advised about all possibilities and what went wrong when I did the residency application by myself.
After few months I appointed Lane Neave to act on behalf of me for another application and now I am a resident Visa holder; how cool is that?
This goes for all applicants; your situation may be tough or easy, if the application cannot show that you are skilled and capable of contributing to the economy then the fee you pay for doing it by yourself can sometime be a waste of time and money. So, the point is Lane Neave is highly recommended. I found my solution and am really happy with the A+ services Lane Neave provided me. Thank you so much Lane Neave!! 🙂
Paul Prasenjit – January 2014
Lane Nave were absolutely great. If you are seriously looking for assistance with immigration issues, I would definitely recommend that you contact Lane Neave’s Immigration team.
Lane Neave were extremely professional and achieved the aim of getting our residence visas on time and on budget. Handing over our application to Lane Neave was the best thing we could have done as it allowed us to focus on other issues.
A great service all round!
Ms Jiang
When I had the first consultation with Lane Neave last year, we were confused regarding my elderly father’s visa and how to go about getting them to New Zealand to join us. Reading the requirements set out by NZ Immigration it seemed a very complex and difficult task to get our family together in New Zealand.
Lane Neave were very honest and kind to us and we gained a good impression of them, so we decided to work with them. A few months later, NZ Immigration changed their policies, so again we met with Lane Neave regarding my father’s visa. As before, Lane Neave weres very honest with us and gave us a range of possible scenarios. Following Lane Neave’s advice we went ahead with the preparation of the visas. The process was not easy and all of my family had a tough time but we believed that Lane Neave were doing their best for my father. We waited for the results of the visa application which took longer than we expected.
One day, we received a phone call from Lane Neave saying that my father’s application had been granted. Our family was absolutely overwhelmed.
What Lane Neave had done for us was absolutely amazing. We are really glad to have had this journey with Lane Neave’s Immigration team and it was a great experience with them. Lane Neave are professional and reliable. They were very patient and listened very carefully to our concerns. Always faithfully answered any questions which I asked and tried to understand our family’s frustration and pain.
Because of their dedication and faith, we have been able to obtain the visa for my father and we are really looking forward to having my father join us in New Zealand soon. The family unit is the most important thing to us and I feel that Lane Neave understands it deeply.
We strongly recommend Lane Neave to anyone who needs help in dealing with the NZ Immigration Service.
All our family would like to express our sincere gratitude once again to Lane Neave for a great effort which produced such a marvelous result.
Chung Family
My wife, Lindie, and I are from Port Elizabeth. I’m 30 years old and Lindie is 27. In March 2007 we decided to travel to New Zealand on one of those “Look, See, and Decide” (LSD) trips to see if New Zealand could be a place where we would want move to. We spent a week in Auckland and another week in Christchurch to get a “feel” for the north and south island. So after only 2 weeks worth of traveling we returned home and immediately decided that Christchurch was where we wanted to be. However there were a few problem: no job offers, limited cash to sustain us until we secured jobs, and to make things worse neither of us were on the skills shortage list (I’m in real estate and Lindie has an office administration background).
Undeterred, we dived in headfirst and came to Christchurch with nothing but two suitcases, plenty of fear, but loads of hope. There was no turning back for us – we simply had it fixed in our minds that we had to make this work because going back to South Africa was not an option.
I was tired to fearing for my wife’s safety, or lying awake at night wondering if someone was going to jump over the fence into my property.
Before long I had a job offer as Sales & Marketing Manager for a real estate investment company and Lindie was offered work as a property manager at Ray White Real Estate – great! Now for the work permits and permanent residence applications. Now most people told us that applying for work permits and permanent residence is a relatively simple process and that you can just do it yourself. While this is true in many cases, sooooo much can go wrong. Given the importance of getting these work permits and residence papers, I was not about to gamble with my future and “DIY” it. I wasn’t prepared to use an agent either because, in my opinion, you can fork out thousands of dollars for absolutely no benefit.
Probably the best decision of my life was to marry Lindie. The second best was to move to New Zealand. A very close third was the decision to use Lane Neave Lawyers. I am recommending to everyone I know who is planning to move to New Zealand to use Lane Neave when applying for their work permits and permanent residence papers. They are simply brilliant – even negotiated an increase in pay for my job offer! And got my work permit for me in two days, and my permanent residence in under 3 months.
Many of friends who decided to “DIY” it are STILL waiting for permanent residency after many months and years. I also have some friends who submitted applications to immigration using consultants/agents – but after urging them to take advantage of Lane Neave’s free initial consultation they immediately spotted glaring problems in the applications and they managed to avert disaster. I simply cannot give enough praise or recommendation for the team at Lane Neave!
Since moving here I’ve had many friends and family join me in NZ. Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll ever be moving back to SA.
Paul and Lindie de Klerk
My family and I decided to emigrate to New Zealand in late 2010. Through referrals from friends we engaged Lane Neave.
We started the whole process in November 2010 starting with a telephone conversation. From day one we knew exactly what we had to do, the timeframe required and why it had to be done. Lane Neave was there to help us every step of the way even through the Christchurch earthquake of February 2011.
We could rely on Lane Neave to give us the correct advice every time.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lane Neave for a superb job. We have now achieved residency and are very proud and excited about our future in New Zealand.
Once again, thank you”.
Stander Family (SA) – February 2013
We recently emigrated to New Zealand and thanks to Lane Neave Lawyers we were issued with our residency Visas.
We initially started the application process back in December 2006 with an agent back in the UK but because of a medical issue with Sue the agent in the UK found it very difficult.
I came to NZ on a two year work visa, started work here in Timaru whilst Sue and our two children stayed in the UK until our application was approved. As previously said our agent in the UK found it very difficult and was out of his depth. I got in touch with Lane Neave who agreed to take on our case.
I was becoming very stressed having been apart from my family for so long and not knowing if residency would be granted. Lane Neave assured me that they would do their best to get residency for my family and true to their word Lane Neave got NZ Immigration to see sense and residency was granted.
I always found Lane Neave to be very professional and helpful. All communications were straight forward and informative which went a very long way to assure us that in this very stressful period of our lives things would turn out as we wanted.
We would like to thank Lane Neave and would just like to say to anyone wishing to emigrate to NZ please do, as we eventually did, use Lane Neave’s Immigration team. You won’t regret it.
Once again, a Big Thank you, you helped change our lives.
Mike & Sue Howard (UK)
We were thankful for the professional help of Lane Neave Lawyers. With their help we have completed the whole process of immigration applications.
We are a family with a son who wanted to study in New Zealand at University, and a daughter who was finishing her study in The Netherlands. This made it extra difficult for us to do all the paperwork right. We needed a lot of visas; student visa, work visa and at last our Permanent Resident visas.
The whole process gave us a lot of stress so we were very happy for Lane Neave’s help. They took all the paperwork out of our hands and undertook all the communication with Immigration New Zealand. Whenever we had a question they always replied very quickly and could explain everything that we wanted to know.
It is possible to do this yourself, but there are plenty of examples of cases where it went wrong. So if you want someone to take over all your stress, we really recommend Lane Neave Lawyers.
John and Sandra van Warmerdam – September 2011
The entire process of obtaining first work permits and then residents’ visas has been smooth, fast and straightforward, many times going out of their way to ensure that nothing caused undue delay, and making us feel reassured at all times.
Anthony and Kate Lymath – June 2012
I am pleased to let you know that I have finally received my residency application after almost 14 months waiting. I’m very grateful of Lane Neave assisting me in my application.
The first time I met with Lane Neave I had questions for them and found them very professional, friendly and highly efficient. They clearly identified what I needed for my application for residency. However, the Christchurch earthquake interrupted matters and at that point I felt my application would not proceed. Fortunately, due to Lane Neave’s efforts my application was granted soon after Immigration New Zealand had access to my file.
I highly recommend the Immigration team at Lane Neave to anyone who encounters difficulties with their immigration application. I believe their work will save your time and money.
David – September 2011
“Immigrating to New Zealand in 2009 has been one of the best and most challenging decisions we have ever had to make. After three years of work permits and struggling to obtain our Resident Visas we found ourselves desperate and almost throwing in the towel. Realising the detail that was required for a successful residence application, it’s no wonder our attempt on our own didn’t succeed, we needed professional help, someone with profound expertise. We count our blessings and lucky stars we managed to find exactly that in Lane Neave Lawyers, who was referred to us by a work colleague. Thanks to Lane Neave we didn’t give up and we are now happily living in New Zealand.
So we would like to take this moment to extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to Lane Neave. Thank you for all your help and valuable time spent on us, for being so approachable and encouraging when we needed it most. You took away all the pressure, frustration and stress because of your dedication, efficiency and hard work, you truly went above and beyond our expectations and for that we will be forever grateful. Thanks to you all we can now say we are New Zealand Residents and what a wonderful joyous feeling that is. My husband and I finally got married three months ago after receiving our residency and we can now finally start a family and it’s all thanks to you. Thank you for making our dreams come true.
Lane Neave is definitely at the top of my list of recommendations, because with your knowledge and expertise you truly are the best Immigration Lawyers and I know you will continue to successfully help many other people just like us, keep up the great work!!!
Forever in your debt”
Robin and Janine Kinnear
April 2013
Robin and Janine Kinnear
“I engaged Lane Neave in 2010 to assist my mother in obtaining a visitor visa extension that was outside of New Zealand Immigration Policy. Throughout this initial engagement we felt reassured by the expert knowledge and exceptional professionalism demonstrated at all times by Lane Neave’s Immigration team. Once we were successful in obtaining the visa, we had no hesitation in continuing to work with Lane Neave, in what turned out to be a complex residency application and additional visitor visa extension process.
We were kept up to date with the rapidly changing immigration rules, which was vital to a successful outcome. I am delighted to say that my mother’s application was successful, and I have no doubt that working with Lane Neave significantly reduced stress and contributed to a speedier conclusion. I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending to anyone looking to settle or extend their stay in New Zealand.”
Rachel Rose – July 2013
I have worked with the Lane Neave Immigration team for a number for years. They have provided Bank of New Zealand Clients with a professional advisory service for all their legal requirements as they transition into New Zealand.
Evan Veza, Head of Migrant Banking, Bank of New Zealand
Their dedication to ensuring we were getting a personalised service saw no boundaries with Partner, Mark Williams, frequently attending important meetings abroad as well as locally, as well as his team making time for any of Turbo Staff’s recruitment team to voice questions and gain advice at the drop of a hat.
I would recommend Lane Neave’s immigration team to all companies looking to gain quality migrant staff, in a professional and ethical approach.
Ihaka Rongonui, Managing Director of Turbo Staff
Meadow Mushrooms recently retained Lane Neave to assist us with an application for a Work Visa for an international candidate being recruited into a role which required particular technical expertise.
We had initiated a process directly with INZ and our candidate but had been unsuccessful in our attempts to obtain a visa. Lane Neave took over this application for us. We were extremely impressed with the service that we received from the Lane Neave team.
The process was conducted in a highly professional manner and made easy from our perspective. Both Meadows and our candidate were regularly communicated with and guided throughout what could have been a very stressful time. Most importantly, we were delighted to have INZ grant a work visa to our candidate – a result that we do not believe would have been achievable had we revisited this process ourselves.
Sue Squire, Meadow Mushrooms
They provide us with timely and professional advice and have established a high level of credibility with Immigration NZ.
Lane Neave also guides our new employees through the immigration process before departure which greatly assists with the big move to New Zealand.
Grant Harsent, Hamilton Jet – April 2014
Mark is able to deal quickly with any issues that we have as an employer and provides sound advice to employees and potential employees alike. To date no issue has proven too tough to resolve.
I therefore have no hesitation in recommending Mark and the team.
Andrew van Herpt – Scope
Connetics recently recruited a number of employees from the Philippines and used Lane Neave’s immigration team to support us with gaining work visas for them. Being able to rely on expert, professional and personal help made our job much easier and gave real peace of mind through the process.
It also meant that we got through the immigration process much more quickly than we expected to. A standout was submitting the visa documentation one day and receiving a phone call the next morning from the Immigration NZ team in Manila to progress our applications.
Lane Neaves service included meeting with our new team once they arrived in NZ and providing advice to make their future residency applications easier. The advice was clear, comprehensive and very well received by the group. I can recommend the service they provide.
Louisa Pilkington – Connectics
Michelle Howard