About DESON
New Zealand immigration consultancy
Destination Immigration Consultancy Ltd (Deson) is an Auckland and Palmerston North based immigration advisory company. At Deson we have the expertise and experience necessary to direct migrants to appropriate pathways for migration to New Zealand, and to see them through to success.
Auckland immigration services
Auckland is the largest metropolitan city in New Zealand, with an urban population of about 1.5 million. Auckland is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with Asians accounting for 31 per cent of the city’s population in 2018.
With the increased client numbers in Auckland, the company expanded its New Zealand immigration consultancy to offer immigration services in Auckland and set up an office in Albany, North Shore, in early 2020 while the Palmerston North office remains open to serving our loyal clients of the regions.
Auckland has a number of important educational institutions, including some of the largest universities in the country. Auckland is a major centre of overseas language education, with large numbers of foreign students (particularly East Asians) coming to the city for several months or years to learn English or study at universities. As of 2007, there are around 50 New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) certified schools and institutes teaching English in the Auckland area.
Among the more important tertiary educational institutes are the University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, Massey University, Manukau Institute of Technology and Unitec New Zealand.
Palmerston North immigration services
Palmerston North is the seventh largest city in New Zealand with population of approximately 85,000. It is situated in the central North Island about 140 km from Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. One million people live within a two-hour drive of Palmerston North.
Palmerston North is branded as Knowledge City; the main campus of Massey University and the Universal College of Learning (UCOL) both offer tertiary studies leading to a degree. A number of Crown Research Institutes are also situated in Palmerston North. It is a popular city for overseas students to come to study and for migrants to live and raise a family.
Outside our Palmerston North immigration agency, Deson has links to advisory services in other cities in New Zealand for migrants who need local services.
Experienced Immigration Adviser
Deson was established in 1996 by Dr Steven Gong. Dr Gong arrived in New Zealand in 1988 from China as a visiting scientist to the Department of Industrial and Scientific Research (the DISR, now a Crown Research Institute). His research at the DISR and study at Massey University culminated in a PhD from Massey University in 1994. A one-year post-doctoral research fellowship at the Ministry of Science and Technology of Japan followed, and he returned to New Zealand in 1995. Dr Gong is a pioneering immigration advisor and was licensed by the New Zealand Government in 2008 (License No: 200800553) before the Immigration Advisors Act 2007 came into effect in May 2009.
A successful and satisfied migrant himself, and still with strong ties and networks in Asia, Dr Gong saw an opportunity to help Asian people realise their goal to migrate to New Zealand and achieve success. His personal success as a migrant, his understanding of New Zealand, and his extensive networks in the Asian market being apparent, he took the opportunity to set up a sole practice immigration consultancy business, Deson Co Ltd in 1996, the predecessor to Destination Immigration Consultancy Ltd (Deson) which was formed in 2001.
Dr Gong immediately gained a reputation for timeliness, thoroughness, integrity, sound knowledge and a unique understanding of the complex rules and procedures involved in migrating to New Zealand. The special business migration policy was introduced in 1998, and Dr Gong’s success in business himself, enabled him to achieve prominence quickly, as one of a very few agents assisting business migrants.
Despite the complicated procedures involved, he achieved a high success rate getting residency in New Zealand for his clients and his business expanded. New Zealand government policy for business migrants changed radically in November 2002, but Dr Gong was able to capitalise on his experience in working with Immigration New Zealand (INZ) for business migrants to make the most of the changes. In addition, by this time, Deson was well established, and had recruited staff with expertise in all areas of migration policy and practice.
Expertise in how to get residency in New Zealand
Deson offers services primarily to people wanting to immigrate to New Zealand from China and provides advice and assistance with the procedures required for the full range of immigration matters. Temporary visas including visitor, work and student visas, and residence visas in all categories, are all catered for, depending on the needs and attributes of clients. Deson aims to provide a high quality, professional service at all times, to ensure clients have the best possible chance to achieve their immigration goals.
Deson works in conjunction with a range of highly qualified and experienced specialist practitioners in the legal and other professions to ensure that the advice provided by Deson is backed by high quality information and in-depth knowledge and covers the full range of expertise required.
Deson has always believed that the best and most effective way to be successful in business, is to rely on successful and satisfied clients generating word-of-mouth referrals. The results of this strategy speak for themselves.
Expert immigration advice
Learn about our New Zealand immigration services
Deson can help you resolve any issues that you might face in your journey to stay in New Zealand legally, either temporarily or permanently. Deson does not offer advice on refugee applications, but we can direct migrants to relevant and competent specialists in the refugee area.