A respected Immigration lawyer says there is little chance of Karel Sroubek gaining residency in New Zealand, but it is not impossible.

Sroubek's convictions in the Czech Republic were included in the file given to Iain Lees-Galloway - but he did not consider them when making his initial decision.

Immigration lawyer Marcus Beveridge, who runs Queen City Law, told Mike Hosking lawyers will be preparing judicial review proceedings as we speak, and Sroubek has the right of appeal to the Immigration Protection Tribunal.

"We would expect his appeal to fail, and any judicial review will ultimately fail as well. We have had cases in the past which have been successful before, but in the case of Sroubek's awarding him residency would be bizarre to tell the truth."

The government may have opened itself up to a legal battle, with costs expecting to mount up on both sides of the aisle.

"He will have to pay for a QC with his own money. Judges are reluctant to interfere in the governments immigration investigations, so it could be a while before any decision is made."

LISTEN ABOVE AS MARCUS BEVERIDGE SPEAKS TO MARCUS BEVERIDGE