Former Immigration Service boss Mary Anne Thompson appeared in court on Friday on fraud and dishonesty charges.
Ms Thompson faced two charges of using a document with intent to defraud and one charge of dishonestly attempting to use a document without claims of right.
All charges have a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment.
Ms Thompson resigned from the senior position in the Labour Department after being accused of a conflict of interest for helping family members gain residency in New Zealand.
It was also alleged that she did not have a doctorate from the London School of Economics that many people many believed she had.
Ms Thompson is next scheduled to appear in Wellington District Court on December 12.
