Employer Accreditation

Instructions from Immigration New Zealand (INZ) stipulate that all New Zealand employers must be accredited if they intend to recruit migrant workers, effective 4 July 2022. Once you are accredited, you can advertise and get a job check done to start the recruiting process.

Applications for accreditation can be lodged from 10 AM on 23 May 2022. On approval, you will be granted a 12-month accreditation. The subsequent renewal will be for 24 months. The job check application will open with effect from 20 June 2022.

Overview

To hire a migrant, there are three steps you as an employer needs to take:

Step 1 – Obtain employer accreditation
Step 2– Pass a job check for the role you are seeking to fill, and
Step 3– Invite a migrant worker to apply for a visa.

Accreditation – To gain accreditation, you must hold a New Zealand Business Number (NZBN), be registered as an employer with New Zealand’s Inland Revenue Department (IRD), and be in a good financial position. You should also have no recent history of regulatory non-compliance.

Job Check – Once you are accredited under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), you will need to apply for a job check for each job you want to hire a migrant for. You can include multiple positions for the same job in one job check. Most employers need to advertise the job first to check If New Zealanders are available. However, you do not need to advertise for the job check if you want to hire a migrant on the AEWV and if the role is on Green List.

If you need to advertise, the advertisement needs to include details about the role, the pay, the hours, and the skills and experience required. Most jobs must pay at or above the median wage, but certain roles are exempt from the AEWV median wage threshold

Apply for a visa – If the role passes the job check, the migrant worker can take a job token from the employer to apply for a visa to work in that job. The job token is for one-time use only and cannot be used if it has already been used to approve a work visa or if it is being used at the same time for another work visa application.

INZ then checks if they meet the requirements for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and that they have the skills and experience you advertised for.

If all three steps are approved, the migrant worker will be issued an AEWV. The spirit of the process is where no Kiwis are available for a job; employers can hire a migrant.

Cost Factor

Accreditation

Find out how much it costs to apply:

Standard accreditation, up to 5 migrants at any one time, is NZD $740.
High-volume, 6 or more migrants at any one time, is NZD $1220.
Upgrade fee from standard to high-volume accreditation is NZD $480.
Employers wanting to place migrants with controlling third parties is NZD $3870.
Franchisees NZD $1980.
Reconsideration of a declined application is NZD $240.

Job Check

Job check application is NZD $610
Reconsideration of declined Job check is NZD $240

You can pay by Visa, MasterCard or UnionPay credit card. Please note that INZ instructions now stipulate an employer pay all recruitment costs in New Zealand and outside New Zealand.

This includes but is not limited to advertising, recruitment agency fees, employer accreditation fees, job check application fees, trade testing, tools where the employer retains the ownership, and compulsory training and induction. This does not include migrant worker airfares.

Our professional fees for assisting employers in applying for standard accreditation is NZD 1000 in two parts based on work done. If required to be done, the job checks are a separate service.

Assessment Process of INZ

Most applications will be assessed based on your declarations and automated checks against publicly available information or information held by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

INZ will contact you if they are not satisfied you meet the requirements or if they want more information to assess your application. In some cases, you may need to upload documents rather than wait for INZ to request information.

Job Quota Space

If you hold standard accreditation, a job quota of up to 5 will apply. Each quota space is used when a job check is approved. The job quota space only becomes available again if the migrant in the job has their visa expire or cancelled, or the migrant is granted a variation of conditions to work for another employer.

Multiple positions for the same job can be included in one job check if the job details are the same. A job check is valid for six months or until you no longer hold accreditation, whichever is faster.

If you hold a controlling third party, franchisee or high-volume accreditation, there are no restrictions on the number of AEWV holders you can have at one time.

Non-compliance, Stand-down Periods and Permanent Bans

To be accredited, you and any key people in your organisation must be compliant with immigration and employment standards. If not, you may be fined, stood down or permanently banned. Please click here for details.

Important Links: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3

Please feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions about your eligibility or want any assistance with your immigration needs. Our team of experienced and licensed immigration advisers is here to assist and navigate you on all your immigration-related queries and confusions.