The new employer accreditation rules came into effect in July 2022. As a result, employers are now legally required to take more responsibility when hiring migrant workers. They must provide support and training on living and working in New Zealand for their migrant employees and provide supporting evidence of this process.
There are additional requirements for employers as part of the new rules.
At Malcolm Pacific Immigration, we offer comprehensive advice, assistance and a full service that makes the employer accreditation process easier and transparent for you and your hiring managers.
As part of our Employer Services, you gain access to our online app. The app regulates the information given to both your new employees and hiring managers to ensure your company complies with the new mandatory employer accreditation requirements when hiring migrant workers.
The Government wants to ensure New Zealanders' job security above all and ensure that Kiwis are given the opportunity to find employment in their own country rather than seek higher wages overseas.
The Government also wants to guarantee that if a company needs to look overseas, they are a 'Good' employer who will care for its migrant workers and not exploit them. Wages must be at or above the minimum wage, ensuring migrants have the necessary financial means to live in New Zealand.
Whether you're employing one or multiple migrant workers, accreditation is the first step. This new type of accreditation means employers must apply even if they have been accredited under the past system.
For an employer to qualify for accreditation, they need to comply with Immigration NZ's regulations.
An employer gains accreditation by meeting the specific requirements set out by Immigration NZ:
For more information and advice on these criteria and your application, talk to our Immigration advisers.
The new accreditation process introduces three checks before an employer can hire a migrant worker:
Malcolm Pacific Immigration helps you understand the visa process, takes away the stress and lets you focus on your company. We have an employer services team ready to help. So get in touch with us today.
The purpose of employer accreditation is to ensure companies can look after their teams and hire New Zealanders before considering migrants. If a company does hire migrants, an employer check ensures the company is viable, meets employment standards, and will not exploit the employed migrants.
The job check ensures the employer's job offer to a migrant worker meets the market rate and medium wage for the industry, complies with employment laws, and shows evidence that the job has been advertised to New Zealanders and reasonable attempts have been made to employ kiwis.
The migrant worker check is the last step after the employer has passed the test and become accredited, and passed the job check. The migrant worker must meet Immigration NZ's character, identity and health requirements. They must also meet the skills and qualifications of the employer's job check application.
Find out more about the NZ Accredited Employer Work Visa here.
Here we discuss the benefits of being an accredited employer.
Employers still need to do a labour market test for each role but not necessarily for every individual. So if an accredited employer hires multiple people with the same role title, they are not required to do a labour market test for everyone before offering jobs.
Employer accreditation helps increase retention for skilled migrants as it equips the migrants with a secure pathway to residence. Migrant workers are more likely to stay with a company that has supported them in such a big way.
Employers can support work visa applications for multiple migrants during the accreditation period, as there's no limit to hiring migrants.
Malcolm Pacific Immigration offers an employee accreditation service in line with the new mandatory requirements to help employers become accredited and assist their migrant workers in preparing for life in New Zealand.
As part of our full Employer Service, we have a purpose-built online portal that makes it easier for employers to meet the new mandatory employer accreditation requirements when hiring migrant workers. It streamlines the process and takes the weight off employers' shoulders.
Immigration NZ requires employers to provide documentation showing they met INZ requirements. Documentation can be in the form of information given to migrants, a register signed by the AEWV holder and email records between the employer and the migrant.
Our accreditation service provides your company with an easy solution to ensure you have the documents to prove you've provided your migrant employees with relevant NZ information that fulfils accreditation requirements.
Our application contains the Employer Accreditation modules for employers and hiring managers and employee training to ensure your company's compliance with the requirements. The process is made easier and more transparent to you and your migrant workers. The modules are regularly updated once new requirements are added, and you are provided with clear visibility of which training modules have been passed and which modules your staff are yet to complete.
Our app enables employers to invite migrant employees to complete educational employee accreditation courses, including information to prepare them for New Zealand life and work.
It includes work-related modules about health and safety for various industries to community service modules about accommodation and transport.
Immigration NZ requires accredited employers hiring migrant workers to provide information that covers essential aspects of living and working in New Zealand, including how to find somewhere to live, get an IRD number, use public transport, and access healthcare services.
Our accredited employer app provides you with all the information you need. We cover ten core courses within the app:
Each course includes questions to confirm that the employee can comprehend the information provided.
Find more advice on how to help skilled migrants integrate into the workplace here.
Our app helps you easily track your migrants' progress.
First, our employer accreditation team uploads your company and hiring managers, and as new migrant employees are employed, they can assign specific courses to be completed.
Then, the migrant employees will have one month to complete the courses from the date they start working for you. Their progress is tracked via the employer portal.
Lastly, when migrant employees complete the app's courses, they will receive a PDF report which can be used to meet INZ's documentation requirements.
Are you looking to hire migrant employees but scratching your head at the new mandatory requirements? At Malcolm Pacific Immigration, we can take care of the application process for you.
Our new online app is designed to make meeting the new accreditation requirements easy.
Get in touch today for a free consultation, and our expert licensed NZ immigration advisers will help take the stress off your shoulders and free you up to get on with your day job.
Our highly experienced licensed Immigration team will take away the stress and worry of navigating the complicated world of New Zealand Immigration. All you need to do is get in touch. Our team is on standby, ready to help.
Our highly experienced licensed Immigration team will take away the stress and worry of navigating the complicated world of New Zealand Immigration. All you need to do is get in touch. Our employer team is on standby, ready to help.
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Today the government announced a pathway to residence for migrant workers who are living and working in New Zealand. Applications open on 1 December 2021 for the first wave who are eligible to apply. The second wave can apply from 1 March 2022. The deadline to lodge an application is 31 July 2022 or else they will miss out on this one off opportunity.
Today the government announced a pathway to residence for people living and working in New Zealand. Applications open on 1 December 2021 for the first wave eligible to apply. The second wave can apply from 1 March 2022. The deadline to lodge an application is 31 July 2022 or else you miss the boat.
The government has moved the introduction of the new employer accreditation process across to mid-2022. At the same time, the Minister of Immigration announced new work visa rules for migrant workers who are already in New Zealand and working full time.
The government has increased the median wage to $27 per hour from 19 July. Any Skilled Migrant residence application lodged after this date will need to include a skilled job offer that pays at least $27 per hour. For some lower-skilled occupations, the minimum pay rate increases to $40.50 per hour.
From 19 July 2021
From 30 June 2021
Employers of migrant workers must become accredited from 1 November 2021 before work visa applications can be processed. Most employers are not accredited. Those that are accredited will have to roll into the new system when it goes live in late September.
From mid-2020 (delayed)
Skilled occupation "Dairy Cattle Farmer" spilt into three occupations. New occupations are: "Dairy Farm Manager", "Assistant Dairy Farm Manager" and "Dairy Herd Manager". Each sit at different skill levels, therefore, the award of points will depend on pay rates, job tasks and other requirements.
From 15 February 2021
The government has deferred the fortnightly selection of Expressions of Interest from the Skilled Migrant pool for six months (to be reviewed in April 2021). Invitations to Apply for Residence remain suspended. The last selection from the Skilled Migrant pool took place on 18/03/2020.
From 7 October 2020
The government added four new occupations that are now regarded as skilled employment and may qualify for job offer points under the Skilled Migrant Category. These are:
Aged or disabled carer, Bicycle mechanic, Driller and Nursing Support worker.
From 27 July 2020
Anyone invited by Immigration NZ to apply for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category where their invitation is dated between 1 November 2019 and 15 April 2020 (inclusive) has now been granted an additional six months to lodge their residence application.
From 27 May 2020
The government has deferred the fortnightly selection of Expressions of Interest from the Skilled Migrant pool. This means Invitations to Apply for Residence are also suspended. Malcolm Pacific Immigration does not anticipate selections to resume until after the general election held on 17 October 2020.
Immigration NZ is now prioritising Skilled Migrant Residence applications where the main (principal) applicant meets the criteria:
From 24 February 2020
From 7 October 2019
The government recently added more occupations that are now to be regarded as skilled employment and may qualify for job offer points under the Skilled Migrant Category. In order to qualify for points, the job must be paying at least the current median wage (or higher for certain occupations) at the time the residence application is lodged.
From 1 November 2021
From 1 November 2021 anyone who is not a NZ citizen must be fully vaccinated (unless exempt) before travelling to New Zealand. Fully vaccinated means your last dose of vaccine was given at least 14 days before travelling and it was an approved vaccine.
Applications for employer accreditation closed at the end of June 2021. Applications lodged before the closure date are still being processed. New applications for accreditation open on 9 May 2022. The process will be quite different to what employers have experienced in the past. Businesses will need to meet minimum standards.
Wednesday, 1 December is fast approaching and it is estimated that around 16,000 individuals and families can apply in the first wave for the 2021 Resident Visa opening next month. It is exciting for the thousands of people who have been waiting patiently to become residents that finally the finish line is in sight.
The first wave of applicants can apply from 1 December 2021. Around 16,000 applications are expected in this first wave. The second wave opens on 1 March 2022. In total, the government expects approximately 110,000 applications that will include about 165,000 people.
The second group of workers who can apply online for the 2021 Resident Visa that opens on 1 March 2022 are those who hold an eligible work visa and either meet "Settled", "Skilled" or "Scarce" as set out above. In total Immigration NZ estimate around 110,000 people will qualify to apply for this visa.
The first group of workers who can apply online for the 2021 Resident Visa that opens on 1 December 2021 are those that on 29/09/2021:
Is this the only requirement to qualify for residence? No. In addition to the eligible work visa criteria workers also need to be regarded as one of the following:
People who were lawfully in NZ (or in Australia when the travel bubble closed between April and July 2021) on 29/09/2021 need to meet the visa eligibility criteria:
The government has introduced a limited pathway to residence for people who are already living and working in New Zealand. Applications open on 1 December 2021 for the first wave of people eligible to apply. The second wave opens on 1 March 2022. The deadline to apply for the 2021 Resident Visa is 31 July 2022.
A small number of critical health workers (taking up jobs for six months or longer) or specialist workers (taking up jobs that are for longer than six months) who were granted border exemptions may also have eligibility for the 2021 Resident Visa. They will need to have arrived in NZ and lodge a 2021 Resident Visa application.
*Excludes high-risk countries.
*Excludes high-risk countries.
The work visa categories set to close are:
In order to address labour shortages in New Zealand's crucial industries the NZ government has implemented a "Green List" of sought-after high-skill occupations. This list offers a prioritised pathway to residency.
There are qualification and/or occupational registration requirements to meet. Occupations are broken down into two tiers:
The recent additions in May 2023 across many sectors can be found here