Immigration New Zealand are introducing a new employer accreditation which will be mandatory if you are employing workers on the new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).
The Accredited Employer Work Visa is replacing six previous work visa types including the Essential Skills, Long Term Skills Shortage and Talent Work Visas. This will come into effect on 4 July 2022, but applications to obtain your new employer accreditation status are open from 23 May 2022.
The new process is moving away from the current migrant-led system to an employer-led system, placing a greater responsibility on employers.
Woburn International Group can offer your business our service to ensure you currently and continue to meet Immigration New Zealand requirements for being an accredited employer. Being an accredited employer gives you the flexibility to supplement your workforce with skilled overseas workers.
Here is how Woburn can assist your business:
1. Initial review of your business
Applications to become accredited under the new system do not open until 23 May 2022, but you will want to be ready. Woburn can undertake an initial assessment of your business financials, HR practices, and policies to ensure you are a viable and genuinely operating business and will be suitable to become accredited.
We can advise on any changes that require amendments being made to your business to ensure you will be ready once applications open.
2. Preparing and submitting the Accreditation application
After completing an initial review, we will be able to confidently assess what type of accreditation you will fall under and prepare and make your application to become accredited with Immigration New Zealand. We will want you prepared to show Immigration New Zealand that your business meets one of the below:
- Be profitable for the last 24 months
- Have a positive cash flow for each of the last 6 months
- Have sufficient capital and external investment or funding
- Have a plan to ensure the business remains viable
Being accredited also requires employers to complete various online employer learning modules. These will need completion by those in the business such as hiring managers, human resource managers, etc. Woburn can take you through these modules and ensure accurate record keeping is kept, as checks can be completed down the line.
Once you become accredited you need to maintain your status to keep employing your migrant staff.
3. Maintaining your accreditation
The initial accreditation will only be for a period of 12 months. Immigration New Zealand have indicated they will carry out checks during this period and again when it comes to renew your accreditation status.
Immigration New Zealand want to ensure you not only meet requirements at the time of application, but throughout the accreditation period. Woburn can ensure you continue to meet the below requirements by:
- Keeping you updated with Employment and Immigration law changes
- Providing up to date information sheets for you to provide to employees outlining settlement services
- Keep you updated with settlement support advice for your migrant staff
- Assist with record keeping of migrant staff to ensure staff hold valid visas and your business remains compliant with New Zealand Immigration law
- Take new personnel through employer modules to ensure new staff are up to date
- Keep records of migrant workers and the online modules they have completed to provide to Immigration New Zealand
- Review recruitment processes and advise accordingly.
With Woburn supporting your business to ensure accreditation requirements are continually met, you can operate as normal and continue to supplement your staff with migrant workers to fill the huge skill shortage New Zealand is currently facing.
Other things you need awareness of:
- Previous accreditation has no bearing on the new employer accreditation
- You can continue to employ your current staff on their current visas without becoming accredited. Only when their visas are due to expire and they will need to apply for an Accredited Employer Work Visa, will you need to become accredited
- You can employ workers on other visa types such as Working Holiday Visa, partnership-based visas and student visas without becoming accredited.
