Employer Accreditation

Most temporary workers in New Zealand will need an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) to work.  New Zealand employers must first apply to become an ‘accredited employer’ before employing migrants on this type of visa.  Our team of expert immigration lawyers can help you with all aspects of securing and maintaining employer accreditation. 

Depending on the number of migrant staff you intend to hire and the nature of your business, the rules you must meet will vary, as will the recommended types of work visas to facilitate migrant attraction, retention and long term positive settlement outcomes.

There are four types of accreditation – standard, high-volume, franchisee and controlling third party.

The work visa application process for sponsoring a migrant worker consists of three stages:

• Employer secures accreditation
• Employer completes Job Check
• Migrant worker completes Migrant Check

Please click here for a visual summary of the employer accreditation and AEWV process.

Ideally, accreditation should be secured before recruiting a migrant for a role (Job Check stage) and supporting them to secure a visa (Migrant Check stage).  Don’t leave accreditation until you find the right migrant candidate.

Job Check

All Accredited Employer Work Visa applications require a successful Job Check before any migrant can apply for and be granted a work visa.  In some instances, the role will need to be advertised to demonstrate that there are no New Zealand citizens or residents who are suitable and able to undertake the work.  Detailed and complex regulations apply at this stage.  Employers often encounter challenges if they try to complete the labour market testing and Job Check without professional guidance and support, and typically late in the process (including at Migrant Check stage).

Migrant Check

Once the Job Check is complete, the final stage is for the migrant to apply for the work visa, known as the Migrant Check.  INZ will check to make sure the worker meets the requirements set out in the Job Check application and meets other criteria such as being of good health and character.  In our experience, “misalignment” between what is set out in the Migrant Check and Job Check stages is a major barrier to securing a work visa for unrepresented employers and their prospective workers.

How can Lane Neave help?

Lane Neave provides a range of services for employers and their prospective workers; from tailored, discrete advice on specific questions (i.e. “pick our brains”) to “full-service” representation during all aspects of the process.