Immigration New Zealand post-accreditation checks underway

Monday 1 May, 2023

If you are an accredited employer employing migrants who hold an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), you may be hearing from Immigration New Zealand soon. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced that checks have begun on accredited employers to make sure that compliance with the conditions of accreditation are being met.

This comes shortly after INZ’s announcement regarding the extension of the accreditation period from 12 months to 24 months for employers who apply for (or have been granted) accreditation before 4 July 2023.

The AEWV scheme is a temporary work visa category that opened in July 2022. Employers must apply to become an accredited employer during which they make a number of declarations that comply with New Zealand’s immigration laws. Employers are also obliged to provide education on New Zealand’s labour laws to AEWV holders as well as information to assist them with settling in New Zealand.

Any accredited employer may be selected by Immigration New Zealand to provide evidence of compliance. Once selected, employers will be asked to provide a range of documentation and may also be subject to a site visit if it will assist the verification process.

Accredited employers have a number of recordkeeping obligations that must be met to remain accredited. This includes records of when and how employment law training modules have been provided, how migrants have been provided with information about settling in New Zealand and how the costs of hiring migrants are paid.

Immigration New Zealand are also interested in seeing:

• Records of hours worked by migrant workers and PAYE payments to them
• Financial statements to demonstrate your business is financially viable
• Records of when you hired the migrant workers
• Information on key persons involved in the business and their role

Accredited Employers need to be mindful of their obligations and keep good records of their compliance.

If you are an employer of AEWV holders and would like to discuss your obligations as an accredited employer, or you would like to know more about becoming an Accredited Employer get in touch with one of our immigration experts below.