Immigration accreditation renewals for employers have begun

Tuesday 9 July, 2024

In July 2022, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) kicked off its new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme which was set to streamline the work visa application process and address migrant exploitation. 

The first step of this new scheme required employers intending to employ workers on AEWV visas to become accredited.  Accreditation only lasts for a set period (12 or 24 months initially), and employers are required to renew after that set period.

Roll forward 24 months and the employers who accredited early are now facing their first round of accreditation renewals.  Unlike the initial application (which was completed largely by declarations only), this time employers will have to provide evidence of compliance with their obligations under the AEWV scheme.

This will include documentary evidence of the business:

• Operating as a genuine and viable business.
• Ensuring that their recruitment decision makers have completed Employment NZ’s modules in the past 12 months.
• Providing new migrant workers with settlement information.

Employers will also need to ensure they have processes in place to inform INZ when a migrant worker leaves and that they comply with the requirement to ensure a migrant is qualified to do the role they are going to fill.

Ongoing accreditation is not required for any employer that is not intending to hire new migrants on work visas.  An employer can continue to employ AEWV holders already in employment without needing to be accredited.  However, most migrants on AEWV’s issued early in this scheme’s life will have the right to extend their visa to a 5-year term, and their employer will need to be accredited to allow that to occur.  This means that almost all employers who accredited early should consider renewing their accreditation to allow their migrant workers that opportunity.

Accreditation will also be important for employers of migrants wishing to support any of the skilled residence visas, particularly employers of migrants with “Green List” roles.

As long as an employer applies for renewal prior to the expiry date of the current scheme, accreditation will be treated as continuous under an “interim” accreditation process.

If you’re an employer considering accreditation with Immigration New Zealand, give one of our team a call.