Accredited Employer Requirements
Your partner in all things immigration
If you wish to employ new migrant workers or renew your existing migrant worker’s work visas, you will need to have Accredited Employer Status. Applications for Employer Accreditations opened on 23 May 2022.
Our goal is to make the process and ongoing interaction with Immigration New Zealand as smooth as possible so that you can focus on your business.
Your candidates can either be in New Zealand or overseas at the time of the application. We can also assist you in navigating the additional requirements required for hiring Filipino nationals by liaising with the Philippines Overseas Employment Agency on your behalf.
Our recruitment division, Greenstone Recruitment has a large database of vetted candidates, both New Zealand citizens and migrants in the dairy and trade industries. We can assist you in finding the best possible candidate for your business.
Our Accreditation Services
Every company is different. As your Immigration Partner, we will understand your business processes and policies, provide expert immigration advice and find practical outcomes to enable you to hire migrants on an ongoing basis.
The employer accreditation process necessitates a range of additional business processes, depending on your accreditation level. Small businesses in particular who do not have the luxury of full time Human Resources representatives will require some help setting up these appropriate processes. We can also help ensure that you adhere to all the immigration policy requirements during your accreditation, so that the accreditation renewal phase is painless.
What we offer
Our end-to-end services will help you in every aspect of the process:
Understanding exact requirements of your level of accreditation and performing an audit on your current business processes
Ensuring that your Employment Agreements contain the key information required by Immigration New Zealand
Assisting you in gathering the appropriate documentation for accreditation, which may include employee handbooks and health and safety policies
Applying for accreditation on your behalf and liaising with Immigration New Zealand on additional documentation requirements
Helping you conduct Job Checks and provide evidence of your attempts to find New Zealanders for the position
Working with your chosen candidate to submit their visa application and ensuring that all documentation is provided to ensure the fastest possible processing of applications
The 3-stage process
Every employer who employs migrants will need to follow a 3-stage process:
- Gaining Accredited Employer status.
- Job Check stage.
- Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) stage.
Gaining Accredited Employer Status
Employer accreditation is now mandatory for any employer who wants to employ migrants. There are three employer accreditation levels and we can help you to determine the best level for your business.
Standard Employer Accreditation
The standard accreditation is for employers who employ or are looking to employ 1 to 5 migrant workers at any given time.
It is a streamlined process for low-risk, standard employers (including small businesses). The accreditation process will include checks to ensure that the business is compliant with minimum employment standards before being able to hire migrant workers.
Initial accreditation is granted for 12 months, with 24 month-renewals.
High-volume employer accreditation
The high-volume accreditation is for companies recruiting six or more employer-assisted migrants in a year. While the process is similar to standard accreditation, there will be higher standards for attracting and retaining New Zealand workers (wages, skills, and training) and additional checks to ensure compliance with employment standards.
Initial accreditation is granted for 12 months, with 24 month-renewals.
Franchisee/controlling third-party accreditation
There will be additional requirements for franchisees and employers wanting to place migrants with controlling third parties (including labour-hire companies). These include higher standards to meet and more checks involved. These checks will typically be focused on recruitment practices, training New Zealanders, more detailed up-front verification checks, and potentially include site visits.
Initial employer accreditation and renewals are granted for 12 months.
Job Check
Once you are an Accredited Employer, you can hire migrant workers on an Accredited Employer Work Visa (“AEWV”). First however, you must apply for a Job Check with Immigration New Zealand to ensure that you have advertised the position appropriately and that there are no New Zealanders available for the position. An approved Job Check is valid for 6 months or until you no longer hold accreditation. Multiple positions for the same job can be included in one Job Check if the job details are the same.
Greenstone will work with you in the Job Check phase to ensure that the Job Check meets Immigration New Zealand’s requirements, including the format and medium of advertising.
Accredited Employer Work Visa Stage
Once you have an approved Job Check you can invite your chosen migrant applicant to apply for an AEWV. Learn more about this on our Visa Services page.
“Greenstone was always professional, and polite and the communication was clear and easy to understand. They replied in a very timely manner and I was kept up to date with the process. We would like to thank Greenstone very much for the wonderful service.”
Waikato/BOP Magic Netball – Lenize Potgieter