Employers have certain obligations to meet in employing workers from overseas. We can assist you in becoming an “Accredited Employer” and work with you to attract and retain target hires efficiently and effectively.
Application Process
Since 2022, it has become mandatory for employers to hold "accreditation" with INZ in order for a migrant to work for them on an employer-specific work visa. Certain "open work visas" now also carry restrictions allowing workers to only work for accredited employers.
Our team are experienced in handling applications for employers to become accredited with Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and have assisted employers under previous employer accreditation iterations as well as the current process. We are well-versed in assisting with the process from end-to-end, commencing with obtaining the most suitable type of accreditation, through to applying for the relevant work visa for the candidate or employee that the employer wishes to support.
The accreditation process involves an employer lodging an application with INZ to become an accredited employer, a process that must be renewed on an annual basis.
For the initial accreditation application, the focus is on the financial stability of the company, and getting assurances from key personnel within the company that it will comply with all relevant legislation, as well as INZ’s expectations of employers hiring migrants.
Those expectations include an undertaking that all AEWV holders will be provided with a suite of settlement information and be given time during work hours to complete employment modules within the first month of their employment. Key personnel are also expected to complete the equivalent "employer" modules within 6 months of obtaining accreditation.
Classes of Accreditation
INZ policy provides four different classes of accreditation:
- Standard Accreditation: for standard businesses hiring up to five migrant workers
- High Volume Accreditation: for standard businesses hiring six or more migrant workers
- Franchisee Accreditation: for businesses that are a part of a franchise, with no limit on the number of migrant workers that can be hired
- Controlling Third Party Accreditation: for businesses who place migrant worders with third parties, while remaining the direct employer named in the employment agreement, with no limit on the number of workers that can be hired
We can assist employers with identifying which type of accreditation meets their business needs, and working with them to obtain that accreditation.
We strongly recommend employers engage with us at this stage to allow us to identify their needs and the appropriate product and pathway for them, from the outset. This ensures consistency throughout the process and means that potential pitfalls in the later stages can be identified and mitigated early on to save time and cost.
Audits and Renewals
INZ can audit employers at any stage after the grant of accreditation, and/or at the point of renewing accreditations.
Engaging with us early allows us to work with employers to ensure that relevant documents and policies are up to the required standard and that all obligations are being met from the outset.
As a full-service law firm, we are able to provide wrap around services in relation to any business and employment matters, in additional to the usual "fit for purpose" review of relevant policies and documentation that INZ would expect to see from an accredited employer.
How Saunders & Co can add value:
- Advising on the requirements at each stage to ensure you, as an employer, can meet your staffing needs in the most cost effective and efficient way
- Identifying potential issues for each stage of the process, including those that may affect the next stage, and ensuring that these are suitably addressed as early on as possible
- Informing and educating you and your management team on the increased obligations that INZ are now placing on employers in regards to the recruitment process, hiring migrants, and education and settelement assistance for those migrants.
- We will prepare each stage of the process and be your point of contact throughout, freeing you up to focus on what matters – your business
- Identifying possible residence pathways for your employees and ensuring that you give them the full support they need to achieve their goals