Employers

All employers seeking to hire migrant workers under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) (as well as some partners of AEWV holders with partnership work visas) must first obtain accreditation from Immigration New Zealand (INZ). Employers who only employ migrants with open work visas (such as post-study, open partnership, or working holiday visas) do not need to be accredited to continue employing these workers. Accreditation is necessary solely to support new AEWV applications and is not required to retain migrant workers on their existing work visas.

There are four types of employer accreditation:

• Standard: Allows the employment of up to 5 migrant workers on AEWVs at any one time.

• High-Volume: Permits the employment of 6 or more migrant workers on AEWVs at any one time. This type of accreditation includes additional requirements for employers who:

  • Operate as franchise businesses

  • Place employees with a controlling third party, such as labour hire companies.

The process for hiring a migrant under an AEWV involves three steps:

1. Employer Accreditation: Assessing the employer’s credentials.

2. Job Check: Evaluating the job details and any related advertising.

3. Migrant Check: Involving the AEWV application and assessing the migrant’s credentials.

Initial employer accreditation lasts for 12 months, with subsequent renewals extending for 24 months, except for franchise and labour hire businesses, which will need to renew annually. The job must offer a pay rate of at least $29.66 per hour (the current median pay rate in New Zealand), and 5-year work visas will be granted. In certain roles within the aged care sector, the minimum pay rate must meet or exceed the Level 4 pay rate established under the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Act 2017 (currently $28.25 per hour).

Process and Timing

The accreditation, job check, and AEWV application processes are conducted online. Current processing times are approximately:

• Employer Accreditation: Around 10 working days

• Job Check Applications: Also about 10 working days, although significant delays (often several weeks) have been reported.

• Migrant Check/AEWV Applications: Advertised as taking around 20 working days, but there have been considerable delays in receiving outcomes.

Accredited employers must meet various obligations, such as providing settlement information and assistance, completing Employment NZ learning modules for both the migrant employee and key staff members. Employers operating labour hire or similar businesses face additional requirements. 

Note: Holders of post-study, partnership-based, and working holiday work visas have open work rights and can work in any role. However, some partners of AEWV holders may be limited to employment with accredited employers and must earn at least the median wage (or more).