Employer Accreditation – what’s the latest?

Applications for employer accreditation closed at the end of June 2021. Applications lodged before the closure date are still being processed.

New applications for accreditation open on 9 May 2022. The process will be quite different to what employers have experienced in the past. Businesses will need to meet minimum standards including:

• Have an NZ Business Number (NZBN). This will enable Immigration NZ to make certain checks with MBIE or through publicly available information.
• The business is registered with Inland Revenue.
• The business is in a sound financial position (such as being profitable, having a positive cash flow or access to funding) and any business that has traded for less than 12 months will likely need to provide evidence of its financial position.
• No recent history of non-compliance with employment and immigration laws.
• No banned company directors holding senior roles in the business.
• The business has not created a new legal entity after failing to get accredited under a former entity.
• Make a commitment to minimise any risk of migrant worker exploitation.

There will be other requirements to meet depending on the number of migrant workers your business intends to employ, whether the business is a franchise, labour-hire company or a parent company with subsidiaries or branches.

Migrant workers can apply for the new Accredited Employer Work Visa from 4 July 2022.

What can employers do right now?

There are still options open if you are looking for talent.

If employer accreditation expired after 31/03/2021 the business can still recruit people who hold Work to Residence Visas. An application for a variation of conditions needs to be approved by Immigration NZ before the worker can start in the new job.

There is some flexibility right now around the labour market test for Essential Skills work visas but expect this to run out once the new Accredited Employer Work Visa goes live. There is a limited opportunity to attract current work visa holders who are already in New Zealand.

It is still possible to get highly skilled talented workers across the border. It is complex but Malcolm Pacific Immigration is having high levels of success.