Accredited Employer Work Visa
The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is a new temporary work visa that has replaced the Essential Skills Work Visa and Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa, when it launched on 04 July 2022. Employers who want to hire migrants on an AEWV will need to be accredited and submit a job check for relevant roles before they can hire a migrant.
There are 3 steps to hiring a migrant on an AEWV.
- Accreditation – opened on 23 May 2022 – processing timeframe 10 working days
- Job Check – opened on 20 June 2022 – processing timeframe – 10 working days
- Accredited Employer Work Visa application – opened on 04 July 2022 – processing timeframe 20 working days – migrants can apply for an AEWV, where the employer is accredited, and a job check has been completed.
Workers that hold an Essential Skills work visa and Work to Residence work visa can continue to work under the conditions of their visa until it expires.
Accreditation
You can apply for 1 of 4 different levels of accreditation.
- Standard accreditation is for standard businesses hiring up to 5 migrants.
- High-volume accreditation is for standard businesses hiring 6 or more migrants.
- Franchisee accreditation is for businesses that are part of a franchise. There is no limit to how many migrants you can hire.
- Controlling third-party accreditation is for businesses who place migrants with third parties while being the direct employer named in the employment agreement. There is no limit to how many migrants you can hire.
Immigration fees depend on the type of accreditation you need.
Renewing Accreditation
Your initial accreditation lasts for 12 months before you need to renew it.
Once you renew it will last for:
- 24 months for standard businesses, as long as it has not lapsed for 12 or more months
- 12 months for franchisees and employers placing migrants with controlling third parties.
When you renew, Immigration may ask for evidence you have completed activities you committed to doing during the previous accreditation period.
Job Check
Before applying for the Job Check, advertise the role.
Advertisement
The job must be listed for at least 2 weeks on a national listing website or channel where suitable New Zealanders are likely to apply and meet other advertising requirements.
Immigration New Zealand has a strict set of criteria for the job advertisement that must be met in order for this process to be successful. Contact your adviser at NZ Immigration Solutions to understand the specifics of what needs to be listed in the job advertisement.
You will not need to give evidence of advertising if the job:
- pays at least twice the NZ median wage, or
- is an occupation on the Green List.
When applying for the Job Check, the following documents need to be provided:
- a job description
- an employment agreement
- the results of any advertising you had to do.
If the job check is approved, you can offer the work to someone from overseas.
Immigration will provide you with a job token for the approved job. The job token has a unique number that links the job and the migrant to your company. You send the number to the migrant when you offer them the job.
Job checks are valid for 6 months or until you no longer have accreditation.
Note: The job space only becomes available again if:
- the migrant in the job has their visa expire or cancelled, or
- the migrant is granted a variation of conditions to work for another employer.
Employer Accreditation Work Visa Application
If the job check is approved, you can ask the migrant to apply for their visa.
The experience and qualifications for the job you offer them need to match those you cited for the job check. This is one of the most crucial factors to be careful with when applying for the Job Check.
You need to send them the job token number Immigration provided, which they must include in their visa application.
If their visa is approved the migrant can take up the job under the terms of their visa.
The AEWV will be valid for 3 years for employees paid at or above the NZ median wage, which is currently $29.66 per hour. If the pay is below the national median wage, the AEWV will be valid for 2 years.
NZ Immigration Solutions have a streamlined process for taking away the stress of navigating the complex world of NZ immigration policies. Allow us to manage your Employer Accreditation and guide you on how to continue the process to getting a Job Check done in order to support migrant workers on Accredited Employer Work Visas.