The NZ government has proved to be a responsible and benevolent body that has generously provided for its citizens throughout, especially when the entire world is reeling from the effects of the dangerous COVID-19 pandemic. The honorable NZ Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi has said that apart from border exemptions on specific cases, the Critical Purpose Visitor Visa’s introduction, welcoming international students back, extending the Work and Visitor visas are all meant to safeguard the citizens from the pandemic while simultaneously improving their conditions.
A Brief Overview of the Employer Accreditation in NZ
The NZ government has launched an international recruitment and retention tool that will prove beneficial for NZ employers that require skilled labor across the world. Many NZ employers have utilized this recruitment tool to avail different benefits associated with it.
Any NZ employer who needs to get accredited needs to complete certain immigration formalities before hiring any overseas skilled labor in NZ. As long as the candidate fits the proposed criteria, Immigration NZ needs to provide approval for the recruitment procedure.
Hence, an employer saves money that is spent on the recruitment process and gets the liberty to choose the eligible candidate from the immigration perspective. This year will bring significant accreditation changes for employers who plan to apply for accreditation in NZ.
How to Become an Accredited Employer?
Before becoming an accredited employer, Immigration New Zealand will assess your accreditation application thoroughly. The application is evaluated based on the different criteria mentioned below:
- An employer should maintain a robust financial position
- Effective human resource policies should be incorporated in the organization
- Healthy working practices
- Commitment to recruit and train citizens of New Zealand
Employee Requirement Under Immigration Instructions
In order to work in NZ under an accredited employer, the overseas worker should meet the following eligibility criteria.
- The applicant should be aged 55 years or below
- Should fulfill the immigration health and character necessity
- Should be an authentic applicant intending to obey the NZ visa conditions
Offers Extended By an Accredited Employer to an Overseas Skilled Laborer
The NZ government has formulated certain offers and requirement that should be provided to an overseas employee by an accredited employer.
- The employment offer should be genuine and authentic for the specific position stated in the employment document.
- The service which an accredited employer intends to provide should be their core business area. The employer will be responsible for employee’s work and business activity one they have recruited any overseas employee.
- An employer is bound to pay a minimum salary of NZ $76560 based on 40 hours per week of duty hours. The payment does not include any benefits related to employment like uniform and medical claims.
- The employment offer should be for a minimum period of 2 years.
- The employment should not be part-time. It should be full-time where an employee has to work a minimum of 30 hours a week.
- The work visa application filed by the applicant is assessed and reviewed by the immigration NZ department. Once it has been verified, the overseas visa applicant is granted multiple entry visas.
- The employment agreement should clearly include significant employment laws, specified terms and conditions, and holiday requirements that employees can utilize in NZ.
- A proof of provisional registration should be submitted to INZ if the law needs a separate individual registration to avail of the offer. Book a consultation with our NZ immigration experts to know more about employment offers. They will help you understand the latest policies and provisions put in place by the NZ government and the INZ.
Benefits of Being an Accredited Employer in NZ
In every developed and developing nation that presents a myriad of employment opportunities, there are unique upsides of certification, licencing and accreditations. NZ is not an exception. Various benefits can be availed if an employer is accredited. The NZ government and the immigration department have implemented the employer accreditation norms to minimize workplace exploitation and improve the workers’ conditions- both indigenous and migrant. But the employers are also entitled to several benefits that are discussed below.
- The reputation of an accredited employer in NZ is enhanced due to accreditation.
- Suppose your business requires you to hire more and more skilled laborers and a deft workforce from different parts of the world. In that case, an accreditation status NZ will act as your gateway to find and recruit suitable employees for crucial jobs.
- The accredited employers in NZ can avail of a special category of work visa with different privileges and facilities.
- Once an employer is accredited, they benefit from supporting work visas from different countries across the world.
- No additional employer supplementary form is needed to support the visa application form of any candidate applying for employment in NZ.
- The Immigration NZ gives applications related to Work to Residence (accredited employer) visas unique preferences.
- After the employer’s accreditation, no labor market test is required for further process.
- The residence pathway is allotted to employees who are recruited by an accredited employer. However, the residence visa holder is dedicated to an INZ branch.
Applicable timeframes
According to the NZ government, the accreditation regime is supposed to take place in July 2021. Once the NZ government approves an employer’s accreditation application, the initial agreement will last for a period of 12 months. The initial application for renewal needs to be requested by the employer before the end of 12 months. The renewal application is expected to be renewed for a period of 24 months.
Every organization requires considerable time to gather different pertinent documents while applying for accreditation. Hence it is suggested that all employers should collect necessary documents in advance. The NZ government suggests that if an employer wishes to apply for accreditation, they should start preparing all the required documents well before the impending date of July 2021. It can take a period of 3-6 months to collect and submit all the essential documents necessary for accreditation.
Book a consultation with our experts to know more about employer accreditation requirements. They have been catering to such needs of both indigenous New Zealanders and migrant laborers over the years. Our experts have diverse knowledge in the field of migrant laborer employment in the NZ job ecosystem and can therefore shed light on the various facets of employer accreditation.
Conclusion
Before the changes get executed from July 2021, labor hire franchises and single employers should make a beeline to submit their application regarding accreditations. Keeping the necessary documents ready could come in handy.