New Zealand Employers

Our team at NZIC will make attracting skills from overseas and employing migrants a straightforward and seamless process for New Zealand employers.

What can we do to help you attract and employ skilled migrants?

We will provide the allround support you will need to find the skills you need for your business and assist your migrant candidate with their visa process.

Our Licensed Immigration Advisers will help you with

  • Your Accredited Employer application - applications are now open. Our Licensed Immigration Advisers take care of your application process for you.
  • Job checks - we help accredited employers with the necessary job check - since 20 June 2022.
  • The new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) - Our Licensed Immigration Advisers help your preferred candidate with their application for an AEWV. This option isavailable since 4 July 2022, once you are accredited and a job check has been completed.
  • Labour market testing - Our Licensed Immigration Advisers will make sure all formalities are observed to demonstrate that no New Zealand can be found to do the job you want to offer the migrant job seeker.

Our Licensed Immigration Advisers will also

  • check the candidate's visa status to ensure that the migrant can legally work for you
  • identify the best visa options available for your migrant candidate and their partner or family
  • assist your candidate and their family with all visa formalities to make the process easier for you and your new employee.

Our Job Search Specialists will provide you with

  • access to a large client base of skilled migrants seeking employment in New Zealand
  • an excellent understanding of the skills needed by you to fill a position
  • know how to 'translate' overseas skills and work experience and fully understand the migrant's skill set.

The NZIC Job Portal

Our Job Portal facilitates the connection of global job seekers and New Zealand employers.

  • We offer New Zealand businesses the opportunity to connect with our migrant clients
  • We make it easier for our migrant clients to connect to the New Zealand employment market.

Check out our NZIC Job Portal .

To register your job openings free of charge, simply send us our Employer form.

Our Employer Webinar

If you want to employ migrants or are currently employing migrants, it is important that you stay up to date with their visa requirements.

Our Senior Licensed Immigration Adviser Dr. Carsten Hallwass will explain the process of applying for your employer accreditation and all further steps involved for New Zealand employers wanting to employ migrants - whether the migrant is already in New Zealand or still offshore.

No worries if you are unable to attend the webinar. Just let us know you are interested in getting ready for your accreditation and we will be able to assist you

2023
Updates

Webinar for New Zealand Employers:

What does it take to employ a migrant in 2023?

We invite all New Zealand employers and recruiters to attend our upcoming Employer Webinar.

Wednesday, 6th April at 12PM NZDT.

To register your interest, simply complete our Employer form and let us know that you are interested in joining..

We look forward to seeing you at the webinar!

It takes 3 steps to employ a migrant

The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is a new temporary work visa open to applications since 4 July 2022.

There are now 3 steps to hiring a migrant on an AEWV: Accreditation, the job check and the AEWV application.


The three steps for an NZ employer to employ a migrant:

1.Employer Accreditation

Employers can apply for accreditation since 23 May 2022.

Only accredited employers can hire a migrant worker on the AEWV.

They need accreditation in the new system – even if they are accredited under the current system.

The accreditation levels are:

  • Standard Accreditation for employers who want to have up to 5 migrant workers
  • High-volume Accreditation for employers who want to have 6 or more migrant workers on AEWVs at any one time.

Franchisees and employers wanting to place migrants on AEWVs with third parties (including labour hire companies) will need to meet additional criteria to get accredited.

2.Job Check

Employers can apply for a job check since 20 June 2022.

The following principles apply to the job check:

  • jobs must pay market rate
  • terms and conditions must comply with employment law

Some job checks will also involve a labour market test.

  • A labour market test shows that an employer has genuinely advertised the role to New Zealanders and there are none available to do the job.

When a labour market test is required:

  • For jobs that pay below the median wage

When a labour market test is not required:

In the cities (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Dunedin):

  • Jobs paying at or above 200% the median wage, or
  • Jobs that are on a skills shortage list, and pay at or above the median wage

In the regions:

  • Jobs paying at or above the median wage

3.The Accredited Employer Work Visa, AEWV

Migrants can apply for this new temporary work visa since 4 July 2022 onwards.

The migrant worker must show they meet:

  • health requirements
  • character requirements
  • identity requirements
  • skills and experience as stipulated as part of the employer's Job Check
With your application you have to demonstrate that you comply with the following requirements:
Sound Financial Position
Revenue, profit and equity levels must prove your ability to sustain employment
Human Resources Policies and Processes
Must comply with high standards

Commitment to Training Locals
Training and employing New Zealand citizens or residence class visa holders when possible
Good Workplace Practices
A history of compliance with all immigration and employment New Zealand laws

You need to meet these accredited employer criteria throughout the whole term of your
accreditation

Are you a New Zealand employer wanting to employ migrants?


Find out how we can help you become accredited and employ skilled migrants.

List your job vacancies in our Job Pool. It is free.
What do the policy changes mean for migrant job seekers?

Employers must complete the employer accreditation process before migrants can apply for a work visa. This is an employer led process, see above.

The Essential Skills Work Visa will close to applications on 3 July 2022.

Current temporary work visas will not be affected, as long as visa conditions are still being met and the visa remains valid.

Different to the current system, the new regulations do not provide a designated pathway to residence. There are 'rumours' that this might be introduced at a later stage.

With Residence from Work Visa applications underway however (requiring a further Work to Residence visa to be granted residence), applicants will be able to continue this process if they remain with their current employer.

Current Accredited Employer Pathway to Residence
The current Accredited Employer Work to Residence Program consists of two stages:
1.
Accredited Employer Work Visa
A visa to work for an accredited employer, if you have a job offer from an accredited employer.
Requirements:
To be eligible for a work visa under the Talent (Accredited Employers) Work policy you must:
  • hold an offer of employment in New Zealand from an accredited employer
  • be aged 55 years of under
  • meet the health and character requirements for residence
  • meet the requirements for bona fide applicants
  • meet the general requirements for lodging a visa
2.
Residence from Work Visa
A resident visa for people who have been employed in New Zealand by an accredited employer for more than 2 years.

Requirements:
You might be able to apply for a residence visa subsequently to the work visa if:
  • you have held a work visa granted under this policy for a period of at least 24 months
  • you have been employed in New Zealand throughout a period of 24 months by any accredited employer
  • your job meets minimum salary requirements (NZ$79,560 since 7 October 2019 or NZ$55,000 before that date)
  • you hold full or provisional registration, if full or provisional registration is required to practice in your the occupation
  • you meet health and character requirements.

Your offer of employment must meet the following strict requirements:

  • from an accredited employer
  • for employment in New Zealand
  • in the employers core area of business activity
  • where the employer will have direct responsibility for your work output
  • for a period of at least 24 months
  • for full-time employment (at least 30 hours a week)
  • current at the time of assessing the application and at the time of visa grant
  • for a position with a minimum base salary of NZ$79,560
  • accompanied by evidence of full or provisional registration, or eligibility for such registration,if lawfully required to take the offer
  • compliant with all relevant employment law in New Zealand
  • with an employer who has a history of compliance with employment law, and not included on a list of non-compliant employers maintained by the Labour Inspectorate

Are you a migrant and working for an accredited employer?

Complete our Free Assessment to find out if you qualify for residence in New Zealand under the current Accredited Employer Pathway to Residence policy.
Free Assessment

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french flag image

The great work done before has surely helped to achieve this quick positive result. NZIC are really professional and know what to do when to do it and how to do it. That is so convenient and efficient! I’m still working with them for the next steps and would like to thank them again for their help and support.  Thank you.  Kind Regards.

FB
France
USA flag symbol

Anna was worth her weight in gold---she was fantastic at helping me format my CV and search for jobs that suited my skill set.  In the end, I got a great job in a great city.  Carsten and his team were very thorough and helpful when it came time to apply for and get our visas. They are now helping us with our resident visas, and I'm certain that the process will be the same. I'd recommend them highly.

KJ
USA
brazilian flag image

NZIC guided me all the way through getting my first work visa to permanent residency. Their job seeking support was key when I first arrived in NZ, communication was always easy and clear. I'm very thankful for their help and definitely recommend their services.

DO
Brazil
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Dear Jannie, just want to drop a note to thank for your everything. Your help is much appreciated! You are a wonderful and professional job search coach! I am so lucky to have you supporting me!

MK
Hong Kong