New Zealand employers who need to regularly recruit skilled overseas workers can apply to become accredited.
Once an employer is accredited, the process of employing overseas talent becomes a lot easier for both, the New Zealand employer and the migrant.
Becoming an Accredited Employer will make the process of hiring and retaining staff from overseas a lot easier. It will reduce paperwork and increase efficiency when you need it the most.
Once you are an Accredited Employer, you do not have to prove that no suitable New Zealander is available to fill the position you would like to offer to an overseas candidate.
This means that you can employ a skilled migrant without having to go through the often difficult "labour market test".
To become accredited, you have to submit an application for accreditation to employ persons under the Talent (Accredited Employers) Work policy approved by INZ.
You must take direct responsibility for the workers you employ, and pay a minimum base salary of NZD $79,560. Before your new recruits can start working for you, they must obtain a work visa, which you will need to support.
A job offer from an Accredited Employer can make the visa application process a lot easier for you. By going through the process of becoming accredited, the employer has already shown an interest in attracting overseas skills.
The Accredited Employer work visa starts as a temporary visa for 30 months but it provides a residency pathway after 24 months.
Accredited Employers can employ a skilled migrant without having to do a labour market test. This will lower potential employer hesitation, making it easier for you to obtain the necessary job offer.
The offer of employment must meet the following strict requirements:
"If you have started a new job after your work visa was first granted, but your new employer is not an accredited employer, you might still be eligible for a resident visa under this policy, provided you have successfully applied for a variation of conditions to work for your new employer.
Work visas granted to applicants under this policy will be subject to the condition that the visa holder may undertake employment for an accredited employer only.
If the work visa holder wants to change employers during the currency of the work visa they have to apply for a "variation of conditions."