5 things to know if your business is not applying for Accreditation

From July 4 a new system for hiring migrants comes into play and Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) will be the main way to support a migrant employee on a work visa.  

The previous category and one of the longest-standing work visas – Essential Skills Work Visa - will cease to exist after July 3.  

This new mandatory regime is a completely new process that consists of three steps, two of which will be controlled by the employer. You can read more about the three steps here. This system is also completely different from the traditional accreditation system which closed on October 21 last year.

Join our webinar for employers, HR professionals and recruiters on "The New Process: Accreditation, Job Check & AEWV" on 19th May at 12PM NZT

Applications for business accreditations will open on May 23 with the entire process, from the Employer Accreditation application to the migrant getting the Accredited Employer Work Visa, taking about two months to complete.  

So, if your business is not going to apply for this new accreditation on soon after May 23, here is a list of five things to keep in mind: 

1. Can’t support current migrant workers from July 4 

Do you currently have migrant employees working for you? If yes, then when their current visa expires, they won’t be able to continue working for you. In fact, anyone that needs a job in your business to stay in the county can only do so if your business is accredited. 

2. Can only hire migrants on open work visas  

You’ll have a limited pool of migrants to choose from when looking for an ideal employee. 

You ’will only be able to hire immigrants who are in New Zealand on an open work visa for full-time work. Open work visa categories include  anyone on a work visa that has open work rights ie they are not tied into an employer, position, location, or minimum work hours. Therefore, migrants on Post Study Work visa, Partnerships visa, and some Working Holiday visa holders will be eligible to work for your business. Keep in mind, that these employees are able to work with any business and can leave the job at any time.  

3. Potential risk to business continuity  

Cycling back to the first point, you won’t be able to keep supporting your migrant employees once their visas expire. So, unless your business is accredited, you may be facing a risk of losing  valuable migrant workers in the team. Plain and simple, this could potentially interrupt a business flow and put ting its continuity at risk.   

4. Hire New Zealanders  

There is always an option of hiring a Kiwi instead. But what if you don’t find a suitable New Zealander?  

5. Consider additional training  

 The only option, if your business is not accredited, will be to either train a New Zealander or provide extra training for your current staff on open work visas, so that they are able to do the role. Staff undergoing additional training will require extra costs and time, which you will need to budget and plan for.   

Industries such as hospitality, tourism, IT and healthcare rely heavily on the migrant workforce. So, if you are in a migrant-reliant industry and choose not to hire qualified migrants, you have a restricted pool of clients and might not be able to keep up with the demand for the business. 

If you were contemplating whether your business should get accredited and these five facts changed your mind, you can start by contacting us for assistance as applications open on May 23.  

We are here to help make this process smoother for your business and hold your hand through the numerous immigration changes coming our way. Go ahead and fill up this Employer Accreditation form and we will go from there.