Re-Accreditation: What you need to know before applying

The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme was rolled out in July 2022, with over 35,000 organisations receiving accreditations since then. With these accreditations starting to expire from July 2024, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is in full swing processing re-accreditation applications. 

If you handled your first-time accreditation yourself, please note that much has changed in the way INZ is processing renewal applications. The first time around, INZ’s approach was minimal to low touch, as businesses had simply promised to meet their obligations once approved as Accredited Employers. However, with the re-accreditation applications, INZ now expects upfront evidence that your business has met the obligations it promised to fulfil the first time around.  

In this article, we have outlined the most essential components that INZ will expect as part of your re-accreditation application.

Employment NZ’s modules for Employers 

You should provide evidence that everyone making 'recruitment decisions' in the business has completed Employment NZ’s modules in the last accreditation period.  

If your business has less than 5 people making recruitment decisions, provide the completion certificates of all modules for each person making such decisions. 

If your business has more than 5 people making these decisions, your evidence should detail:

• The number of people making recruitment decisions about an AEWV holder or applicant
• Completion certificates for 5 people making recruitment decisions

If you state that recruitment staff have not completed the employer modules during the previous accreditation period, you will be asked to provide supporting evidence with your application. This evidence can include: 

• An explanation why modules were not completed 
• Policies implemented to ensure modules will be completed and it does not happen again 

Employment NZ’s modules for Employees  

You must also provide evidence of offering AEWV holders paid time (during work hours), within the first month of their job to complete Employment NZ’s employee modules. If this was not done during your first accreditation period, INZ will ask for reasons why this was not done and require evidence of policies put in place to ensure completion of this requirement in the future. 

Settlement support information for AEWV employees 

You must submit evidence of providing settlement support information in line with INZ’s expectations, to your AEWV employees within one month of their starting work. If the information was not provided, INZ will ask for reasons why it was not done during the previous accreditation period and require evidence of policies implemented to ensure it is done in the future. 

Several obligations on ‘Key Persons’

Key persons have several obligations imposed on them once a business is accredited. These individuals are senior members of your organisation who can influence the business's compliance with employment and immigration laws. This includes directors, senior HR partners, and partners in a partnership.

As an accredited business, your key persons must not have any recent history of regulatory non-compliance. This includes not being banned from acting as a director, having no repeated immigration-related offences in other businesses, and not providing false or misleading information to INZ. 

Financial information

Especially for relatively new businesses or businesses that have incurred a loss in the last two years, it is advisable to submit financial documents upfront to demonstrate the viability and genuineness of the organisation. This is recommended because if INZ asks for such documents at a later stage, the time taken to collate and submit them for evaluation can cause a delay in receiving your re-accreditation.  

You may also wish to submit your latest organisation chart showing structure and positions in the business to help INZ understand the structure and nature of your business operations. 

There are additional obligations for businesses accredited from 7 April 2024. They are as follows: 

Ensuring your worker meets the skill requirements 

Before you ask someone to apply for an AEWV, you must check that they:

• Meet the AEWV skill requirements set by INZ, i.e., minimum of 3 years' relevant work experience or a suitable qualification, and
• Have the skills and experience specified in the Job Check

All qualifications below a bachelor’s degree must be relevant and be accompanied by an International Qualification Assessment (IQA). 

INZ expects employers to maintain accurate records and will hold them responsible for this, regardless of whether they do this directly or through a third party. Failure to comply can lead to the suspension of the employer’s accreditation. We are already assisting our partners to meet this requirement. Feel free to contact us if you need guidance with this process. 

New process for informing INZ when a migrant leaves their job 

If a worker on an AEWV leaves employment a month or more before their visa expires, you must inform INZ within 10 working days. Failure to do this can impact accreditation status. This change applies to any employer that is accredited or re-accredited from 7 April 2024. We can assist your business with the specifics of this procedure. 

With the introduction of the Worker Protection Act in January 2024, three new employer offences have been established. Therefore, it is crucial that businesses understand their obligations and ensure compliance. Read more about the Act here.

Our experienced team can guide your business through the re-accreditation process, ensuring you can continue to attract and retain migrant talent.