Employer Accreditation extension and INZ post-accreditation checks

The initial accreditation period for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is being automatically extended by 12 months!

This one-time extension is designed to alleviate the administrative burden of reapplying for accreditation while employers are still adapting to the new system. As a result, employers who apply before 4 July 2023 will effectively receive a 24-month initial accreditation. For instance, if an employer was granted accreditation on 1 August 2022 with an original expiry date of 1 August 2023, the new expiry date will be extended to 1 August 2024.

All accreditations approved between 23 May 2022 and 4 July 2022 were initially issued with an expiry date of 4 July 2023, to align with the one-year anniversary opening date of accredited employer work visa applications.

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has also announced it will be carrying out post-accreditation checks to ensure accredited employers are complying with their obligations under the policy. Immigration New Zealand is part of MBIE.

MBIE will check around 15% of accredited employers, across a range of employer sizes and types, and in most cases employers may not even be aware a check has been made – but in some cases MBIE may undertake a site visit. These checks are to confirm that accredited employers are meeting the requirements and obligations of their accreditation and may involve a request to provide:

• financial statements to demonstrate financial viability,
• documentation of PAYE payments made to migrant employees,
• evidence of payments made to offshore recruitment agents,
• hiring dates of migrant employees,
• proof of settlement information provided to migrant employees,
• logs of hours worked by migrant workers, and
• information on key personnel involved in the business and their roles.

One of the main employer obligations is to provide settlement information to their AEWV- holding employees. The Pathways™ team has put together a settlement information pack (cost $500 +gst) which employers can use as a template, and individualise for their particular business.

Contact us today if you have any questions regarding your employer accreditation!