Changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa
Immigration New Zealand have announced a number of changes to the new Accredited Employer Work Visa, which will replace the Essential Skills Work Visa and Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa, when it launches on 4 July 2022.
They have confirmed that it will be open to applications from overseas, as well as in New Zealand, from July.
In addition, the following announcement have been made:
Median wage increase on 4th July 2022
The median wage will increase from $27.00 to $27.76 an hour on 4 July 2022, in line with when the AEWV opens to applications.
Employers who submit a job check in advance of 4 July 2022 should use the new median wage figure, as all visa applications will be made on or after this date.
Revised timeline for the implementation of the new Accredited Employer Work Visa
- 23 May 2022 – employers can apply for accreditation
- 20 June 2022 – accredited employers can submit a job check
- 4 July 2022 (unchanged) – migrants can apply for an AEWV, where the employer is accredited, and a job check has been completed.
Migrant workers can still apply for an Essential Skills Work Visa until 3 July 2022. Employers do not need to apply for accreditation from 23 May 2022, unless they intend to hire migrants on an AEWV soon after 4 July 2022.
For most employers, accreditation will be a simple and relatively low-touch assessment.
Changes to the accreditation and job check steps
A number of changes have been made including:
- At the job check stage, all employers will now need to advertise their vacancies unless the role is paid at least twice the median wage (regardless of where the role is based)
- High-volume accreditation no longer includes a requirement that jobs must pay at least 10% above minimum wage or be covered by a collective agreement, as the new median wage threshold will apply across the board.
- High-volume accreditation now has the same requirements as standard accreditation. Employers must still apply for high-volume accreditation and pay a higher fee if they want to employ more than 5 workers on AEWVs at one time.
- Employers can upgrade from standard to high-volume accreditation at any point during their accreditation period, for a fee.
If you want to find out more about the Accredited Employer Work Visa, get in touch or fill out our Eligibility Assessment.
