Accredited Employer Work Visa - information for migrant workers
Information for migrant workers for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). Video subtitles are available in English.
Subtitles
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English transcript
(Background music starts, the New Zealand Immigration logo and New Zealand Government logo are shown and a female voice starts talking)
Businesses are encouraged to train, upskill and hire New Zealand workers.
(Titles appear on screen: ‘Accredited Employer Work Visa – Information for Employing Migrants’)
Where no Kiwis are available for a job, employers can look to hire a migrant on the Accredited Employer Work Visa or AEWV.
(Numbers 1, 2 and 3 appear inside circles, with the text ‘Employment accreditation’ under number 1, ‘Job check’ under number 2 and ‘AEWV application’ under number 3. Arrows appear between 1 and 2, and 2 and 3)
To hire a migrant on the AEWV, there are 3 things you need to do.
Obtain accreditation, pass a job check for the role you're seeking to fill, and invite a migrant worker to apply for a visa.
(A piece of paper enters the screen with ‘NZBN’ written on it, and a tick mark appears on its bottom left)
To gain accreditation, you're required to hold a New Zealand business number …
(Another piece of paper enters the screen with ‘IRD’ written on it, and a tick mark appears on its bottom left)
Be registered as an employer with New Zealand's Inland Revenue…
(Another piece of paper enters the screen with ‘Bank written on it, and a tick mark appears on its bottom left)
And you must be in a good financial position. You should also have no recent history of regulatory non-compliance.
(A revolving globe enters the screen with a paper airplane circling it, then a New Zealand flag pops up on top in the form of a location pointer)
If there are any recruitment costs either in or outside New Zealand, these must be paid by you as the employer.
(An animated woman appears on screen and reads from a laptop on a desk)
You are obliged to give migrant workers information about their employment rights, tips and advice to help them settle into New Zealand, and information about how to access local community services.
(An icon of a person appears with 3 people icons underneath, with the title 'Controlling third parties')
There are extra requirements for employers who want to place migrants with controlling third parties, such as labour hire companies.
(An animated man and woman approach each other on the middle of the screen and shake hands)
The accreditation process is designed to ensure only good employers can hire migrant workers and helps prevent migrant exploitation.
(A piece of paper enters the screen, a tick mark appears on its bottom left with the title ‘Job check’)
Once you are accredited under the AEWV, you will need to apply for a job check for each job you want to hire a migrant for.
Multiple positions for the same job can be included in one job check.
(A hand holding a megaphone enters the screen, 3 people pop up with question marks over their heads with a title ‘Job advert’)
Most employers need to advertise the job first to check if New Zealanders are available.
(A piece of paper enters the screen, with the title ‘Job’ and boxes are consecutively ticked for role, pay, hours, skills and experience)
The ad needs to include details about the role, the pay, the hours, and the skills and experience required. It must meet the minimum pay rate required for the role. For some roles, you must also engage with Work and Income to look for New Zealanders to fill the vacancy.
(A laptop appears with the title ‘AEWV application’ on its screen, and 2 boxes are ticked. A title appears underneath: ‘Check your migrant is suitably qualified: immigration.govt.nz/aewv-suitably-qualified’)
If the role passes the job check, the migrant worker can apply for a visa to work in that job once you check they are both suitably qualified for the role and meet the minimum skills requirement to be granted an AEWV.
Some migrant workers also need to meet English language requirements.
(Numbers 1, 2 and 3 appear inside circles on screen with ‘Employment accreditation’ under number 1, ‘Job check’ under number 2 and ‘AEWV application’ under number 3, with plus signs in between 1 and 2, and 2 and 3. A tick mark appears above each circle, then an equals sign appears pointing to a tick icon with the title ‘AEWV approval’.)
Immigration New Zealand then checks if they meet the requirements for the AEWV, and that they have the skills and experience you advertised for.
If all three steps are approved, the migrant worker will be issued an AEWV.
(The New Zealand Immigration logo appears with the title ‘Accredited Employer Work Visa’. The website link ‘immigration.govt.nz/accredited-employer’ is shown underneath)
More information about the AEWV is on our website.