30 June 2021 will see the current accreditation scheme close. Employers can still employ migrants and have them put onto appropriate work to residence visas up to 31 October 2021.
Thereafter, the new Accredited Employer Work Visa will be replacing six visa categories on 01 November 2021. The process has three key stages:
- Employer : applies for accreditation “Employer Check”
- Employer : applies for a “Job check”
- Employee : applies for at the “Migrant Worker Check”
Levels of Accreditation:
Know your resourcing to figure out what type of accreditation you should be applying for. These are:
- Standard (employing 1-5 migrants at any one time)
- High volume (employing 6 or more migrants at any one time)
- Franchisees and 3rd party (triangular) employers
Notes:
- The sector agreements are on hold while Immigration New Zealand work through these policy changes.
- Employers need to consider aspects of employment law if these are unwilling to keep their migrant staff due to rising costs.
- The proposed fees for Accreditation are approximately double the current fees where the employer is responsible for the fees at the Accreditation stage and Job Check stage.
- Median wage increases on 19 July 2021 to $27.00 per hour. Any rate lower than median wage will only afford the migrant worker a 12 month work visa.
- The residence pathway defined under the new scheme requires a migrant work to earn twice the median wage i.e. $112,320.00 p.a. This places pressure on the employer.
- SMC is still suspended with the first change to the median wage announced. This category for residence is likely to be reviewed with policy changes.
Feel free to contact us at Admin@a2nz-immigration.com