The government of New Zealand initially announced the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) in 2019 as a means of streamlining application processing times, reducing reliance on temporary skilled workers and improving the New Zealand economy.
Officially opening for applications on 4 July 2022, the AEWV will replace six work visa types in New Zealand, with some of these visas phased out prior to 23 May 2022. Some of these visa types include the Essential Skills Work Visa, the Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa, the Long-Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa, the Silver Fern Job Search Visa and the Silver Fern Practical Experience Visa.
The AEWV is a temporary work visa that can lead to permanent residence in New Zealand. Under this status category, employers will need to follow a three-step process as laid out by the government of New Zealand. The process will be made up of the following three steps:
- The Employer Accreditation phase (which opens on 23 May 2022)
- The job check application phase
- Submission of the AEWV application
The first phase will open on 23 May 2022. During this phase, employers will be eligible to apply for Employer Accreditation to hire a foreign national employee under the new AEWV program. Accreditation will be available in three versions depending on a company's business model:
- Standard accreditation: for employers who seek to employ up to five migrant workers on the AEWV.
- High-Volume accreditation: for employers who seek to employ six or more migrant workers on the AEWV.
- Franchises' accreditation: for franchisees and employers who seek to place migrants on the AEWV with controlling third parties, such as labor hire companies.?These applicants will need to meet additional criteria in order to qualify.
After the application has been submitted and approved, first-time applicants will receive employer accreditation for a period of 12 months. From there, the employer will be eligible for a renewal of 24 months so long as they continue to meet the qualification requirements and their previous accreditation has not lapsed for 12 months or more.
The government of New Zealand may also conduct checks through the accreditation period to ensure employers are adhering to all requirements.
Originally published MAY 10, 2022
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