The New Zealand government has implemented significant revisions to the accreditation process and the Job Check protocol aimed at streamlining the experience for employers and holders of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) during events such as business sales, mergers, or restructures.
These changes are part of a broader initiative to enhance efficiency within the AEWV framework, ensuring that processing times are minimised for all parties involved.
Starting from 6 November 2024, important new guidelines will come into effect:
1. Accreditation Status of New Employers
The requirement for the new employer to become accredited remains in place. However, if the new employer has either already received accreditation or has submitted an application for accreditation by the time Immigration New Zealand processes the Job Change application, INZ will approve the Job Change application before the new employer’s accreditation status has even been evaluated. This provision is designed to expedite the transition process for AEWV holders.
2. Job Check Requirement
This is the most important change: the new employer will not be required to test the labour market, nor submit a Job Check application unless there are any changes to the AEWV holder’s role or work location. This provision dramatically simplifies the process for AEWV holders who are simply transferring within similar parameters.
The new employer will not be required to test the labour market, nor submit a Job Check application unless there are any changes to the AEWV holder’s role or work location
3. Job Change (variation of conditions) Requirement
This requirement does not change: if an AEWV holder continues in the same role and at the same location but experiences an employer change due to a business sale, merger, or corporate restructuring, they will still be required to submit an application for a Job Change, to reflect the new business name on their work visa.
What this means for employers with standard accreditation
AEWV holders transferring to new employers post-sale or restructure will be counted against the new employer’s limit of five AEWV employees under the standard accreditation category (maximum 5 concurrent job check tokens AEWV holders) or Employers anticipating that they will exceed this quota must proactively apply for high-volume accreditation prior to workers submitting their Job Change applications. This step is crucial for ensuring that both the employer and employee can smoothly transition without facing administrative setbacks.
These changes are very beneficial to employers and migrant workers, and should considerably speed up the processes involving business restructure together with immigration matters.
