The Accredited Employer Work Visa And The Accreditation Process

• Published date: 11 May 2022
• Subject Matter: Immigration, General Immigration, Work Visas
• Law Firm: Envoy Global, Inc.
• Author: Mr Jessie Butchley

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...