Changes to Accredited Employer Work Visas for Employers hiring Level 4-5 jobs (April 2024)
Recent changes have been announced by the government, in relation to the existing Accredited Employer Work Visas (AEWV). If you are an employer hiring Level 4 or Level 5 jobs such as carers, clerks, receptionist, farm workers, cleaners and some others, your workers if granted a visa can only spend a total of 3 years across their work visas before being subject to the stand down period. These changes would apply to those Level 4 or Level 5 workers who are applying for their first visas on or after 7 April 2024, but there are additional exceptions if these workers’ occupations fall under the Green List, the Transport Sector or if they are being remunerated at $47.41 or higher.
For job checks applications for ANZSCO Skill level 4-5 occupations, the employers must:
- Advertise the role for a period three weeks, instead of the earlier required two weeks, on a public website (i.e “Trademe”, “Seek”, “Indeed”, etc),
- Liaise with work and income with the aim of hiring suitable New Zealand Citizens and/or Residents; and
- Provide a declaration as to why no suitable New Zealanders could be found.
For the migrant workers, there are more stringent work experience/ qualification requirements and in some instances, the workers must also meet specific English language requirements for the work visa (i.e IELTS, PTE or TOEFL).
We hope employers will find this quick guide useful. However, if you are unsure if the job you need is Level 4 or Level 5, what to do when applying for a Job Check or what requirements need for advertising the position, get in touch with us today to discuss and to ensure that the Job Check is completed correctly the first time to avoid having to repeat the process.
Contact: Ritvik Roop: rroop@corbanrevell.co.nz, ddi. +64 9 837 5736
Auckland Lawyers 