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Accredited Employer NZ: How to Hire Migrant Staff Without Getting Accredited Yourself
You have roles to fill and you have heard you need Accredited Employer status to hire migrant workers. There is a faster way to get the staff you need on site.
6 min read
Finding reliable staff is one of the biggest challenges facing New Zealand businesses right now. When the local talent pool runs dry, many employers look overseas to fill the gap. That is usually when they hit the same wall: to hire most migrant workers in New Zealand, the business needs to be an Accredited Employer.
If you have started reading about accreditation, you already know it can take weeks of paperwork and comes with ongoing obligations. The good news is that becoming accredited yourself is only one of your options. This guide explains what Accredited Employer status really involves, and how you can bring on the workers you need much faster by partnering with an agency that already holds it.
What Accredited Employer Status Actually Means
An Accredited Employer is a business that Immigration New Zealand has approved to hire migrant workers on the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). The government introduced the system to protect workers and lift standards across every industry, from construction sites in Auckland to orchards in Hawke's Bay.
In simple terms, if you want to employ someone who needs a work visa, your business has to hold accreditation first. Without it, you cannot offer them a job under the AEWV. This is why so many employers run into the requirement the moment they try to hire from overseas.
At Unite Recruit we hold this accreditation ourselves. We went through the full process with Immigration New Zealand, so we know exactly what it asks of a business and how long it takes.
What It Takes to Get Accredited Yourself
Getting your own accreditation is absolutely possible, and for some businesses it is the right move. It helps to go in with a clear picture of what is involved.
The application and the wait
You apply to Immigration New Zealand, pay the accreditation fee, and wait for your application to be processed. Standard accreditation covers you to hire up to five migrant workers. If you want to hire more, you apply for high-volume accreditation, which asks more of your business.
The job check
Accreditation is only the first step. Before you can hire a specific person, you also need an approved Job Check for the role. This means proving the job is genuine, paying at least the market rate, and advertising locally first to show a New Zealander could not fill it.
The ongoing responsibilities
Once you are accredited, the obligations continue. You keep records, meet minimum employment standards, and provide settlement information to your migrant workers. Your accreditation also comes up for renewal, so it is a commitment you carry year after year.
The Faster Path: Hire Through an Accredited Partner
Here is the option most businesses do not realise they have. You do not need to hold accreditation yourself to put migrant workers on your site. You can hire them through a labour-hire agency that is already accredited.
When you work with Unite Recruit, the worker is employed by us. We carry the accreditation, the visa paperwork, the Job Checks, and the compliance. You tell us the roles you need filled, and we supply skilled, work-ready people who are covered under our status.
For you, that means the staff you need can be on the job in days rather than after months of applications. It also means the admin and the risk sit with us, so your team can stay focused on the work itself.
When Getting Your Own Accreditation Makes Sense
We believe in giving you the full picture, even when it points away from us. Holding your own accreditation can be worthwhile if you plan to directly employ a steady number of permanent migrant staff over the long term, and you have the admin capacity to manage the obligations that come with it.
Partnering with an accredited agency tends to suit you better when your needs change with the seasons, when you want to try someone in a role before committing, or when you simply need good people on site quickly. Many businesses use both: their own accreditation for core permanent hires, and us for flexible and urgent labour.
How to Get Started
The quickest way to find the right path for your business is to have a straight conversation about what you are trying to hire for. We can tell you honestly whether hiring through us or pursuing your own accreditation will serve you best.
