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How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Migrant Worker in NZ?
Hiring a migrant worker in NZ costs more than a single fee. Here is the full picture, and the alternative that avoids most of it.
6 min read
If you are thinking about hiring a migrant worker in New Zealand, one of the first questions is what it costs. The answer has a few parts, because hiring on the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) involves more than a single fee. Knowing the full picture helps you budget and decide the best route.
Here is what it costs to hire a migrant worker in NZ, and the alternative that avoids most of it.
The Accreditation Cost
Before you can hire, your business needs to become an Accredited Employer, which carries an application fee. Standard accreditation covers a small number of migrant workers, while high-volume accreditation costs more and asks more of your business. This is the first cost, and it comes before you have hired anyone.
The Job Check Cost
Accreditation alone does not let you hire a specific person. For each role, you also apply for a Job Check, which has its own fee and requires you to advertise locally and pay at least the market rate. If you are filling several roles, these costs and obligations repeat for each one.
The Time Cost
Money is not the only cost. Accreditation, the Job Check, and then the worker's own visa application all take time, and the full path can stretch across several months. For a business that needs people now, that delay is a real cost in missed work and stretched teams.
The Ongoing Cost
Once accredited, the obligations continue. You keep records, meet employment standards, provide settlement information, and renew your accreditation when it expires. These are not large cash costs, but they are ongoing responsibilities that take time to manage properly. Fees change over time, so check the current figures with Immigration New Zealand.
The Lower-Cost Alternative
There is a way to avoid most of these costs. When you hire through an agency that is already accredited, the worker is employed by the agency, which carries the accreditation, the Job Checks, and the compliance. You skip the accreditation cost and the months of waiting, and the staff can be working in days. Unite Recruit holds Accredited Employer status, so for many businesses hiring through us is the cheaper and faster route.
