Employer Immigration Services — New Zealand

Fill the role, keep the project moving, bring the person your business actually needs into the team — without losing weeks trying to work out which employer process applies, in what order, and what Immigration New Zealand will want to see. Hiring migrant workers in New Zealand runs through a sequence of employer-side steps before the worker can even apply for a visa, and getting that sequence right matters as much as the worker’s own application.

MyLaw works with employers across those steps, from first-time accreditation through to job checks and compliance questions, for both straightforward hires and more complex situations.

The right starting point depends on where your organisation is in the employer-led process:

• If you have never hired a migrant worker before, Employer Accreditation is typically the first step.
• If you are already accredited and have a specific role to fill, a Job Check is generally the next stage.
• If your accreditation is due to expire or you are moving between accreditation types, a renewal or variation may apply.
• If you have received a compliance query or a request for further information from Immigration New Zealand, Resolve Issues may be the appropriate pathway.

When assessing employer applications, Immigration New Zealand will generally look at:

• whether the business meets the eligibility criteria for the relevant accreditation type
• whether the role being offered is genuine and sustainable
• whether terms and conditions of employment meet current requirements
• whether appropriate steps have been taken to recruit New Zealand workers, where required
• the employer’s compliance history and ability to meet ongoing obligations

Specific requirements depend on the process involved and may change over time.

Several factors can affect the outcome of employer applications:

• processes being completed out of sequence
• incomplete or inconsistent supporting documentation
• employment agreements that do not meet current standards
• recruitment efforts that are not clearly evidenced
• previous compliance issues or unresolved matters with Immigration New Zealand

Because these processes underpin the visa applications of migrant workers, accuracy at each stage matters.

Employer-related immigration processes can be time-sensitive and document-heavy. Professional help may be valuable when:

• your organisation is applying for accreditation for the first time and is unsure which category applies
• you are managing multiple roles or hires simultaneously
• your business structure is complex (group entities, franchises, triangular employment arrangements)
• you have previously had a compliance issue or an application declined
• you need to coordinate accreditation, job checks, and visa applications within tight timeframes

When you engage MyLaw across employer matters, the main shift is clarity about sequence — which process applies to your situation, what has to come first, and what each step needs before it’s lodged. From there, we work with you across the employer-side stages of the immigration process.

Depending on where your organisation is in the process, this may include:

• Knowing which accreditation type fits before you apply — we assess your business structure, hiring plans, and previous immigration history against the accreditation categories, so the application you lodge is the one that actually matches your situation.
• Employment documentation that holds together under INZ review — we review employment agreements, role descriptions, and supporting evidence against current requirements, so gaps are addressed before lodgement rather than after a request for further information.
• Recruitment evidence that clearly meets the test — where labour market testing applies, we help you document recruitment efforts in a form that addresses what Immigration New Zealand is looking for.
• A coordinated path from accreditation through to the worker’s visa — we sequence accreditation, job checks, and the worker’s application so the pieces connect rather than stalling on each other.
• A considered response when Immigration New Zealand raises a query — if a compliance question or request for further information arises, we help you prepare a response that addresses the specific concern raised.

For detailed descriptions of each service, see the specific service pages linked in the card grid above.