AEWV | Nelson
Visas for Nelson’s horticultural workers
Any workers who are not New Zealand citizens or do not have New Zealand residency, need a valid work visa to carry out paid horticulture and viticulture work in New Zealand.
If you are employing migrant horticultural workers in Nelson, Blenheim or Marlborough region to work in the orchards, pack houses, market gardens and vineyards in, you’ll need to be up to date with new visa requirements for migrant workers in New Zealand.
To reduce the exploitation of migrants through the payment of low rates of pay and not the genuine rate for the job being done, and to ensure migrants are only recruited for genuine jobs, the New Zealand government is introducing a new work visa category.
Already employing someone who holds a work visa for NZ? We recommend you seek advice before their work visa expires.
IDESI LEGAL can assist you. The team of immigration lawyers at IDESI LEGAL in Wellington has the training and experience to help with all types of New Zealand residency visa applications. Call us on 04 461 6018.
How does that effect you as an employer in Nelson / Marlborough?
Under the new visa, migrant workers must be paid at the median salary threshold (or an equivalent hourly rate) in order to be eligible for a three-year visa. Migrants starting with their employer after July 3rd must be paid $27.76 per hour to be approved for the new Accredited Employer Work Visa or AEWV.
Accredited Employer Work Visa – Job check
The new ‘Accredited Employer Work Visa’ will come into effect in July 2022. Employers need to be prepared for this new work visa and this could affect their staff. How?
- The six work visa categories NZ had have now become one.
- All employers wanting to employ migrant workers must be accredited, by law.
- There is more compliance for employers. Applying to employ migrants is a three-step process.
To hire a migrant worker on an AEWV – even if it is only one – an employer must be accredited by the New Zealand government and the job will need to be checked to confirm it job pays the market rate and complies with current New Zealand employment laws.
Employers need to be aware of the job check component
With the new job check, roles need to be advertised for a minimum of two weeks in a recognised national employment website. The wording of the advertisement must also not deter New Zealanders. The job also needs to be registered and a fee of $610 must be paid by the employer.
If the role is paid twice the median wage, however, then the role will not have to be advertised.
Job descriptions count
It is important to get it right when advertising for these new roles. Please contact IDESI LEGAL if you need assistance. Our immigration team can manage all the details through the entire process. We can connect with you online and work with you using video calls.
We can connect right across Marlborough
Even if we can’t meet face to face, we can still connect and help. IDESI LEGAL uses Microsoft Teams, so we can help you wherever you are in the Marlborough region. We’ll send you a link, you click on it, and we’ll do the rest. If you’re based in Nelson or Blenheim, you could also call us on 04 461 6018. We specialise in New Zealand immigration law and have the staff, experience and expertise to help you with all aspects of the new accredited employer work visa or AEWV.
