Auckland, New Zealand, is home to many South Africans. Image: Adobe Stock
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is in the process of implementing changes to the procedures that must be followed by employers who offer work permits to foreign employees.
Auckland, New Zealand, is home to many South Africans. Image: Adobe Stock
New Zealand’s immigration department, the INZ, is set to implement changes to the procedures which New Zealand-based employers will be subjected to when offering work permits to employees from outside the country’s borders.
According to New Zealand immigration specialists Immagine Immigration, companies in New Zealand that employ overseas employees, will have to become accredited before they can support work visa applications for foreign employees.
Many South Africans who migrate to New Zealand use the employer-sponsored route to obtain work visas which enable them to move to New Zealand.
The implementation of the new requirements for employers will certainly add to the overly bureaucratic process of securing employer-sponsored work visas in New Zealand, a process that is already known to be a challenging endeavour.
According to Immagine Immigration, the new process will involve three steps.
Foreign employees on existing sponsored work visas will not be affected by the proposed requirements. They do not have to apply for new visas and their employer does not need to become accredited before 1 November.
South Africans wishing to migrate to New Zealand via employment-sponsored visas need not be concerned about this new requirement as the responsibility for INZ accreditation falls on the employer, not the employee.