Employers may be eligible to gain approval in principle to employ workers from overseas.
To gain that approval an employer has to prove that they’ve genuinely attempted to attract and recruit New Zealand workers and that they meet New Zealand employment and immigration laws.
The employer also needs to confirm whether or not their prospective employee requires New Zealand certification or registration.
And, if an employer is seeking more than one overseas worker, we need to see:
- the number of temporary workers they’re seeking
- the name of their prospective employees (if known)
and
- proof that they’ve genuinely sought to attract and recruit workers from within New Zealand.
If both the employer and their overseas worker meet our required conditions we can grant the employee a Work Visa or Permit for the time they are needed, up to a maximum of three years from their arrival.
In many cases the employee will be able to apply for further Work Permits - so long as they are still in New Zealand lawfully and can meet the Work Permit policy requirements at that time.
What conditions do overseas workers have to meet?