Hiring a migrant during COVID-19

Hiring a migrant who is outside New Zealand

If the migrant you want to hire is not already in New Zealand, they will only be able to travel here if they:

are exempt from the border restrictions, or
have a critical purpose reason to travel.

People who are exempt from the border restrictions include New Zealand citizens or permanent residents with valid travel conditions and people in a quarantine-free travel zone.

Workers who have a critical purpose include critical health workers, 'other critical workers' — specialist or essential staff who we assess on a case-by-case basis — and some marine crew arriving by sea. If you are hiring marine crew or 'other critical workers', you need to make the initial request for them to travel on behalf of your workers.

Bringing workers to New Zealand

Quarantine-fee travel zones

Hiring a migrant who is already in New Zealand

If the migrant you want to hire is already in New Zealand, whether you can hire them may be affected by COVID-19 and the latest changes to Essential Skills visas.

If their visa was due to expire soon, it may have been extended due to COVID-19, or their visa conditions may have been relaxed to let them stay here for longer.

Hiring migrants in New Zealand on student, work, resident or interim visas

A booklet to help hospitality sector employers understand, plan for, and comply with New Zealand’s changing immigration environment.

Guidance for New Zealand hospitality employers PDF 1MB

Support a candidate's visa application

You can only hire migrants if you have not been able to find New Zealanders to do the work. If you do consider hiring a migrant who is in New Zealand, there are obligations you need to meet before your potential employee can start working for you.

Find out about the requirements and conditions of various visas, and what support you can give to help your employees with their visa application process.

Check a candidate's visa status

Before a migrant can begin working for you, you must check that the conditions of their visa allow them to work. With VisaView, you can satisfy yourself that your prospective employee is able to settle here and work for you.

Check someone can legally work for you

VisaView for employers

VisaView allows New Zealand employers to check the details of a worker's current visa. View our detailed guides for VisaView.

RealMe

Glossary for What is RealMe?

Options for repeat / high volume hiring

If you frequently hire migrants or have many positions to fill, there are normally several options for streamlining the visa application process.

Note

Many of these options will not be available while the COVID-19 border restrictions are in place, as migrants outside New Zealand can only travel here for a critical purpose.

Accredited Employer

New Zealand employers who need to regularly recruit skilled overseas workers, can apply to become accredited. This option will allow them to employ skilled migrant workers without first having to check if any New Zealanders can do the work.

Arts and Music Festival Approval

Arts and music festivals organisers can apply for approval to simplify visa processing. Performers and direct support staff participating in an ‘approved’ arts or music festival can come to New Zealand as visitors.

Entertainment Industry Accreditation

Entertainment industry employers can apply for accreditation to allow them to bring overseas entertainment industry workers to New Zealand without first having to ask the relevant New Zealand entertainment union, guild or professional association for their agreement.

Entertainment Promoters Approval

Entertainment promoters can apply for approval to simplify visa processing. Performers and direct support staff participating in an ‘approved’ arts or music festival can come to New Zealand as visitors.

Essential Skills - Approval in Principle (AIP)

New Zealand employers can get approval to recruit temporary workers for jobs not on New Zealand’s skill shortage lists. Once approved, New Zealand employers can recruit as many workers as they need to supplement their workforce.

Labour Hire Employer Accreditation

Labour hire employers can apply for accreditation to allow them to hire overseas workers to supplement their New Zealand workforce.

Pacific Quotas Programme

Employ workers drawn from the ballot for permanent employment of business activity – you don’t have to check if any New Zealanders are available to do the work first.

Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme

Becoming a Recognised Seasonal Employer can help horticulture or viticulture industry employers to recruit overseas workers when there aren’t enough NZers to plant, maintain, harvest and pack their crops.

Supplementary Seasonal Employment - Approval in Principle

Horticulture and viticulture industry employers can apply for an approval in principle to allow them to supplement their New Zealand workforce with overseas workers to meet seasonal demand.

Work Exchange Scheme

Work Exchange Schemes allow New Zealand employers to arrange short-term work opportunities in New Zealand and overseas as part of a reciprocal agreement.

Foreign Crew on Fishing Vessels - Approval in Principle

New Zealand Employers can apply for an Approval in Principle to recruit 7 or more foreign crew for work on a fishing vessel. They will only be approved if there aren’t enough New Zealanders available to do the work.

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