How to renew your employer accreditation?

Your initial employer accreditation with Immigration New Zealand is valid for 12 months. Following this period, you have the option to renew your accreditation or let it expire. You need to consider whether you need to renew your accreditation.

When you opt for renewal, you have the flexibility to change your accreditation type. For instance, you can transition from a high-volume accreditation to a standard one. The type of accreditation that you choose depends on your requirements and company structure, and impacts the accreditation duration.

The duration of your renewed accreditation may be:

24 months for standard accreditation
24 months for high-volume accreditation
12 months for franchisee accreditation or controlling third-party accreditation.

If you choose to renew any expired accreditation that elapsed more than 12 months ago, it will be valid for 12 months.

Note: If you applied for your initial employer accreditation before July 4, 2023, your accreditation period might have been automatically extended by 12 months.

Do I need to renew my company accreditation?

You should consider renewing your employer accreditation if you intend to:

Employ new workers under an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)
Change accreditation types, such as transitioning from high volume to standard accreditation
Assist an AEWV holder in applying for their AEWV balance (also referred to as maximum continuous stay)
Support a migrant worker in applying for a different visa that requires your accreditation, such as a Work to Residence Visa or Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.

You are not obligated to renew your accreditation if you don't plan to employ new migrants under AEWVs or support an AEWV holder with additional visa applications.

Note that if you opt not to renew your accreditation, your accreditation will automatically expire on the expiry date.

Can I still employ migrants if I don't renew my accreditation?

You can still employ any migrants already working for you for the duration of their visa, including AEWV or Partner of a Worker Work Visas holders, until their visas expire. However, to continue employing them on another AEWV or Partner of a Worker Work Visa, or for them to submit an AEWV extension, you must hold valid accreditation.

You won't be able to apply for another Job Check to hire new workers or support a worker in applying for their AEWV balance/extension.

Furthermore, you won't be able to assist a migrant worker in applying for various visas, such as Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, Work to Residence Visa, Transport Work to Residence Visa, Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa, or Straight to Residence Visa.

Note that any Job Check tokens you have will expire when your accreditation expires.

Even after your accreditation expires, you'll still be able to access your employer dashboard in Immigration Online.

When should I renew my accreditation?

It is recommended that you get in touch with New Zealand Shores no later than 6-8 weeks before your accreditation is due to expire. This usually gives sufficient time to compile your evidence of compliance and prepare your application.

What do I need to renew my accreditation?

Supporting evidence may be required to support your accreditation renewal application. New Zealand Shores can assist you with compiling the right documentation to demonstrate that you have met accreditation requirements and commitments made during the initial accreditation application. This may include evidence of financial sustainability, settlement support, employer/employee modules, induction policies, etc. New Zealand Shores has a detailed compliance pack/plan which we provide as part of our (re)accreditation service.

If your accreditation renewal isn't approved by the time your current accreditation expires, you will receive an interim accreditation.

Interim Employer Accreditation

To be eligible, you must have submitted your renewal application before your current accreditation expires. Interim accreditation is granted under the following conditions:

You applied for a subsequent accreditation before your current one expired.
Your application is still pending.
You applied for the appropriate type of accreditation for your business.
You won't be granted interim accreditation if you applied for standard accreditation but have more than 5 associated jobs or if you applied for franchisee accreditation without currently holding franchisee accreditation.

What is the process for interim accreditation?

You cannot apply for interim accreditation directly. If you qualify for interim accreditation, you'll receive an email confirming its approval when your accreditation expires.

Types of interim accreditation granted

The type of interim accreditation you receive depends on your current accreditation type and the one you applied for:

Standard accreditation if you held standard accreditation or applied to switch to it.
High-volume accreditation if you held high-volume accreditation and applied for the same.
High-volume accreditation if you held controlling third-party accreditation and applied for high-volume accreditation.
High-volume accreditation if you held franchisee accreditation and applied for high-volume accreditation.
High-volume accreditation if you held high-volume or franchisee accreditation and applied for controlling third-party accreditation.
Controlling third-party accreditation if you held this type and applied for it again.
Franchisee accreditation if you held franchisee accreditation and applied for it again. Note: Franchisee accreditation is phased out late 2024. Franchisee employers can apply for standard, high-volume, or controlling third-party employer accreditation. Further updates on franchisee accreditation changes will be provided soon.