It’s a great news for individuals preparing to work for a New Zealand employer. The government of New Zealand has announced a new visa regime for people seeking to be employed in New Zealand.
Going forward accredited employers are prohibited from incorporating 90-day trial periods in employment contracts for those they hire through an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).
This change is aimed at promoting fair treatment of migrants workers by accredited employers and ensuring that they hire only when there’s a legitimate labor requirement or skill gap to address in the country. Going forward, job check applications should not feature employment agreements containing trail periods.
According to the information, once you receive a job offer from your New Zealand employer, carefully review the agreement documents. Employers who incorporate a trail period into their employment contracts face the potential of jeopardizing their certification. The detection of a breach could take place during the job check process or subsequent to it through post-decision and re-accreditation assessments.
Starting from last month, October the 29th, any AEWV job check application submitted with an employment agreement featuring a trail period will be rejected, irrespective of the submission date. Alternatively, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) might seek updated information. This policy applies to Job Checks submitted before October 29, 2023, but assessed on or after this date.
It’s important to note that the 90-day trail rule will no longer be in effect.
Starting from November 27th, 2023, accredited employers responsible for assigning migrants to certain roles within the construction industry will be required to ensure that a minimum of 35% of the labor hire workforce compromises New Zealand citizens and permanent residents engaged in full-time position. This represents a notable rise from the existing threshold of 15%.
